Madrid, Oct. 7. TIPHE backbone of Spain's most serious crisis since 1931 was broken to-day with the surrender and arrest of Don Luis Companys, President of the Government of Catalonia, following a fierce and prolonged bombardment of the Generalidad Palace in Barcelona by central government troops.
The downfall of the Catalan Republic, which was proclaimed early this morning, occurred after only a few hours of existence. Following the surrender of Don Companys, the Spanish Government ordered the immediate arrest of all Catalan Ministers and Don Manuel Azana, the former Socialist Premier who was to have been the' president of the
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