Pribitchevitch & Mush

At the empty stomachs of Jugoslavia's persistent Pribitchevitches hunger gnawed last week and griped.

"Oh, ah!" groaned hunger-striking Mme Bosilka Pribitchevitch. But Adam Pribitchevitch, Valerian Pribitchevitch and Col. Milan Pribitchevitch starved stoically. They were grimly, emptily resolved that King Alexander should not banish to the remote, unsanitary village of Brus their brother, that great Croatian statesman Svetozar Pribitchevitch "One of the Founders of Jugoslavia" (TIME, June 22).

Svetozar Pribitchevitch had started the family hunger strike, was hunger-striking manfully himself last week in the Belgrade Hospital. Svetozar Pribitchevitch was not sick but has been locked up in Belgrade Hospital for months, the Government not daring to throw him into Belgrade jail. As Pribitchevitches grew weaker last week the Government seemed to grow more relentless, suppressed all news of the hunger strike, seemed content to let Svetozar Pribitchevitch die. Then suddenly King Alexander relented.

"Svetozar Pribitchevitch is not fit to be banished," read the Government communique. "He must remain in hospital"-- incidentally one of the cleanest, most comfortable places in Belgrade.

"Svetozar will eat--now we can all eat!" was the joyous, famished cry of the other Pribitchevitches. In Belgrade Hospital dauntless old Svetozar Pribitchevitch was propped up in bed by sympathetic nurses. They fed him mush from a bowl. They wiped the old man's chin. When he was discreetly full, they tucked Svetozar Pribitchevitch cozily in for a nap.

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