(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The case of Rudolf Haas, the Magdeburg Jewish merchant accused of the murder of his bookkeeper, Helling, continues to hold public attention in Germany.
Notwithstanding the fact that Schroeder had confessed murdering Helling and stated that the accused Jewish merchant had nothing to do with it, Haas is still held in jail, the Magdeburg authorities refusing to release him.
The case has now taken another sensational and complicated turn. The metropolitan press reports that shortly after Schroeder had, in the presence of Berlin public officials signed a confession that he had murdered Helling on his own initiative, in order to obtain money, the investigating Magdeburg judge, Dr. Koelling, ordered Schroeder’s removal from police custody to the building where persons awaiting examination are detained. The investigating judge then visited Schroeder and persuaded him to withdraw his confession and repeat his charges against Haas. Following this, the Magdeburg police published yesterday an official statement declaring that Schroeder had withdrawn his previous confession which vindicated Haas.
This development has caused a stir in the Berlin Republican press. It is pointed out that this act of the investigating judge is unparalleled in judicial history. Judge Koelling is a leading member of the Stahlheim League, a strong monarchist organization. The Nationalist press attacks the Prussian Minister of the Interior Severing, accusing him of favoring the Republican Jew Haas. The Republican press also devotes considerable space to this matter.
The Magdeburg anti-Semites maintain a united front declaring that Haas did incite Schroeder to kill Helling.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
