~8,193 T1IE. MICHIGAN DAILY yew itness Of "Reichstag Trial Recounts Story Varn der Lubbe,Communist Who Fired Government Building, Examined (Continued from Page 1) trial examinations, in order to be present before the opening of court. The streets around the building were deserted, and I soon found out why. As I approached the south entrance, as soon as I had stepped on the side- walk, two policemen, guns slung over their shoulders, rushed up with much shouting and demanded to know what I was doing, where I was going, and what I wanted. Enters Building In such cases as this, I always find it easier to forget all my German and answer in English, accompanied with gestures of the hands, thereby establishing myself as an innocent tourist. The two immediately became very courteous traffic cops once more, and, when I showed my press pass to the trial and had pointed to the building, they motioned around to the north side where the proper entrance was. I thanked them and went around as directed. There my ticket was examined at the door, in- side the door, and a third time at the entrance to the stairway which led to the trial room. Attendants Courteous Before I go any farther, let me say that the Reichstag attendants are the most courteous, helpful fellows I have ever seen in a similar capa- city. None of the Civil War Pension- ers for the Germans. These men are dressed as carefully as the head- waiter in the Hotel Adlon and act as if they had been lavishly tipped in advance. They glide smoothly in and out of the rooms, quietly, and are ready to assist you at any .moment. In no time at all, I had been taken to the top floor in an elevator (per- haps for the sake of speed it would have been desirable had this particu- lar elevator perished in the flames last February) had shown my ticket once more at the entrance of the trial room, and had been ushered to a seat at one of the large press tables. The back of the room, which was somewhat smaller than the circuit court room at Ann Arbor, was lit by electric lights. The front, where sat the judges, prisoners, lawyers and eyewitnesses, was still dark. In front of the presiding judge's chair and the witness stand were microphones, and on the wall, at one side, was a loudspeaker. Yet so well were they disguised that I failed to notice their presence until the talking started. Back in a corner, later on, appeared a young Nazi with earphones, who "mixed the sounds" and adjusted the volume to the voice of each individual speaker. Over the bench was a large paint- ing of what appeared to be one of the old Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire reviewing or greeting a group of German Hussars on horse-back, led by the "Old Emperor", William I. The room was beautifully panelled and very high. At the extreme rear were four' rows of seats for specta- tors, then came five large tables, labelled "Presse", which accomodated comfortably 110 representatives of the fourth estate when full, and yet left room for writing purposes. In front of this second division were again four rows of seats for the more distinguished guests and the wit- nesses. Scene Described The windows were on the left hand side of the room. In front was the witness stand, in the middle of the room, and f a c i n g the presiding judge's seat. In front of it was the table for the prosecution. At the left, under the window, was another table at which sat several Nazis in uni- form, while on the right was a rail- ing, which set off a box resembling the jury box, in which the prisoners and their guards sat. In front of this box were tables for the defense at- torneys. I had apparently chosen a bad day for news, since scarcely 20 men and women sat at the press tables. But the rest of the space was crowded with spectators. A rustle of whispers amongst them announced the com- ing of the prisoners who arrived, each accompanied by his guard, who sat beside him during the proceedings, rose with him when he questioned a witness, and escorted him out during rest intervals. Then the lights in front of the spectator benches went up, and thejudges entered. Give Ndazi Salute The nine men were as distinguish- ed looking as our American Supreme, Court, garbed in brilliant red robes and crown-like hats resembling mor-. tarboards as they filed in. But the effect was spoiled when the audience, with the exception of an English correspondent a n d myself raised their hands in solemn Nazi salute. The judges, having reached their seats, turned, also delivered the Nazi salute, and sat down, as did the-.au- dience, Somehow the sight of nine dignified judges in their ceremonial robes solemnly giving the -Nazi sa- lute tends toward the ridiculous. But the day's work was finally underway. Witnesses Cress-examined The witnesses stood all the time, in front of him, and repeated any- thing they liked, whether actual fact, hearsay, rumor or opinion. Cross ex- amination was conducted by the prisoners themselves, if they chose. Actually, on this day, only Torgler and Dimitroff availed themselves of this opportunity, always addressing their questions to the judge, who re- peated these to the prisoners. Dimitroff had. to be rebuked sev- eral times for looking at the witness when asking questions. He is a rather short, well-dressed man, and speaks like a typical soap box orator -making each sentence end in a verbal exclamation point. His Ger- man is fair, and he speaks slowly ex- cept when working up to a climax, which the judge resents as he gets too noisy. His style of speaking is loud and dramatic, but I believe he is accustomed to it and is not con- sciously dramatizing himself. H i s questions, which are always referred to as "fresh" and impertinent" in the German press, are sometimes quite to the point. Intimates Witnesses 'Found' On this particular day he asked each witness why he had not testi- fied at the first investigation of the fire. Varied answers were given, but I believe the point he was trying to. make was that not until the Nazis took over the trial and officially blamed the Communist party did they start "finding" witnesses. Torgler speaks quietly and follows the judge's instructions. Van der Lubbe, at whom all necks crane whenever his name is mentioned, sits in a stupor, staring straight ahead and apparently understanding noth- ing that goes on. Even the judges discuss him as though he were not present. Today, however, he was apparently in better health than during the previous part of the trial. Before asking questions, the judge always addressed him by name, as if trying to awaken the boy's consciousness, or at least to try to hold it for a minute. He is spoken to like a child, all ques- tions are phrased in simple words, and sometimes 30 or 45 seconds elapse in silence before an answer comes, or another question is placed. Defendant A Tragic Figure This defendant is the most tragic figure in the whole case.-In Com- parison to his fellow-accused, he wears an old sweater under a coat with a shabby pair of pants. His bushy hair projects at least three or four inches in front of his face. Every word he speaks apparently occasions great physical eff crt on his part. Sometimes he answers "Yes" or "No" promptly. When he is able to give a longer answer, more time is required. Sometimes he does not answer at all. He understands most of the Ger- man questions, and the interpreter's' main duty is to catch the faintwords as he speaks them and relay them to the judges. Sometimes, after quite a pause followed a question, he would translate the ;.question into Dutch, and at times this elicited an answer. Undersecretary Phillips Proclaims Repeal The first formal course in forestry offered by an educational institu- tion in, the United States was in the curriculum of the University, accord- ing to a recently completed survey made by Prof. C. H. Guise of Cornell University, and Dean H. S. Graves of the Yale School of Forestry. With the organization of the School of Political Science here in 1881, for- estry was included as one of the seven main groups of subjects covered by the curriculum. The course was taught by Prof. Volney M. Spaulding of the botany department, and was open for election by students throughout the University in addition to those enrolled in the School of Political Science. The course, which carried two hours credit in the second semester, covered the historical development of the science of forestry; the influ- ence of forests on human affairs; the Michigan's . Forestry Course First To Be ffered In U. S. control of forests by methods of for'- est management; and forest legisla- tion in Europe and the United States. It was offered for four successive years, until Dr. Charles Kendall Adams, dean of the School of Political Science, left to become president of Cornell University. Observers find a good deal of in- terest in the alignment of forestry with the social sciences in its eco- nomic and social aspects. With the establishment of separate schools of forestry in various institutions from 1898 on, there was a marked tendency to associate the field more with the natural sciences, and particularly with biology. Our stock is large and attractive with prices ranging from one to twenty-five cents the card. Personal cards can still be ordered. We also carry a complete stock of CHRISTMAS STATIONERY in the form of letters, notes and cards. BUY NOW fWAH R'SBSTD1IORES -Associated Press Photo Here is Undersecretary of State William Phillips as he signed the proclamation certifying the required number of states had acted to abolish the Eighteenth Amendment. He signed the document in the absence of Secretary Hull. STATE STREET MAIN STREET .EY - 'II p. *t 4,, B Audience On Edge But the whole audience sits on edge when he is questioned, trying to help him utter the words which they think will help clear up the case, even as spectators at athletic events try from their own motions, yells and what-have-you to help the run- ner across the finish line or the half- back over the goal. This is not entirely sympathy. Many Germans think Van der Lubbe knows more about the fire than any- one else; that if he could or would answer, he would clear up the mat- ter - perhaps definitely associate the Communists with the affair. No one believes he did the job alone -it ap- pears to be a physical impossibility; Dimitroff and Torgler have been pro- vided with excellent alibis by wit- n e s s e s, and the prosecution wit- nesses who have made the most damaging statements are all at pres- ent inmates of jails or concentration camps, which speaks none too well for the prosecution. At all times,,Dimitroff acts as Van der Lubbe's attorney in a way, ask- ing the questions the latter is not able to ask himself. Adjourns At Noon At noon the court adjourned and we visited the Wandelhalle, where a buffet luncheon was served. Most of the German spectators had brought their own sandwiches with them, in true German style, and bought only coffee with which to wash down their brown bread..+ The afternoon procedure began in the same manner as the morning one, with the all-too-willing-to-tes- tify-but-nothing-to-say type of wit- ness on the stand, and dragged so that the judge closed the day's hear- ing at 3 o'clock. 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