Word: blacking
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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Whenever a man high in Fascist favor dies, the procedure of His Excellency Benito Mussolini is the same. Dressed in braided morning coat and black silk Fascist shirt, he marches into the presence of the dead, stands stone still at Fascist salute for two full minutes, then turns on his heel, departs. His Excellency behaved thus a little over a year ago on the death of Marshal Luigi Cadorna, Italy's Wartime Commander-in-Chief, disastrously defeated at the battle of Caporetto (1917). Last week he gave his mortuary salute again at the bier of Minister of Public Works...
...every entrance to the vast concrete horseshoe of Mexico's National Stadium stood two soldiers last week, solemnly slapping the hips of everyone who entered, searching for pistols. In a parking space nearby a sergeant of artillery elegantly picked his teeth while black-eyed Indian children gazed, owl solemn, at the battery of cannon under his charge. Inside the stadium 50,000 people bought hot frijoles (baked beans roasted in corn husks) and cold beer from shrill peddlers, gazed impatiently at the platform garlanded with red and white carnations, green palm leaves, where sat the entire Mexican Congress, frock...
...minutes past twelve. A bugle blew. The cannon in the parking space banged out a 21-gun salute. Soldiers in black dress uniform snapped to present arms. Three bands simultaneously struck up the Himno Nacional Mexicano ("Mexicans! to the cry of war . ."). Detectives and police stalked up and down the rows of seats looking for possible assassins. Entered portentously the President-Elect, Pascual Ortiz Rubio, large-toothed and smiling, a green, white and red sash across his chest, accompanied by his predecessor, Emilio Fortes...
Followed a short speech in which President Ortiz Rubio outlined his policies, explained how dear to the United States of Mexico are the United States of America, and the ceremony was over. A dapper young man in a neat black suit by the name of Daniel Flores left the stadium in disgust. Cameramen tripped over Congressmen in their efforts to snap President Ortiz Rubio publicly kissing ex-President Fortes Gil. Telegraphers in the press section clicked wordy comment on the stability of Mexico's new government, wired that at last a Mexican President had been inaugurated without bloodshed...
...hours later the President, having sworn in his new Cabinet, left the National Palace for his home. This time dapper Daniel Flores was in the front row of spectators. Carefully pointing a black .38 calibre revolver between two rigid sentries, dapper Daniel fired six times...