An attempt to revive the ritual murder agitation was averted by a fortunate circumstance.
A Christian woman watching a child at play suddenly noticed that the child had disappeared. She immediately raised the alarm that “Jews had stolen the child.” A crowd soon gathered about her and prepared for a raid on Jewish houses.
The excitement was quelled by a passing soldier who found the child wandering in a nearby street. The soldier asked a gendarme to take the child to the nearest police station for safety.
Disbelieving the soldier’s story, the crowd proceeded to the police station. Even when convinced of the truth of the report, the crowd reluctantly dispersed.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
