REICH TRIAL ENDS

Hokitika Guardian, 27 December 1933, Page 5

REICH TRIAL ENDS

FOUR ACQUITTALS

VAN DER LUBBE IS TO DIE.

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright).

LEIPZIG, December 23

There was absolute, silence in the densely packed Court when the President, Doctor Buenger, pronounced the sentence in the Reichstag fire trial. Van der Lubbe was sentenced to death for high treason, and the other four were acquitted, namely the Herman, Tergler and three Bulgarians, Dimitroff, Popoff and Taneff. AH heard the result unmoved. Van der Lubbe was sitting in a bowed atr titude which he assumed throughout.He did not show the slightest interest, and did not even raise his head. Dr Buenger said the Court was of the opinion the van -der Lubbe" was ordered by other incendiaries t-o climb into the Reichstag, lay the trail for the fire in ord-er t-o distract the attention of the fire brigade from the main fire in the plenary session chamber. T'orgler, acting on his lawyer’s advice, asked to be taken in' “protective custody.” -A news indictment is reported to be in course of preparation against hint, also against Thaelmann and other Communist leaders.

Dr Buongner added that the Court rejected the “senseless legends” that the Nazis had a hand in the first, that van der Lubbe- visited the Nazis, or that German officials falsified vfam ■aer Lubbe’s. passports. They also rejected the stories-of the tunnel connecting the Reichstag with Herr Goering’s -residence had been used. Dr Buenger emphasised that though it was suspected that the other accused were involved in high treason it had been impossible to prove it and they would accordingly be acquitted owing to lack of evidence.

The trial really ended undramatically. It lasted fifty-seven days, the longest in German legal records. The acquittals infuriated the Nazi ' newspapers. .An Amsterdam telegram says that van der Lubbe will petition Hindenburg for clemency as no appeal is possible from the Supreme Court. If he rejects the petition the Dutch Government will make representations on the ground that no death penalty for the crime of which van der Lubbe is accused was provided by German law at the time of the Reichstag fire.