From Our Own Correspondent BILBAO.
Sefiora Franco, wife of General Franco, was wildly cheered on the feast of the Assumption by the people of Bilbao when she arrived in the city on one of the most unusual errands undertaken by a woman since the outbreak of the Spanish war.
She had in her possession the jewels that for years adorned the statue of Bilbao's famous Madonna, Our Lady of Begofia, and which were stolen by the Reds while they occupied Bilbao. They were recovered in France where an attempt was being made to effect their sale. A Basque Catholic who suspected their whereabouts made a special trip to France to recover them.
Festivities in Bilbao on the feast of the Assumption are said to have been greater than any that have been held since the Spanish Republic was established.
Basque men and women were to be seen walking barefoot in procession to the shrine at Begofia.