News Brief

At a table immediately behind sat five Jewish laweyrs, Auster, Joseph, Ben-Ahron, Aboul Laffia and Soira, holding the brief for the heirs of Eliezer D. Slonim and Rabbi Hassoun, on whose behalf was entered a civil suit for blood-money according to the Turkish law, besides seeking to recover from Taleb more than £3,000 in cash robbed from the Hassoun house. Altogether eight Jewish lawyers were briefed in this civil suit, although it is perfectly clear that their interest is not confined to the question of damages for the Jews; they also consider Taleb as a symbol. Senior British Judge Corrie and relieving Judge Defreities, the former in scarlet and puce, the latter in a black gown with a scarlet collar and sash, both bewigged, patiently heard the obstructionist argument wherein many poisoned shafts against Attorney General Bentwich for allowing the amendment of the charge to include incitement to plunder. The preliminary argument, with translations back and forth in English and Arabic consumed three hours, the defense suffering two setbacks when, after consultation, the judges ruled the amendment legal and the case against Taleb need not be postponed because as the laywers shrewdly tried to argue the inciter cannot be tried before those whom he incited are found guilty, the defense thus aiming to postpone Taleb’s case until all the other Hebron accused are tried.

No doubt the British also regard Taleb as a symbol, else his would not be the first of the Hebron, cases to be heard. That the seriousness of this case is realized is shown by the elaborate preparations, the military replacing the Palestine police outside and within the courtroom, a special guard presenting arms when the judges arrived and Major Wainright, superintendent of police in Jerusalem, himself acting as doorkeeper. Early in the proceedings, strains from the band of the South Wales Borderers practicing in the Russian compound, in which the court is situated, broke in on the eager courtroom and the large, expectant crowd outside, the band symbolically practicing the death march, just as the legal battle over the life of a man accused of the destruction of scores of lives waxed hottest.

A bewigged, blackgowned Moslem public prosecutor, who holds the degree of an English barrister, represented the State and called Cafferatta and four or five other witnesses whose testimony at the close of the first day removed the smile from Taleb’s face and the faces of his champions. By the time the kerosene lamps were brought into the courtroom after a practically continuous session beginning about nine in the morning, Taleb-unless the defense demolishes all the evidence or British justice collapses-was as near the capital sentence as any criminal before any court.

However damning was Cafferatta’s evidence against Taleb, the witness himself did not emerge brilliantly today, his statements clearly showing he was unprepared for the grave trouble. Although earnestly warned it was coming, he took no measures on Friday when he saw Taleb inciting the mob, which would effectively have prevented the massacre on Saturday. Over and over again Cafferatta admitted he did not expect the riots, although he heard rumors on Thursday that trouble was brewing.

All the Jewish witnesses were remarkably steady, all except Schneerson and Bejayo being simple, uneducated folk, who are only beginning to recover from the blow delivered by their neighbors, headed by Taleb, whom they all faced squarely when identifying him, one woman, Mazal Mizrachi, saying simply: “Do I know Taleb? Why certainly, the sheik is my townsman”-the sheik who told a maddened mob they need not be afraid to do anything they liked with the “sweet girls.”