"Wicked Neighbors"

Under orders from Munich and Berlin, Austrian Nazis went to work last week. Attempts were made to assassinate at least ten high Austrian officials. Crowds of Nazi students gathered in front of Vienna University, were chased down the Ringstrasse by mounted police swinging their sabres. A huge bomb tore out the inside of a department store. Lives of dozens of people were saved when a 30-lb. bomb failed to explode in a cafe in Vienna's Jewish quarter, the Leopoldstadt. Not so lucky was Frau Futterweit. Standing in the doorway of her little jewelry shop, an old silk stocking stuffed with newspapers and a hand grenade was flung at her from a passing car. Frau Futterweit tried to throw it back. It burst in her hands, killing her instantly. Eight passersby were wounded, one died in the hospital.

Against Austria's Nazi terror the Austrian Government struck back. Nazis to the number of 1,142 were arrested, 15 of them, German liaison officers directly responsible to Adolf Hitler, were expelled, 37 others were charged with high treason, the rest were cooled in jail for a couple of clays, then released.

Habicht v. Wasserback. As a member of the Austrian Parliament the Chief Austrian Nazi, Alfred Frauenfeld, was immune to arrest. Not so Handsome Adolf's personal liaison officer in Vienna, Theodor Habicht. Weeks ago Chancellor Hitler tried to make Herr Habicht immune from arrest by appointing him German Legation Press Attache in Vienna, but the Austrian Government refused him diplomatic immunity. Last week he was routed out of bed at six in the morning. Police seized numbers of incriminating documents.

Berlin replied to this with typical Nazi bumbling. Press attache of the Austrian legation in Berlin was a Dr. Erwin Wasserback. Dr. Wasserback's position as a diplomat had not only long been accepted but he was in addition a Catholic priest. No Austrian bombs have burst in Berlin, but German police promptly called at his house with a warrant. Dr. Wasserback hopped out of bed, picked up the telephone, called Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss in London.

"Excellency," he cried, "the police are knocking at the door, what shall I do?"

Austria's sly little "Millimetternich" rubbed his hands: ''Don't do anything till they threaten force. Then let them in."

When Nazi policemen threatened to kick the door down Dr. Wasserback submitted to arrest. In London Millimetternich-Dollfuss made protest to the Chief German Delegate and arranged for another formal protest from the Papal Nuncio in Berlin. Then, sure of the world's sympathy, he went back to bed. Dr. Wasser-back was released in a few hours, ordered from the country. Embarrassed Nazis ordered the German Press to suppress all mention of his arrest.

Chancellor Dollfuss gave British sympathy for his brave fight against Naziism no chance to cool. Dr. Wasserback was transferred to London, where Britons could see him, hear him. Chancellor Dollfuss ended his opening address to the Conference with a quotation from Schiller: "The best man cannot live in peace if his wicked neighbors will not leave him in peace." Delegates cheered. To a U. S. reporter he added:

"While I do not charge the German Government with any such intention, the danger exists that irresponsible elements might march into Austria from Bavaria. If that happened we would have Czechoslovak and Jugoslav troops marching in to protect the interests of the Little Entente and a virtual war with my poor country as the battlefield. That is what I fear."

Patted on the back by representatives of half a dozen nations, little Millimetternich-Dollfuss flew to Paris, then returned to Vienna with a real prize in his pocket, a $29,975,000 League of Nations loan. Back home in time to hear of a new grenading, this time upon a squad of police, Chancellor Dollfuss felt powerful enough to order the dissolution of the Nazi party throughout Austria; which he promptly did.

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