"POOR PEOPLE, POOR US"

New Zealand Listener, Volume 16, Issue 397, 31 January 1947, Page 5

"POOR PEOPLE, POOR US"

sir,-On July 26th, 19460, under the heading "Marching and Tramping" you were kind enough to publ.sh in your paper a review of my book entitled Poor People, Poor Us. Since this was published I have re. ceived a letter from the Mayor of Caramanico who had a very bad time at the hands of the Germans at Aquila, where he was brutally tortured, but in spite of this, refused to divulge the whereabouts of fugit.ves or the names of any Italians who were harbouring them. A copy of this letter is enclosed. It is not necessary for me to say that the peasants are having a pretty grim time of it owing to the great scarcity of toodstuffs and clothing.

J.E.

BROAD

(Wellington).

(Enclosure ) Caramanico, 9th September, 1946. Dear John, I received a while back your gracious letter with the calendar and the copy oi! the preface that the Sig. Prime Munister has made to your book. I am most grateful and indebted to you, for the lovely words you returned, and for the good wishes to me and my co-citizens and I thank you again for that you have written of me in your beautiful diary ... I, in the limic of my modest forees, .made all to alleviate the great sufferance of you and of your many companions of misfortune, and the Signor God afterwards compensated me by saving me from sure death; for after my arrest the Germans wanted to shoot me instantly, and they tortured me to make me tell where you were hidden, and then they made a process to condemn me to death; but after about fline months, visited by the continuous fear of being executed, and midst the greatest sufferance and maltreatment, I was liberated by the glorious Allied troops where I was in the Aquila jail. From that frightening ordeal my health has temained very weak and now I am in need of continuous treatment, but my left hand has r , because tightening it with irons the Germans have crushed several nerves, so I can only work a little, while here in Italy the cost of living is extremely high. I am most happy though, that I have done my duty as a man and a Christian Catholic. I am certain that the Signor God will not forget me and aid me to support these hard moments, in which there is need for everything end nothing to be had. I do net mind if everyone, excluding you only has forgotten me, that I have risked my life, and have suffered to aid them, but I would like news of them; to know if they are alive, and if they have returned to their familie } Accept, I pray you my most affectionate and fraternal wishes together with all your family, and with the hope to receive in the shortest time a reply from you. Believe me, Yours affectionately, (Sig.) Nicola Nann