European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 08, 1963, Darmstadt, Hesse Fed took 8 note Thi a the 1at of three articles on important political on tout Fott of the Toth cent tin. Wao a mfr ref changed the course of by Nelson g1dd1ng Nana staff writer lev Davidovitch Hon skin. Bel Ter known is Leon Trotsky awoke at 7 o clock on the morning of aug. 20,1940. Turning to his wife Natalia lie said you know i Fercl very Well Ihly morning better Ihnn 1 have Felt for to Long then to Flung open hip new a Jap Uteri Butters at the window unit added you be they did t kill us last night after a few month before 11 Gong or communist assassins led by Painter David Seq Oleros had sprayed the bed mom of Trotsky House in suburban mex fro Cit with machine gun but lots in the dead of night Trotsky spent the any Fri tint and con Ferring with bin colleague in the fourth International he concentrated on n blog Raphy of Stalin in which he wan he former partner Neon Sloun . By s o clock in the afternoon lie dictating Home to panes of note for this. Important work and wont into his Garden to feed bin Rabbit unit work on til Rose. Prank Jackion awoke Pale find waited All Day for tin appointment he had that afternoon with Trotsky. He ran a few minor errands but could Rind nothing that would occupy his mint. Fie spent the afternoon driving around the City in Hli car and nagging at i wife Syl Al Angelof. At 5 20. He arrived alone no Trotsky waved at the go Natl on i tic wll and then paused to Check the contents of bin pocket. He had with him an article which he was going to show Trotsky and a letter written some time before with the Day s Date scrawled in Pencil. Despite the fac that the Sun was Shin inn brightly he cur ried a Raincoat. Sewn into the lining was 139-Inch Dagger and die coat Wax wrapped around an ice axe or Piolet such As is used by Mountain climbers. In Misback pocket was a .45-cnl Pinto. Frank Jacson had come a ions Way to this Renicz. Vous with Trotsky and he wan Well pre pared. In the late 1930s, the entire repressive apparatus of the soviet Union was mobilized to track Down and destroy Leon Trotsky a former colleague of Stalin but now his most feared enemy. Trotsky was with Lenin one of the founders of the soviet state but after Lenin death head been supplanted by the More Ruth less Stalin. At that time. San Len had not dared kill Trotsky but had exiled him in1939. After a decode spent in annihilating All other opposition. Stalin Felt Able Totake on Trotsky the sole remaining threat to his absolute dictatorship. A Tirane Jacson was actually Ramon Mer f Cader a Spanish communist recruited by the mid the soviet secret service after the civil War in Spain. Mercader was Only one of a number of deadly arrows which the mid aimed at Leon Trotsky but he was the one who finally hit the path to Trotsky had been incredibly devious. Posing As the son of a wealth belgian industrialist he wus introduced to Sylvia Angelof. Who was connected with the trotskyite movement while she Wasin puts attending a meeting of Trotsky s fourth International. A handsome Man two years younger than Sylvia and liberally supplied with funds by the mid head Little trouble sweeping her off her after some months in purls Sylvia re turned to new York where she to joined by her Lover. Then Mercader told her to had landed a Job in Mexico City represent ing an import Export firm. He went to the mexican capital and asked Sylvia to join All this time Mercader had shown Little interest in politics though Sylvia con stantly chattered of Trotsky and the work a was doing. Mercader slowly underwent a conversion and when Sylvia reached mex Ico City he expressed an interest in talk ing to Trotsky who was in residence the months Frank Jacson made himself an intimate of the Trotsky House hold. He made himself particularly useful by loaning his cur to various members of Trotsky s entourage. Trotsky eventually came to regard him As a Well meaning Duetta Tramon Mercader acted out his role for 35 months so that he could finally be alone with Trotsky. Now. As he stepped through the double electric doors of the Trotsky compound he was greeted by 20th Century assassinations Trotsky the mid swung an ice axe Huey Long King fist was gunned Down Trotsky s wife who showed him Back to whom the old Ninn was working on his Rabbit Hutch. Tool icky greeted Merender casually and then there wan an awkward pause. Trotsky enjoyed working with his rabbits and had Little tenth Uhlas for Jencson a article of which he and already seen a few pages. Merendi a followed Trotsky to i study and handed him the article is he sat Athis desk. He stood at Trotsky s left Side where he could prevent him from touching Tho alarm switch. As Trotsky Bent Over the article Mercader slipped the ice axe from his coat closed his och Ulm gave Trotsky tremendous blow on he head Mercader inter told what happened the Man screamed in such a Way that i will never forget it Ait Long As i live. He screamed Namanh seemingly forever and it still seems to me an if that scream were pm erring my brain. I Stew Trotsky get up like a madman. He threw himself atme and bit my hand. Then i pushed him so that he fell to the floor. He stumbled to he feet and somehow. I Don t know How lurched out of the his wife Ted the guards responded Tourot Joky s cry my rushed to the study. While the guards clubbed Mercader to the floor. Trotsky collapsed in his wife s arms. Look what they have done to me he said. Trotsky knew that Stalin s mid had finally tracked him Down. As the Ruurt la worked on Merender Natalia expressed the fear that they would kill him. Trotsky prevented thin. No he so id impermissible to kill he must be forced to when Trotsky died 20 hours later Stalin s test enemy was Dowid. But Ramo Mercader never talked. Sentenced to 30 years in a mexican prison for first degree murder he never admitted i real Iden Tity or the torturous Road he had followed to strike a blow for serving his time it is believed he made i Way to Czechoslovakia by Way of Cuba. What kind of reception he receive from Stalin s old friends is not known. Trotsky died on Stalin s orders. Long had hot Eye on presidency. When Huey Long awoke on the morning of sept 8, 1935 in his suite on the 24th floor of the state capital Budd ing in Baton Rouge he was a Busy and powerful Man. He was is. Senator from Louisiana but that was Only his nominal title. The stale s governor and a majority of the stat legislature were his political cronies and when he wanted something from them he got it now he wanted a number of Bills jammed through a special session of the state legislature and he was in town Tosee that everything went off according to legislators had assembled at gov. . Allen s bidding and were waiting forthe details of the Kingfish a latest de Mand. One thing they knew Long wanted was a Gerrymander which would dispose of judge Pavy one of the few Independent thinkers still in state politics and a rally ing Point for anti Long King Flash had about exhausted his ambitions in Louisiana and was thinking of bigger thing like the presidency. But before moving on. He wonted to make his control of the state absolute and gerrymandering judge Pavy out of a Job would guarantee that Huey put in a Busy Day working on i complicated personal income tax returns shaking Many hands and slapping Man backs. He called judge leche in new or leans and offered to Moke him governor in the next evening he went on to the floor of Tho legislature and started arranging tomorrow morning caucus of Hli support ers. This was important for at a special session everything was rushed and Hue expected to get no less than 31 Bills out of committee on to the floor and into the state Senate the following Day. By the time he was through to would have every thing a definite a a Railroad timetable and the legislature could then go through the motions on monday . Carl Weiss or. Spent a peaceful sunday. He and Hli wife left their infant son with Weiss parents and went to mass wednesday May 8, 1963 Mercader sat out term in a mexican prison. Sylvia Angelof met her Lover in Paris. The stars and stripes at St. Joseph s Church. They returned for dinner and at the table joked n Little about Huey Long s legislative plans which appeared in the papers for the first time that Day. They were particularly concerned about the Antl Pavy Gerrymander for Weiss wife. Yvonne was judge Pavy s daughter. But the conversation was denial and if the jokes a the Ken Fuh s expense and some Sling to them they were no More than in being snid it Many dinner tables in Louisi Ana for no Man in America was More loved and hated than Huey Long. After dinner the Wel ses drove to Thea mate River where Weiss Fol her had summer Camp. Carl and Yvonne swam while i Parent looked after the baby. Toward rundown they returned to Bato Rouge. After supper Weiss called a col league to arrange for same surgery that he was to perform the next Day. Then he went to Baton Rouge general Hospital. Wels had done what Many men do on n sunday relaxed and enjoyed life. That How it looked but Carl Weiss no longer found enjoyment in anything he did. He wag obsessed with Huey Long growing Power and the fact that it was directed against his wife father. When he left the Hospital he pulled belgian automatic from the Glove compartment of i car landed it with seven bullets and drove off in the direction of the state Copl Tol. On the floor of the House Huey Lon was talking to the speaker Allen Ellender. Suddenly he jumped up and rushed out of the House to the governor s office. He in alarmed because some of i supporters were missing and wanted to make sur that they All knew of tomorrow s meeting. In the governor s office he demanded where this one that one and the other one were and finished with this parting shot find them. If necessary sober them up and have them at that meeting because we just might need their he dashed Back toward the House accompanied by a Little retinue of Politi Cian. Judge and bodyguards. As Huey flew Down the Hall a Young Man. Dressed Ina White Linen suit holding a Boater Straw hat Over i hands which were folded i front of him strolled toward the King fish. Then his Rischl hand came out from be Neath the hat and it held a pistol Murray Roden one of Long bodyguards saw the gun and jumped for it. But be fore he could reach it the pistol gave o Hoot and Yelling i m hit i m hit ran off Down the corridor. Rode wrestled the Man to the floor then Drew his gun and shot the Assassin through the neck. As he got up. The other bodyguards emptied their pistols into the Assassin body. Or. Carl welts or. Wag dead when they had fun Sheo shooting him but Huey Lon was still alive and Active he ran into a judge who was coming out of the cafeteria and gasped i m shot Tho judge half dragged half carried him out Side commandeered a passing car and drove him to a Hospital. When word got out that the Kingfish was shot every two bit politician in the tale set out for Baton Rouge. Politicians kept crowding into Long s Al room and the nurses did t know How to control them. Two of the Best surgeons in the state set out at top Speed from new Orleans but had a minor automobile Acci Dent and never got there until the operation was Over. In the operating room state senator Sand judges crowded in until they were two deep around the Waits. The anaesthetist to a known political enemy of Long s an insisted that another doctor keep on Eye on him so that he would t be blamed i anything went wrong. The operation Lulf was a mess longhand been shot through the kidney and the Organ should have been removed Butin All the confusion the surgeon forgot to perform this essential task. After the operation. Sen. Huey Long never really recovered consciousness. He awoke once and asked a doctor if he would be Able to take the stump in the coming Campaign. He was Given constant blood transfusions but nothing helped. He died the next Day. The Long Tes won the next election handily but without the big Boss to Tell them what to do they were shortly teach other s throats and when the machine fell apart no one could put it Bac together again. No politician in Louisiana has Ever since attained the immense Power Huey Long had and the King Flash himself never realized i dream of wielding the same powering the other 47 states. 11
