Rumors spread among the Arabs that Jews were poisoning candy and fruits, were disproved in dramatic scenes in the office of the Jerusalem police district, report the Jerusalem correspondents of the London “Daily Chronicle” and “Daily Mail.”
An excited crowd of Arabs rushed into the office of Major Harrington, Deputy Superintendent of the Palestine police, Jerusalem district, bearing with them specimens of the alleged poisoned candy. Major Harrington ordered the Arabs to gather round while he ate the sweets one by one, saying, “They are excellent.” Seeing that Major Harrington was unharmed, the Arabs left the office shouting, “Wonderful!” The crowd soon dispersed.
A similar scene occurred in the office of Major Harrington’s assistant, Superintendent Ibrahim Bey Stambull, an Arab. When he was brought figs which were alleged to be poisoned he ate them saying, “This is the second dessert we had today.”
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.
