KALTHOF SHOOTING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 May 1939, Page 6

KALTHOF SHOOTING

NAZI VERSION OF FRONTIER INCIDENT Danzig Citizen Shot Without Reason CHARGES AGAINST POLISH OFFICIALS ALLEGEDLY PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION ‘ By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received This Day, 12.15 p.m.) DANZIG, May 21. A Senate communique states the victim of the Kalthof incident was “a Danzig citizen, Gruebner, shot by a Polish citizen, Murawski, without reason.” The communique proceeds: ‘‘The conduct of Polish Customs inspectors in Kalthof towards German Danzig women stirred a crowd to demonstrate before the Polish Customshouse. No Polish property or person was injured. The police intervened and as a result the affair was liquidated, of which the Polish diplomatic representative in Danzig was advised. Nevertheless the Counsellor of the Polish Legation in Danzig, M. Perowsky, with several Polish Customs officials, went to Kalthof, despite the fact that the investigation of political incidents is the concern of Danzig officials. It was established that the fatal shot at Gruebner came from an occupant of M. Perowsky’s car. ‘‘Gruebner had been in Marienberg all day and was not concerned with the Kalthof demonstration. He left Marienberg by taxi after midnight. He was blinded at Kalthof by the lights of Perowsky’s ear and, quitting his taxi in order to ascertain the cause of the trouble, was killed by two shots. The occupants of the Polish ear left Kalthof in a locomotive in the direction of Dirschau, Poland.

“The ])olice confiscated the Polish car, in which was found a loaded Mauser pistol and also an empty revolver holster. They established that the fatal shot was fired from a Polish army pistol. Gruebner and the driver of his taxi were both unarmed.”