REICHSTAG FIRE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 723, 26 December 1933, Page 5

REICHSTAG FIRE

(Press Assn.-

ACCUSED SENTENCED

van der lubbe tb die and other fojljr acquitted * HIGH TREASON CHARGE

— By Telegraph — Copyriglit) .

Rec. Dec. 25, 6.30 p.m. Leipzig, Dec. 23. There was absolute silence in the densely packed court when the President, Dr. Bunger, pronoiunced- the seiitences in the Reichsta^ fire trial. Van der Lubbe was sentenced to death for high treason and the other four were acquitted, namely the German Torgler and the three Bulgarians, Dimitroff, Popoff and Taneff. AU heard the result unmoved, Van der Lubbe sitting in the bowed attitude which he had assumed throughout. He did not show the slightest interest and did not even raise his head. Dr. Bunger said that the court was of the opinion that Van der Lubbe was ordered by the other incendiaries to climb into the Reichstag and lay a trail of fire in order to distract the attention of the fire brigade from the main fire which was to be laid in the Plenary session of the chamber. Torgler acting on his lawyers' adviee, asked to be taken into "protective custody." A new indictment is reported to be in the course of preparation against him and also Thaelmann and other Communist leaders. Dr. Bunger added that the court rejected the senseless legends that the Nazis had a hand in the fire, that Van der Lubbe visited the Nazis or

that German officials had falsified Vrn der Lubbe's passport. It also rejected the stories that a tunnel con,necting the Reichstag with Captain Gcerring's residence had been used.