Our Daily News Letter

(By Our Warsaw Correspondent)

The recent announcement by Przanowski, a Pole who was formerly representative in the Ukraine of the Danish Red Cross, that he desires to be a witness in the Schwartzbard trial as he was an eye witness of the pogroms under Petlura, is of especial importance in view of the impression prevalent in some circles that Petlura was personally not responsible for the anti-Jewish massacres perpetrated by his forces at a time, as is believed by some, when he could not control them. Przanowski declares that he has evidence to prove that Petlura was personally guilty, having actually ordered the sadly famous pogrom of Proskurow.

In a conversation with M. Ash, the son of the Rabbi of Czenstochow, Przanowski related the following:

“Immediately after the arrival of Petlura at the railway station in Proskurow (several days after the Proskurow pogrom) I was admitted to Petlura’s office. In the course of our conversation, during which I spoke to him on the subject of supplying medical aid to the transient Ukrainian military detachments, Hetman Semesenko suddenly entered the office and at once began to report to Petlura regarding an attack of Bolshevist bands whom he repulsed on February 15th. Soon he came to the subject of the pogrom against the Jews.

“When Semesenko uttered the words: ‘In accordance with instructions I started the pogrom about 12 o’clock noon. Four thousand registered Jews were killed,’ Petlura appeared in an embarassing position, finding no way of covering up the information which had been spoken in my presence and finding it impossible to ask me to leave. He then looked sharply at Semesenko, pointing at me with his eye. Seeing the situation, unable to leave and not wishing to interrupt the report, I arose from my seat and went to the window. Petlura wishing to stop Semesenko from speaking further regarding the pogrom which the latter had begun to describe in detail, passed over to another subject. Returning to the first part of Semesenko’s report, on the attack of the Bolshevist troops, Petlura inquired: ‘What did those people want?’ Semesenko, however, not understanding Petlura’s motive and being absorbed in his description of the massacres, regarding which he spoke with the tone of one who feels himself a hero, replied: ‘The Jews did not wish anything.’ Getting this inapt answer, Petlura remarked to Semesenko that he meant the Bolsheviks not the Jews. Semesenko feeling the reproach, made no answer and the conversation was over.

“In the course of all this time Petlura did not condemn even with one word Semesenko’s pogrom deed,” Przanowski declared.

In conclusion Przanowski related how Semesenko personally invited him to attend a banquet and Przanowski later understood that this had been done on the instruction of Petlura, who in that way desired to cover up the unpleasant incident during Semesenko’s report.

As has already been stated in the press the Wilno lawyer, Stefan Mickiewicz, a grandson of the famous Polish poet, Adam Mickiewicz, has also announced his desire to appear as a witness for Schwartzbard. In connection with this, the letter written by Przanowski to Mickiewicz, under date of July 31st, 1926, is of more than ordinary interest. Przanowski wrote:”

“Learning that you have written to Monsieur Torres in Paris regarding the dreadful outrages of Petlura’s henchmen, who murdered the grandchildren of our great poet, Adam Mickiewicz, I want to express my heartfelt sorrow. I also want to take the liberty to inform you that holding at that time the positions of staff commander and attache of the Danish Mission of the Red Cross in the Ukraine, and being an eye witness of countless outrages, violations and incendiarlsms which were perpetrated on Petlura’s orders, I placed my life at stake in an effort to protect the innocent victims. and according to my powers and possibilities I saved many people.

“In order to substantiate my words I am sending you the copies of two documents of the Danish Red Cross in the Ukraine and I am prepared at any time to furnish the originals.

“I was present when the report regarding the pogrom of the Jews in Proskurow was rendered by Hetman Semesenko (the progromist) and I heard him saying that in accordance with the instructions of the chief Hetman (Petlura) the pogrom began at 12 o’clock on February 15, 1918. Because the rapporteur had disclosed a state secret Petlura interrupted him until he concluded his conversation with me and in order to cover up this scandalously compromising incident which happened in my presence I was invited to a banquet.

“To what extent Petlura was a criminal will be seen from the fact that not one of the Poles whom the Petlura forces captured was sent to the hospitals which were under my supervision, as they were all killed, in proof of which I was shown blood-stained Polish uniforms.

“Aside from this, I have in my possession proofs that Petlura not only knew regarding the mass murders, fires and plunderings which were committed by his soldiers, but that he actually issued orders for such outrages. Because I made efforts to hinder the Jewish pogrom in Proskurow and because I took into the hospitals under the protection of the Danish Red Cross some of the surviving victims, I was persecuted and subjected to much suffering. I was turned over to a court martial for hiding Poles and for holding back systematically the attachments of the Ukrainian army, owing to which the Petlura forces in the end suffered a defeat in their fight with the Polish army. I was robbed of all my possessions and exiled.

“When I finally returned to Poland, I learned with anguish that this bandit (Petlura) had found hospitality in our country whither he had escaped with the money he had robbed in an automobile which he had stolen from me.

“For assassinating such a ‘man’ Schwartzbard should receive the recognition of the entire civilized world and the court should act upon the principle that all civilized governments offer huge rewards for the apprehension or killing of criminals (of course on a much smaller scale than Petlura was).

“In Ukrainia, prior to Petlura, there was a famous bandit on whose head the Russian Czar had placed a reward, which went to a certain landowner who killed the bandit. Petlura, after he had gotten rid of Skoropadzki, formed a regiment which he named after that famous bandit and this regiment was specially assigned to the task of murdering the Polish landowners and plundering their estates.

“It is a pity that such an infamous henchman as Petlura died such an easy death, but the blot which he left will remain forever. Not knowing the address of lawyer Torres and, moreover. not having the financial means, may I respectfully ask you, as the only Pole in whom the noble blood of his illustrious grandfather has spoken forth, to take it upon yourself to arrange that I should be called as a witness at the Schwartzbard trial and for this purpose to secure for me a foreign passport. I hope that, thanks to you, I will have the opportunity to expose before the whole world the dreadful deeds committed by Petlura. I believe that my statements, supported by original documents, will be trusted and will in the course of the trial play a determining role.

“The historian. A. Tcherikower, who is now living in Berlin, delivered a lecture regarding the mass pogroms against the Jews in Ukrainia and referring to me he stated that in the trial regarding the assassinated Petlura I will prove to be one of the most important witnesses. He also indirectly inquired of me whether I would consent to appear as a witness.

“The Jews always outdo us in respect to solidarity. As evidence of this we can turn to the Dreyfus affair, the Beilis trial, etc. But I, as a Pole, would prefer to come out with the assistance of my fellow Poles, taking into consideration, in the first place, the injustices committed against us, and desiring to prove to all the elements who are hostile to us that the Poles are always ready to take the lead in regard to humanitarianism.”

BREVITIES

Business conditions all over the United States are prosperous, Julius Rosenwald, head of the mail order house of Sears, Roebuck &Co., told President Coolidge at White Pine Camp on Wednesday. Mr. Rosenwald gave the President a view of business, including farming conditions, throughout the country as demonstrated by the barometer of sales by mail.

Abner Kalisch, a prominent New Jersey trial lawyer, died Wednesday at his home in Newark. He had been a member of the Eastern County bar for fifty years and was a bor### of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Kalisch New Jersey. On Sept. 2 he would have celebrated his seventy-third birthday.

Mr. Kalisch was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and went to New Jersey as a youth. He was graduate of the Law School of Columbia University and a Past Master of Oriental Long 51, F. and A. M.

Edward D. Hollander, of Baltimore, Md., was among the sixteen winners of the corporation scholarships of Haverford College for the coming year.

The scholarships, amounting to $300 each, are awarded without application annually to the four students having the highest scholarship averages in each of the four classes. Hollander is a member of the class of 1928.

Plans for organizing trades and profession to raise $47,750,000 within the next ten years for the proposed $73,000,000 Centennial Fund for New York University, were announced by Percy S. Straus, Vice President of R. H. Mary &Co., who is Chairman of the Centennial Fund.

Chief Rabbi Sacerdoti of Rome has accepted the call of the Jewish community of Alexandra to the post of Chief Rabbi in place of Rabbi de la Pergola.