Wolf Szcerbowski, 18-year-old son of a Jewish butcher, pleaded guilty today to the fatal stabbing of a Polish policeman, Stefan Kedziora, in this city May 13 which led to serious anti-Jewish riots.
The public prosecutor was to address the court this evening and a verdict was expected late tonight or early tomorrow morning.
The trial opened in the Brzesc District Court while great tension prevailed throughout the city. Strong police reinforcements patrolled the streets.
Isaac Szcerbowski, father of the defendant, whose butcher shop was being raided for illegally slaughtered meat when the slaying occurred, but who has been exonerated of complicity in the crime, left the city for an unknown destination, fearing an attempt on his life.
To avoid identifying the Jewish population of Poland with the crime, Joseph Czernichow, well-known Wilno Jewish leader and attorney, decided not to conduct the defense, and Szcerbowski was defended by two Warsaw Jewish attorneys, Max Rosenthal and Ignaci Lovin.
The court decided to allow a civil action by Kodziora’s family against the defendant for damages since he had just turned 18, which makes him liable to civil persecution. The family was represented by Kowalski, anti-Semitic Nationalist attorney, and Niobudek.
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.
