The judicial authorities have stopped the ritual murder proceedings in Carpatho-Russia against the two Jews, Steinberger and Liebermann, it is stated to-day in a message from Bratislava. The State Attorney has withdrawn the charge, and the civil prosecution, the family of the children Bogdan and Kostia, from whom it was alleged that the two accused Jews had drawn blood, did not put in an appearance at the hearing in the law court.
The law court has accordingly found that the charge against the accused Jews has not been proved.
At the last hearing at the end of February fresh expert evidence was supplied by Dr. Toman, which, it was stated, had completely cleared the accused Jews. The original report of the gendarmerie, on which the accusation was based, stated that Helena Bogdan had a cut in the upper arm and that Kostia was stabbed in the palm. Dr. Toman declared that Helena Bogdan’s wound was so superficial that its existence must have been very difficult for a medical man to determine, and was certainly not sufficient to enable any blood to be drawn from the wound. Kostia’s wound was only a prick, and was already old at the time it was said to be fresh, and so slight that it had needed only eight days to heal. If anyone had wanted to obtain blood from him, the palm was not the place to pierce, but rather a part of the body which would yield more blood.
According to the original expert evidence before the court the gendarmerie had not trusted the two doctors in the town, who were both Jews, and had brought down a non-Jew, Dr. Ravic, who lives 30 kilometres away, and he had asserted that Kostia’s wound was fresh, had been caused by piercing, and would take 20 days to heal.
It was reported early in January that the authorities had decided to drop the blood libel, and to terminate the proceedings against the two accused Jews as soon as an opportunity arose.
It is characteristic of the superstitious beliefs prevailing among the peasants of Carpatho-Russia which have led to this and other blood-libel charges being brought against Jews, that, according to the London papers to-day, gendarmes with bayonets have had to protect an old woman in a Carpatho-Russian village from attack by the villagers who alleged that she was a witch and had given her own child pimples by means of witchcraft.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate 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.
