lags, to Zadar, so
that they might thank the Admiral, who chanced to be there, for the
benefits which Italy had bestowed upon them. An officer who in this
branch achieved particular distinction was Lieutenant de Sanctis, the
Commandant of Preko, a village opposite Zadar. Bread and Italian
promises were dangled before these poverty-stricken fisherfolk and
peasants; they refused to take part in the ridiculous demonstration, and
in order to avoid being made to go they concealed themselves and even
went to the length of sinking their boats. In the possession of a
peasant at Preko, [vS]ime [vS]ari['c] Mazi['c], were found some
banknotes with a Yugoslav stamp on them and a very small French flag;
for these transgressions de Sanctis ordered first that he should receive
a box on the ears, after which he was bound, thrown into prison, and
there flogged by carabinieri who, as two doctors afterwards certified,
inflicted serious injuries upon his hands, which they beat with chains.
For the same reasons and at the same place a peasant called Mate
Lon[vc]ar was imprisoned and wounded with a bayonet. On March 2 at Preko
the Italians, enraged because the people had not come to their
demonstration, dispersed with sticks all those who were assembled in
front of the church, and prevented the Mass from being celebrated. On
March 29 the aforementioned Lon[vc]ar was condemned to three years'
imprisonment because 11,780 crowns, unstamped notes, had been found on
him; the notes, of course, were confiscated. Such notes, by the way,
were given or received in payment by Italian merchants at a discount of
10 per cent., 15 per cent. or 20 per cent. Even the military used these
forbidden notes, and compelled the peasants at the market to accept
them. In the night of March 15-16 six of the leading Yugoslavs of
Zadar, who had not ceased to advise the people to bear their present
misfortunes in patience, were suddenly arrested and deported to Italy;
they included Mr. Joseph de Ton[vc]i['c], President of the Yugoslav Club
and formerly the Deputy-Governor of Dalmatia; he was a man seventy-two
years of age and in precarious health. During this same night forty
persons were deported from Knin, three from Drni[vs], three from
Obrovac, four from Skradin, nine from [vS]ibenik and four from
Benkovac.... On the populous island of Olib (Ulbo) the abuses connected
with the distribution of food were exceptionally flagrant; here the
Italian officers compelled everyo