Enforcement of NRA methods of doing business in the south reached new proportions here when Julius Goldstein, proprietor of the Hub, clothing store, was openly kidnaped by four masked men on a downtown street, severely beaten about the face and head, and released after two hours on a lonely road a few miles from here.
Although Goldstein refused to discuss the matter with anyone, a friend, Murray Goldwasser, another merchant, said that they had left a coffee shop about 9 o’clock when the abduction occurred. Just as the victim was stepping into his car, Goldwasser said, a man walked up and slugged him with a blackjack. Three other men appeared and together they dragged Goldstein into a waiting automobile and sped away.
Considering the fact that an epidemic of kidnapings and hold-ups has been going on in this state lately, members of Goldstein’s family at first believed that he would be held for ransom. New light was thrown on the incident however, when two hours later, after a general alarm had been spread and police throughout the state instructed to watch all roads, Goldstein turned up in front of hisstore, badly beaten. Money and other valuables on his person had not been touched.
AGREEMENT IS DIFFICULT
Inasmuch as the reticent Goldstein positively refused to state whether or not he recognized any of his assailants, police had few clues to the identity of the kidnapers. They were of the opinion however, that hostility caused by business operations may have had some bearing on the mysterious affair. Several months ago, officers said, there had been many protests on the Hub’s late closing hours and Goldstein came down one morning to find the warning “close on time” written all over his windows. A Jewish junk dealer in the same town has, it is reported, been asked to leave within thirty days.
Much difficulty has been experienced in working out a harmonious agreement among several of the small town merchants, who have been accustomed to opening early and closing late. Oftentimes however, it has been Christian store owners who were unwilling to cooperate.
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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.
