Benito Mussolini January 1945 by Madeleine Mollier, a few months before he was captured and executed by Italian anti-fascist partisans, he stated flatly: "Seven years ago, I was an interesting person. Now, I am little more than a corpse." He continued: On 25 April 1945, allied troops were advancing into northern Italy, and the collapse of the Salò Republic was imminent. Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci set out for Switzerland, intending to board a plane and escape to Spain. Two days later on 27 April, they were stopped near the village of Dongo (Lake Como) by communist partisans Valerio and Bellini
Clara Louise Burnham Clara Louise Burnham Clara Louise Burnham (May 25, 1854 – June 20, 1927) was an American novelist. After the success of "No Gentlemen" (1881), other books followed, including "A Sane Lunatic" (1882), "Dearly Bought" (1884), "Next Door" (1886), "Young Maids and Old" (1888), "The Mistress of Beech Knoll" (1890), and "Miss Bagg's Secretary" (1892). The daughter of George Frederick Root, she wrote the text for several his most successful cantatas. The 1923 film, "A Chapter in Her Life" is based on Burnham's 1903 novel "Jewel: A Chapter in Her Life". Born in Massachusetts, she died at the family home in