PLOT WHICH FAILED

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 236, 3 July 1944, Page 5

PLOT WHICH FAILED

Ciano Tried To Trick Firing Squad (Received July 2, 11.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, July 1. On the eve of Count, Ciano’s execution someone apparently spent millions on a plot to save his life, reports the “New York Times” Rome correspondent. The idea was to fake advantage of an Italian law which provides that if a condemned man is alive six minutes after shooting the sentence is considered to have been carried out. The film of Hie execution of Ciano and six oilier members of Hie Fascist. Grand Coiiiicil, taken at Hitler's orders, showed t'i.ino conclusively threw himself to Hie left at Hie exact moment Hie execution squad fired, apparently feigning dead. However, the money was spent in vain. Rome's most dreaded killer. Pietro Caruso. Himmler's Italian counterpart, had come to Verona personally lo supervise Hie execution. The film shows Caruso's finger twice closing on, Hm trigger of his pistol as be gave Fascisms playboy his coup de grace. At h'is trial Count Ciano behaved pretty badly, lie swore lie would not have vote,! for Grandi if he had foreseen the results and if he had not fell Hie Duces fale was at stake. Ciano did not take Hie death senieneo seriously because b” was Mussolini's son-in-law, bul. when, a priest came to his cell lie realized wit a horror he was to die. lie hurriedly signed a petition to the Duce for clemency. A courier flew m a special plane io Lake Garda, where. Mussolini was staying, but the Duce did not appear before next morning, when he shouted with grief and rage because he was not notified in time. Eye-witnesses say it "'as a good piece of acting.