Anniversary Story THE HORROR OF LIDICE
F the many war crimes which must forever lio heavily on the conscience of the German nation, none Was more appalling and barbarous than the mas- sacre at Lidice, Czecho- slovakia, just 15 years ago this month.
It happened as a result of the assassination of Rejn- hard Heydrich, the hated Deputy Protector of Bohemia and Moravia. Driving to his office at Hradcany Castle, on May 27, 1942, he was ambushed and mortally wounded. This blow for freedom, which followed an eight-month reign of terror. was struck by two daring patriots in the Prague suburb of Liben.
Himmler. the Gestapo chief, was white with fury at the loss of his 37-year-old principal leutent. He ordered
Im-
mediate hunt for the killers and launched a vicious campaign of vengeance. Dozens of Czechs were executed without trial, in and around the capital.
No one knew for certain where the gunmen had Come from. But when two guerillas were arrested in the force of Krivoklat, suspicion Telt newby Lidler an idyllic little village elese 10 the mintry: centre of Kladno, 30 miles from Prague.
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE, 15, 1957,
BANG BANG
"The President of the Peace Loving Movement then added that Russia's latest H-bomb, if dropped on the North Pole, was capable
of melting all the snow and ice, which would flood London in minster. Which wouldn't do that cold of yours any good, Vera,"
The general's wife is
TT was Elrick's dinner, and
custom required that he
should not the bail rolling.
Doited about the narrow main | So We weren't surprised road sloping gently to Lalice's when he tapped the table. broad square were the 1rim coltages of mining and agricul- tur workers. On either gide of the square stood farmsteads belonging to wealthier villagers. Across a stream flowing from east to west stood the pictures que Church of St Margaret the pride of 73-year-old Father Sternberk. Behind St Margaret's was the village school.
Lidieck families were large There was an average of six people to cach of its hundred homes. Labouring fell, like the Seidla, intermarried with the wealthier fermors such as Rokosts.
the
With the German occupation, however, much of the villagers' laughter was Billed. No longer could the men hold debates In front of the tobacconist's shop. lik In public places they speak to each other only with their eye
But Lidice showed deilance in passive ways. When a German band passed though the village, every cottage ลาน farmhouse was borned and shuttered; nol a Czech could be seen,
How great was the strain on tar people of Lidice when the avengers of Reinhard Heydrich drew near, will never be known.
They had heard of mass reprisals in Prague and they fell into an uneasy sleep on the fateful night of Wednesday June 0, ID42.
Suddenly, they were awaken- ed by the roar of German morised units in the streets and the clatter of Jackboots on their garden patha. Mercilessly, every member of the population was dragged half-clothed into the square. Nobody was left be- hind;
"If you don't mind," he said, "I'll spin my yata early while you're all being good enough to COM- tue your interest in this champagne. As a matter of fact it began this odd in- cident I have in mind - with champagne,
"It began that is to say, with a lady I shall call Mrs Dominey taking courage from the stuff at a dinner party, and murmuring to me over the rim of her glass that she was in deep, deep trouble. I must have re- acted suitably because she came to see me in my office next day."
Elrich paused, and some- body asked a question, "She was more or less a stranger to you?"
"[ WEB her husband's solicitor-which looked as if fit might conceivably make the situation rather de-
BLACKMAILED
Lund Press Suretim
murmuring to me over the rim of her glass that she
was in deep, deep trouble,"
licute. But of course 2 making everyone keep a sharp family lawyer has to walk eye open for Hitely material as Rome very pretty tight he goes about his daily affairs.
And this ropes.
one cer-
tainly led me into a queer puzzle, It's not spectacular, but I hope it will satisfy you as my contribution this evening." net even the bedridden. Husbands and wives were torn from bed, and a roll-call. made to ensure that no one was missing.
was
A hälf-demented wonun who fr.od to escape with her child was shot down. The rest of the women were taken by the Gestapo to the schoolhouse; the men were herded into barris.
At dawn dh June 10, Lidice's male citizens were led with
their deflant priest, into gar- den. There, they were shot in batches of ten. The slaughter went on until 172 men had been Then the executious killed.
the were photographed with corpees at their feet, like me bezs of a shoot with their bat Old Father Sternberk whe Effered freedom If he renounced ids Congregation. He declared that he proferred to die with his flock for whom he had cared for 38 years. And he did.
Next it was the turn of tho womenfolk. Some were taken to Prague and shot. The remain- ng 105 were sent to the notor- Sous Navenbruck concentration camp, where 42 died of ill- treatment, seven were gassed word three disappeared. mothers of nowiy-born children were talven to another cargo- øber their babies "hod been murdered.
WETC
All the older children stparated from
their mothers, nad 20 were sent to a comp at Gnekenau, fever, ip be seen again. Others, "who passed special "Master-Race" adoption test went to Cerman hores. The rest died in gas-chamtrere at Trebink, Poland,
By the evening of Jun 10, when not inhábliant retained A Lidlee, the, Gertising burned avery home. The gulfed holes werd natened into rubble, the na pluche da and the whole arch ringed by at barbed
What bed bech a bulling vkla Ae of 800 people, was a milest,
Modest affair
But hero see I must ex- plain about the Mystery Club.
an
Most of our stories,
1 And, them
Calloway's
by
MICHAEL INNES
"But it Bailed this time, Callaway grabbed a telephone and proposed to call up la solicitor. I had marched in on him, he said, with an outrageous slander, and he proposed to weeks
reditsa. legal
He seemed extremely ungry.”
Convincing
"Callaway was protesting too much," I was Byatt, the sur- geon, who clipped in with this. "Wasn't that what you felt, Elrick?"
we had any evidence that Mrs Dominey was either hysterical or neurotic?"
"She was neither." Elrick spoke decisively, "I repeat that, sire wasn't clever. She could but. she casily be deceived, wasn't unbalanced.
The solution
"And now I expect you've all got us for as Appleby plairdy has. The solution Tay in the
fact of Collaway's being an actor and a character setor at that. Those admiring letters from Mrs Dominey had never react- ed him. They had been inter- cepted by a smooth rascal call- of Lipredge, who then had job as his dresser."
"Lipsedge?" Appleby repeat od. "I think I've heard of him."
"I expect you have. A smark crook. He realised that there need be no substantial physical reemblance between the figure
had
admdred Mrs Dominey
the across the footlights and fellow who might walk out of the stage-door and claim to be the actor.
little suppers after show.
Elrick nodded. "It was one of the possibilities. Bluster is a "The silly goose had covered fairly standard response in thre up by telling General sort of situation I've Ireen come directly from the profes- Donincy some story about sketching. But Callaway's bc- sional experience of our mem- regular visits to a sick aunt. 1 wilderment and indignation "So
don't know whether any of you bers. But there is no rule about the. If the teller fact knows can guess the next move in the were extraordinarily convine-
ing" the solution at his mystery the same." naturally holds it up unit his fellow-members have offered whatever guesses come into their heads. If he doesn't know, then, of course, the mystery has some-
times to remain unsolved
be
And you will realise that the IL'
entirely whole entertainment--for that modest affair. We dine is what it la-has to move for together from time to time, y quickly. If half a dozen taking it in turn to play moblems are to be tackled in en
evening, none of them can host, and the idea is that worried to death! each of us should recount something mysterious that has come under his observation since the last meeting.
more
or
leas
Routine
"Blackmail?" I asked.
"But surely," I caid, "the fact of his being an actor is pretty relevant there?"
And at this our junior mem- ber, John Appleby, broke in. As **Just that. Before she knew Appleby is high up at Scotland? where she was. Mrs Dominey Yard, he is commonly listened found her glamorous new friend to with respect On there demanding money. Quite a lot occasions.
of it.
"Mrs Demincy felt it to be verý umísic. She hadn't been seduced; she had merely been So we knew now that even compromised; and now she hud
or wasn't going to hold us devoted to her but Elrichs rathET deliberato legal to pay up. Her husband was she Just couldn't risk telling him up for long.
humiliating aloiy.”
"Mrs Dominey is a pretty Nobody is allowed to delve creature,"
The went o deeper into the past than that, supposed to have the effect-of
"My money's on that," said.
"Let's remember Calloway is an actor."
"And quite
he
that
able"-1 drove this home to put over a turn even on an experienced lawyer her like our host,"
Elrick Anished this champagne. much younger than her husband, "As you may imagine, I didn't and this has the effect-or Is the General. I suspected some find all this particularly stagger
Indiscretion which was now--so tug Such things do come a to speak-coming frome to root, lawyer's way. And the fringes And it appeared I wasn't far of biocidnail oren't commonly wrong. Mrs Dominoy confessed hard to deal with. that she had been silly about a perfectly fascinating actor ca- cd Callaway. Some of you may have hecht of him."
POČERT CARTOON
➜ USBHRT LANCASTER
and then the malti fierbe trout we have bò task far- Sống và là tôi Thành Research Craneta - ropark
Little suppers
"Or was it-ofben all--the Indy who had protested 100 much?" Byatt, with a chucklo that is charecteristic od him, few off at a tangent.
how
"Isn't a pretty creature---I think that's
Elrick described ber-more likely to "I set about resolving Mrs pull the wool over an intelligent Domincy's predicament in a per- lawyer's eyes than dag cleverest fectly routine fashion, I was
Nothing socmom like- rather in the position of *ler than that she was making
up the whole story. Callaway's reaction.”
surgeon recommending a neces-
sary operation. There was thin much risk, I explained, and do more--and it was oclainly A risk worth taking.
Erick looked round the fable, and I nodded. "Rathor a good "I got Mrs Domingy to write character-retor," I said, "in out and sign her, story and I melodrama. À Chinose dope, locked it up in my private mato podlar one week and a dissipated in her prosence explaining that duire the next.".
with any duck it would never be sten again,
ther synta
actor is?
Rather stoop,
Hence
I found this rather steep. “Oh, come,” I said. “Why ever should she do suchy a thing? Firick da her husband' solicitor. He might have gone straight to the General. Surely she wouldn't rink that, simply for the sake of making hervelt interesting?”, de
"That's the chap, Mrs Dominey, I may my, struck me "Having protected myself in as moi mi şil clover, and I don't this way, I wag lo call on Calle suppone herthosirical fusto awpy. My busines, of course would be precisely that of the was to tell him pictly test highbrow.
Mrs Domines ever heard öz- "My dear chap"-Byatt turn- from him heed to Er boldestly I bee *she bad adiniyed this chap would infallibly go to goal. You you don't know mutta mikaourt Collaway, whatever the rubblaly won't credit my procedure wild neuroile and hysterial wońpon. he was pleasing in, and had much subtlety. I can only soy The lantasies they'll spin about him foolish that I'd good it a number of themselves and myour to-beya belury. Eventually, to her gozlut: Major before, and never knowù to be beard 4o be believed.” jóri also began. to, sons magis: 11-DAT
Eirich pushed thy gloss wordy Appioby" added. " Mures i
ор пастуранов
Happy ending
Dis
he impersonated employer, rapidly got the lady Into an awkward situation, and hoped to get away with a 11dy sum in blackmail before, the imposture wa, dolected.
"And 50 il all endod happily" Byait asked.
"Except for Lipsedge—yes."
"And did you find it necessary to take
General Dominey into your confidenco?"
Elrick smiled. "That would be telling," he said.
NEXT WEEK: The mystery of the left-handed barber London Express Service,
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