A tale with an O. Henry twist was told in court here by a Polish policeman who was attacked by an unemployed Jew who asked to be arrested—and didn’t get his wish.
The Jew, Jacob Wengart, was unemployed for many months and was suffering from hunger. Concluding that the wisest course for him to follow was to get into jail, where he would be provided with free meals, he attacked a policeman in the hope of achieving his goal.
Standing before the judge today, Wengart did not deny the charge of attacking a policeman. The judge, however, refused to sentence him, since this was the man’s first offense. Wengart was released. He is still unemployed —and hungry.
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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.
