Pskov Court Ends Cross-examination of Defendants at Trial of Anti-semites

With the cross-examination of the five defendants concluded, the judge presiding over the trial of Trofimov, Communist worker, and four of his accomplices in the murder of the Jewish worker Bolsheminikov, proceeded to cross-examine thirty-one witnesses.

The characteristic feature of the proceedings was the emphatic denial on the part of the defendants that their motive was anti-Semitism. During the cross-examination, the defendants confirmed, by their answers to some of the questions, the public prosecutor’s contention that the persecution of the Jewish worker, prior to the tragic event, and his death were definitely due to racial bias. It was brought out that Kunitzin and Sinenikolsky, not only participated but actually inspired Trofimov to commit the murder. Sinenikolsky, a well-read worker, though he admitted having indulged in the persecution of Bolsheminikov, denied that his motive was anti-Semitism. When asked: “What is your view of the anti-Semitic murder of Bolsheminikov?” he replied, “It is not good to kill.”

The evidence submitted showed that Sinenikolsky had been expelled from the technical institute a year ago for persecuting Bolsheminikov and for slandering the Jewish race. During the examination of the defendants, Borisov and Kruze, the court demanded to know why Borisov refused to present the Jewish worker’s complaint to the meeting of the party collective in the factory. Borisov replied, “Because it would have interfered with the program I had prepared for the meeting.”

Great interest in the trial continues. Hundreds are seeking admission to the courtroom. A special police guard was placed to turn away the crowds which could not be accommodated.

The “Comsomolskaya Pravda” asks today why Kudriatzev, former secretary of the Communist factory cell and several others guilty in the affair, are not among the defendants. The paper states that these persons were dismissed from their positions but will be reappointed later.