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Show oo WASHINGTON, Nov. 15. Light is v thrown upon hitherto unexplained ref. erences to German Intrigue in the ranks of the tlallan army by an official of-ficial dispatch received here from Rome. It tells how, on the eve of their great offensive, .the Teutons circulated cir-culated among the soldiers at certain parts of the Italian front newspapers carrying sensational stories of rebellions rebel-lions In Italian provinces, o English soldiers shooting down women and children and of French cavalrymen riding over the bodies of agitators. I In further explanation of the break- I down of the Italian defense, the mes-' mes-' sage says Italian-speaking Bulgarians and Croats in Italian uniforms, penetrating pene-trating the lines on the eve of the offensive, of-fensive, caused great confusion by telephone orders for the abandonment of important positions. "An investigation," sayB the dispatch, dis-patch, "has brought to light tho most treacherous ruse resorted to by the enemy in order to undermine the morale of our soldiers immediately before be-fore the present offensive. On, the 20th of October the enemy succeeded In smuggling through our lines and distributing thousands of copies of II Giornale DTtalla and II Corriore Delia Dera, in which wore reported tumults and rebellions in Naples, Florence, Sicily and Pnglle with hundreds hun-dreds of people killed In Tuscany by EngliBh soldiers firing upon women and children and also describing French soldiers riding: over the bodies of agitators, etc. "It was also established that in certain sections Bulgarians and Croats, wearing Italian uniforms, speaking Italian perfectly, ordered our soldiers, through telephone communications, com-munications, to abandon Important defensive positions and thereby causing caus-ing great confusion and anxiety." "Accounts of the Italian retreat before be-fore the Austro-Gcrman drive havo told of the failure of the Italians at crucial points to make a show of fight against the inavder. nn |