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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1954-6-2, Page 3WAS "PETER THE PAINTER" REALLY JOE STALIN? Who as the man whose name figured On official records as Peter P atkov? Was he acciden- tally killed by an accomplice otI the winter's night when three police officers were mown down by anarchist bullets? laid he per- ish in the fantastic Battle Of Sidney. Street; or escape to be- come known to the world as— Joseph Stalin? So many legends have sprung up around the man who signed the name "Peter" on a little oil painting that it is difficult to separate fact from fiction after forty-three years, But One thing I ran tell you—Peter, knOwn as. "The Painter," escaped to get away with murder. The word "anarchist" means little to the present generation, yet in the period 1880-1910 it had a grave significance for the Special Branch Of Scotland Yard. London, so often the asy- lum of foreign fugitives of vi01- ent political creeds, had more than its fair share of anarchists during those years, Russians and Italians for the most part, they • congregated in the Clerkenwell and . Hounds - ditch areas and sought to under- line their demands for universal brotherhood with bombs. When six of them were charged in 1892 with being in unlawful posses- sion of explosives, they pleaded that the bombs were intended for export to Russia for use against the then Tsar! "Peter the Painter" first came before the public in December, 1910, writes Richard Harrison in "Tit -Bits." The woman who rented the house in Cutler Street, Hounds - ditch, next door to Harris's, the gold- and silversmiths, was much troubled by her new lod- gers. They entertained friends at all hours of the night, and in addition they kept up a mys- terious hammering. On the night of December 16th the hammering could be heard plainly from the street. A pas- serby informed the nearest pol- ice officer. He raised the alarm and the goldsmith's premises were soon surrounded. The detective -sergeant in charge sent a constable round Lifesaver - Ten -year-old Darlene Roaten clutches the piece of cork which kept her afloat ih the Mis sisslppl River for some three hours, after she was hurled overboard in a boat collision. She floated downstream for 10 miles before a towboat rescued her. Cork was piece of old life preserver. to the back door, It was open, with a man standing In the doorway, This man ignored the constable's challenge and dis appeared inside. The constable reported back, and three more men were sent round to effect" an arrest. Before any of them could en- ter a group of men—reports vary from three to twelve -- burst out into the street; They were carrying automatics, and .they fired as they ran—fired to kill, Sergeants Tucker and Bentley were mortally wound- ed: and P.C. Choate died later in hospital, Sergeant Bryant and Woodhams were seriously wounded. Keeping in a compact mass and carrying one '01 their . com rales with them, the gunmen shot their way out of Cutler St, They reached Commercial Rd, and disappeared into the night, but not before two women had joined them. Evidently they then dispersed to various hideouts, and despite an all-night ,hunt by the pollee not one of them could be trac- ed, All might have escaped from the country—all but one—had not -a telephone call been re- ceived the next morning at Lem- on Street Police Station. "I'm a doctor," whispered a voice. "I daren't give you my name. I was called' to a house at 59 Grove Street. I found a man dying of a bullet wound." -The caller rang off, Detective -Sergeant Leeson and Detective -Constable (afterwards. Chief Constable) Wensley col- lected what men they could and hurried round .to Grove Street. Leeson carried a revolver. They found two women burning pap- ers in a grate and, in another room, a, dead man. He had been shot through the back. Near the dead man were paints, brushes, a palette and a little painting signed "Peter." All they could learn from the women was that the, dead man . had been accidentally shot by one of his companions—presum- ably during the running fight in Cutler Street. • But this was not "Peter the Painter"; the man wassoon id- , entified as Gardstein—known to have been an anarchist. More important, it was known that twb of his closest associates were Fritz Svaars and Peter PiatkOw, the altist who signed the pic- oture. Certainly there had been an attempted burglary in Cutler Street, but the police were sat- isfied that the motive had not been personal gain; the gunmen had been seeking funds to fur- ther their cause. At least two of the men were concerned in the shooting were now known. The search for them continued and on January 2nd, 1911, word came in that the men had been traced to No. 100 Sid- ney Street, Quietly and quickly .the street was surrounded. Pol- ice went into the house which was occupied by several famil- ies. The wantedmen, they learnt, were asleep on the sec- ond floor and at once all re- sidents below that floor were evacuated. Just as day was breaking De- tective -Sergeant Leeson crossed the road to enter the house. The gas in the hall was dying down and he intended. to puts money in the gas meter in order that anyone trying to leave would be silhouetted against the light. He never reachei the door. As he crossed, somebody threw up a handful of gravel against Room For TIO Spirit — Anjtiand of''quiet in the Sea of qew yY;grk't hustle -bustle is this "Meditation Chapel," recently tontplete4 in the Hotel New Yorker. Designed to make available to: the traveler a quiet spot•for a few moments of prayer or,medilation, it Is eon. denominational in charactef.Oniy religious symbols In the room' are the Star of David and the Christian Cross, which hand be- ?ween the Illuminated stained-glass'windoves. Royal family Returns To England Queen Elizabeth, Princess ,4nnes Prince Cha lei and the puke of Edinburgh wave to the crowds below from the' balcony of Buckingham Palace, London. The Queen and Duke returned from a six-month tour of farflung British posses;ci,ms,• the 'second floor w xtdow. The response was instantaneous, a a murderous fire from two Mausers swept the street. Lee- son fell' with a bullet through the longe With great courage two of his calleagues dragged him to safety: He recovered,.. but so severe was his wound that he was invalided from the Force. For two hours the pollee ex- changed shots with the gunmen. At ten -thirty a detachment of the Scots Guards arrived from the Tower and took up position, pouring round after round into the building. Just after mid-day, Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary, arrived to direct the "battle." Top -hatted, he stood with his hands in his pockets watching the fight from the gate- way of a brewery opposite. Shortly after one o'clock smoke and flames started to .is- sue from windowson two floors Of the beseiged house. Probably the men inside had deliberately set fire to it, hoping to escape under cover of smoke. The' ap- pearance of a man, apparently wounded, in the doorway seems to confirm this. He was greeted with bullets and disappeared in- to the smoke in the hall. Orders were given that the building was to burn, and that the fire brigade was to concen- trate on saving adjoining pro perties. By two o'clock the house was , enveloped in a sheet `of flame. There was a lull in the shooting,then,came the last two shots of 'the battle. It is likely that .the .two men inside had shot tl entielves, Whet; at last It was possible to enter the shell of No. 100, two• charred bodies were found. One was recognizable as that of Fritz Svaars, the other was be- lieved to be "Peter the Paint- er," but'yias later identified' as that of -Joseph, Fritz's brother, Rumour 'says -the Painter wap also in the house but managed' to escape. Certainly he was the ringleader, and certainly he was never' found. Probably he had been in the gang that attempted to break through the wall of the goldsmith's in Cutler Street. It is known he had given ' in- atructi0nte to "ahoot to kill." Was he Joseph Stalin? TO lend colour to this story, which has support from some students of crime, ;is the fact that Stalin is believed to have visited Lon- don secretly about this time. If Stalin was one of that desperate gang, with what mixed feelings must he have greeted Churchill at Yalta! TABLE TALKS �Manciews. Those little things they call "chocolate chips" seem to be getting more and more papular, and it is amazing just how many ways they can be used. Here follow a few of them: • •• COOKIES 1 cup sifted flour 34 teaspoon soda 34 teaspoon salt 34 to Ye cup butter or other shortening 4 cup granulated sugar 4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 1 egg, well beaten 1 package semi -sweet choco- late chips 34 cup ,chopped nut meats 1 teaspoon vanilla Sift flour once, measure, add soda .and the salt,, and' sift again, Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, and cream together until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Add flour in two parts and mix well. Add chocolate chips, nuts, and van- illa and mix thoroughly. Drop from teaspoon on ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Babe in moderate Oven (3757.) 10 to 12 minutes. Makes about 50 cookies. Variations: If desired, % cup raisins, chopped dates, • or plain Or toasted coconut may be sub- ktituted for the nut meats in the above 'recipe. ' BREAD PUDDING 2 tblsps. butter or margarine 34 cup firmly packed brown sugar 2 cups hot milk 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla 34 teaspoon salt •2 cups cubed bread 3 package semi -sweet choco- late. Hear butter and sugar in skil- let over low heat untilsugar is melted, stirring constantly. Add milk gradually; stir to,, blend;?' Cool,' Add eggs, Vanilla and salt. Arrange. ` alternate layers of bread tunes acid chocolate chips ih greased 1.tluart baking dish, Pour milk mixture • over top. 'place in pan 'hot water and bake in moderate Oven (350F,) 45 mint tes, Or until knife insert - e g omen cit clean, Serve warns w th cream, Makes 8 servings. MOCHA BUTTER CREAM FILLING 1 'package semi -sweet choeO- late chips 3t Grip butter 34 cup sifted icing sugar 2 egg yolks 3 tblsps. heavy cream 2 tblaps. strong coffee Melt semi- sweet chocolate chips over hot water. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Cream butter and add melted chocolate; then add sugar grad- ually, blending well. Add egg yolks, cream, and coffee, Beat until smooth and blended. Chill until of right consistency to spread. Spread between layers of sponge or other cake. Makes 2 cups filling. ,1% * * FUDGE SAUCE AND FROSTING 1 package semi -sweet choco- late chips 34 cup butter 2 cups sifted icing sugar 1% cups evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan. Remove from heat. Add sugar, alternately with mills, blending well after each addi- tion. Place over medium heat an bring to a boil, stirring con- stantly, Then cook and stir 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla; blend well. Serve warm as a sauce. Makes 2% cups sauce, • • * To make Chocolate Chip Frosting. Cool 2 cups of the sauce to room temperature, Then add an additional lila cups sifted icing sugar, blending well. makes generous 2 cups frosting, or enough to cover top and sides of two 8 -inch layers. If desired, store the remain- ing 35 cups sauce in refriger- ator until ready to use. Then warm over hot water. To make Milk Chocolate Sauce. Add 3 cup' evaporated hiillc to cup saute. Serve warm. CHEWY CHOCOLATEKISSES 1 p ckage semi -sweet, choco- late, chips 2 egg Whites % teaspoon; salt 3a eup sugar' ata teasp000it vinegar 34 teaspoon viinllla iii cup coconut% cut , 34 cup chopped walnuts Melt semi . swdet chocolate chips over hot Wates', heat ;egg whites and salt .until, foamy titrcugin:Mtt Add sugar, 2 table- spoons at `a thfie, beating, after each addition until sugar is blended. Then continue beating until mixture will stand in stiff peaks, Add Vinegar and vanilla and beat well. (Entire beating protest takes about;'10'minutes.) • Vold 'in coconut, nuts, and melted chocolate. Drop from teas Poon o n t o QReased•,bakin,� �_heyet,. Bake, in moderate oven (350 F) 10• min- ute§: Makes 234^to 3 dozen cook- C1tOCOLi17'E MOUSSE' 1 liacket&: semi -sweet choco- late chips . i. , {. 3/ cup light or heavy cream Assof salt.. , 1 teasll'oon vanilla ' 4 egi "yolks; Stith* beaten 4 egg—Tibiae :, t ,2, tablespoons;, sugar vH ea t., semi - sweet ehocolate ships over; hot water until partly, melted: 'then' rem6ve Dern hot water and stir, rapidly until. tirely meltedr Add: greatj} an end- blend.Add salt and vanilla. Add chocolate, mixture to slightly beaten egg 'yolks' and continue; beating until mixture is thick- and creamy (about 2 or 3 minutes.): thBeatroughput. egg whitesAdd untilauger gfoamraduy ally, beating until mixture will stand in stiff peaks. Fold choco- late mixture into egg whites only until blended. POur into demi- tasse cups or small custard cups. Chili 3 or 4 hours or overnight. Makes 8 to 10 servings. •. * FUDQE CAKE 3 squares unsweetened oboeo. Late Water • 2% cups sifted flour 1% teaspoons soda. 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 134 cups sugar 3 eggs, unbeaten 1 teaspogn vanilla 1 package semi -sweet choco- late chips • With vegetable shortening, use 13 cups water. With butter, or margarine, use 13 cups water. Combine, unsweetened, choco- late and water and cook over medium heat until chocolate is melted. Cool t0 room terpera- ture, Measure sifted flour, add soda and salt, and sift together three times. Cream shortening, add sugar gradually, and cream to- gether until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thor- oughly after each, Add cooled chocolate mixture and vanilla; blend well. Stir in flour mix- tura. Pour batter into 13x9x2-inch pan which has been greased on the bottom. Sprinkle. chocolate chips over the batter. Bake is moderate oven (375°F.) 35 to 40 minutes, or until done, Cool and serve from pan. Sets Type With Beam Of Light An electronic machine which sets type automatically with a beam of light was demonstrated in New York April 17. The light beam sets a type char- acter on photographic film. It then sets another alongside the first, then another, and another. It is oabable of setting type at a speed at least four times greater, than the fastest mechanical type- setter now in use. The machine is one of the two units of: the "Linofilm" of the Mergenthaler Linotype Company; A "preproduction" model was demonstrated. It will not be ready for marketing until 1958. One unit prepares the tape which Operates the other, the au- tomatic unit. Any girl skilled at typewriting can operate it, In- deed,. the principal operating part is a standard typewriter key- board, There is a small auxiliary key- board. By punching these keys the Operator specifies the type face and the type size, specifies spacing between, letters (in units of a 12th of an em) and between Lines of letters, cancels out faul- ty lines, and makes each line come out even according to the desired length at line which is Set on a gauge. Fights For Life Under The Ocean Bernard Wranicmore was div- ing for shellfish oft Rebhan Island, South Africa, when sod• dozily he was dragged by power- ful currents into a seaweed bed, Xie pitched to his knees with hie pipe - line twisted around him. Then a sea-IiOn attacked him ferociously. Rising clumsily in his leaden boots, he tried 10 beat it off with his heavy lever. His jabs and buffets Incensed the animal more. Grunting grotesquely, it Seemed intent On savaging, if not battering' to death, its strange underwater quarry, Then .the drama took a fresh turn, one that must have sot Wrankmore's spine shivering; For as with 'ftiiling Strength, lie made a last effort tq sP.lit thq seg-lign'PP skull, his pipe -line, broke: Watet swirled, into his air supply valva, choking him. Showing superb presence of mind, he managed quiokly..te elle free,.bpth his, now useless breathing apparatus and his body belt of lead` weights' which enabled him to walk on the ocean floor. •,:So,.,as: the,sea;lion dat+?hRd,, in fpr tie %till, its, victim bobbed ,up to the surface. :¶}fere ills' assis- tants, well aware -of the,trouble below- grabbed. him. dust; as' the sed iipn'g .muzele broke thesur- face behind ppm 7 , . As fro men, deep See diverss,, tiarl fie tare; shell Minters :and satvagie exlierte: iisteid• .their conquesta;intd:theigieop.they •will meet many , uglif. 140.e njgre fearsome yzu igtc afar creatures, I ,that.ease le'=goof pertre"s: con- atigute 'their bait' "e§edifr •ti teat." Vvhile.'gr0ping.hie wiay'thrdUgh a;sunken';steamog deep Seatisal- YAWS exPart), Captain G,&, gar- diner,„f tnind a mart'' acing shark obstructing his ' passag>r to the • bt31Yion° ioo'm, ' To and fro it roved inside the wreck, self -elected guardian of a "glittering-treasufe'heap. Gard- ner knew better than to tackle t5e shirk'in open fight. So he resorted"to a. cleven.ruse, Resurfacing; hengathered to- gether -a, ntpnber of planks,.. and descended again, to, the wreck. Very gingerly, he started fixing his planks, one at a time, as if to •seal off the passage. As he guessed, the shark soon investigated hiswork and, hav- ing nosed a board, felt either un- comfortable or extra wary. For, with a powerful tail flick, it bolted through the opening left to it, and sped away into the ocean's wastes. In passing, its flippers smacked against Gard- ner's diving helmet; but he was able to walk unhurt to the strongroom where he retrieved gold bars worth £200,000, Almost all deep-sea creatures, from 70 -ton monsters to midgets, live carnivorously. Their lives are one "vicious circus" -to use the phrase of an old Aussie lug- ger skipper. Black stingarees or diamond shaped stinging rays with venomous barbs up to 15 inches long are ugly customers when they dart at yogi swat Yet they are one Ree among myriads? torpedo-like alhecOr00. swordfish, saw.- fishers and, •.in South American waters, eleetrie Gels and flesh -rending Barre. codas, Yet, in the coral waters, tat* shark remains terror ntymbilt One. These killers, more daisggr•. ous after dark than by daylight (at night the waters nature luminosity shows up strange objects with tell-tale elaritY), .eu4 many a diver amidships, some, times slicing him in two with a single jaw snap, One Torres Strait diver, how- ever, got his head right inside tiger shark's mouth and notmil survived, but cashed ill 00 i incredible escape. They calls him "Treacle" On nitride") . Island, Cheerful and talkat .it, he displayed to all comers ter- rible soars round his neck and face, Tourists listening to ills epic tale tipped. ,hips, well. HO deserved their money, For picture ,him down below the man-eater, having eruls+ around him, suddenly flashes'. la' warder hug'e.mavt' agape. Before 1►e:,pan; dttekx:.,ilireaele's heed.,.$s Imprisoned inside those murder. ous jaws, A snap" . , , and he would be'exeonted: Trestle; biifidad and in great pain, evened- 'with his lianas a• r0thtththe;sriozisteg's heed,,Thelto l slbcbioNga,t}{e-,desperate . ellergy he ' used, it his , fingers,, ougged' out the '3tiOnster's ees 1Vladdrllned"'with pain; the killer disengaged itself, leaving. Treacle horribly mauled but alive. The tier shark's swallowing capacity .'T almost' 'unbelievable. Whole dogs,. ;sheep,, goats and pigs have been cut from the bellies of slain monsters Once 4 lugger crew, in slicing up a shark, extracted from its belly a 14 Ib. tin of bully beef — un- opened, Some of the most horrific battles must take place on the sea's deepest bets between mon- ster fish, ,We,,know.of. the, exist- ence of fifty ton killers: and the remains Of a 45 -foot male sperm whale were found entangled in a submarine cable at a depth of 540 fathoms off the coast of, Co-' lumbia. A cable ship carrying out repairs drew up this strange catch in 1932. ' Somehow the killer had lashed the cable round its Iower , jaw, Then over its tail and so got itself hopelessly trapped. MERRY MENAGEaiE "Junior, for the.I gine, not You aren't old enough diiinoicet" Astenk Damp Fine Rain — It was almost a new experience for seven- year-old' Daryl Richardson, of Lawrence, Kan., to don his father's boots and splash through king-sized puddles the other day. Heavy tains brought 2.28 inches to Lawrence, along with the first standing water seen in the area in many drought -dry months.