Neither Jews nor Cuzist Students to Blame for Targufromos Incident, Official Roumanian Government Co

Neither the students nor the local Jewish population were responsible for the riots in Targufromos, the inquiry ordered by the Roumanian government into the causes of the disturbances established, according to an official communique from the Roumanian government received here by the Roumanian legation.

The full text of the communique follows:

“The inquiry ordered by the Government into the causes of the disturbances at Targu Frumos has established that neither the students nor the local Jewish population were responsible for the riots. A notorious communist by the name of David Lozneanu threw a stone at a bus, among the passengers of which were a number of students returning from the town of Roman where Professor Cuza had just been elected to Parliament. One of the students was hit. The passengers, exasperated by this attack, stopped the bus and two of them, Dumbraveanu and Marievici (who are not students) got out and struck two old Jews, Mendel Laxer and Herscu Zeilig, who happened to be standing there. Lezeanu and another man by the name of Unterman, who has a police record, ran into the town and alarmed the Jewish population shouting that students were murdering Jews and looting. A number of Jews, armed with clubs, crow bars and stones, destroyed the bus and beat the students, who, outnumbered, were forced to flee.

NO INTENTION OF ATTACKING JEWS

“The report of the investigating committee concludes that the students had no intention of attacking the Jews of Targu Frumos any more than in Roman where their behaviour had been perfectly orderly. Neither had the Jewish community premeditated the attack upon the students. The chief culprit was the communist Lozneanu who started the riot. Also guilty were Dumbraveanu and Marievici, the passengers who struck the two old Jews. The first is a notorious ruffian, while Marievici is a well-known anti-Semitic agitator, also with a police record. Both are being prosecuted. The local police was found guilty of lack of foresight and the Interior Department immediately suspended the two principal officers.

NUMBER OF CASUALTIES OCCURRED

“In the course of the disturbances the following casualties occurred: The two elderly Jews mentioned above were wounded and one of the students. No store was devastated by the students; the shop of Herscu Zeilig had two windows broken. The bus was destroyed by the following Jews: Serscovici, Marcovici, Toilvi, Pincu, Vaserman, led by Unterman and Lozneanu. All were arrested and charged with wanton destruction, assault and battery. The court confirmed the warrants of arrest. Three were set free last week and the others were released on May 27th. The police officer who ordered the Jews to be photographed in a group, has been punished.

AUTHORITIES PROSECUTING INSTIGATOR

“In the district of Maramures the authories are prosecuting the instigator of the disturbances. The stories published in some papers abroad are grossly exaggerated. No other anti-Semitic occurrences have taken place recently with the exception of a few isolated attacks in Bucharest. Order reigns in the whole country. The Government has taken the sincerest measures to guarantee its maintenance.

“Yesterday, according to the “Adevarul,” Dr. Filderman, president of the Union of Roumanian Jews, was received by the Regency. Both the Patriarch and Mr. Sarateanu, after listening to his statement, assured him of their disapproval of the anti-Semitic disturbances and declared that they would use their full power and authority in behalf of the Jewish population wherever they might have to suffer any injustice. The two regents further stated their conviction that the Jewish population is a vlauble asset to Roumania and contributes to the progress of the country in all fields of activity.

“The Government’s attitude was only recently set forth in an interview granted by Premier Maniu which was published, among other papers, in the New York Times of May 28th, and Mr. Alex. Vaida-Voivod, Minister of the Interior and J. Lugojanu, Under Secretary of the State, in an interview granted to Mr. G. E. R. Gedye and published in the New York Times of May 25th.”