Bitterly complaining against his prolonged imprisonment in spite of his “proven” innocence, Abraham Stavsky, one of the three Zionist Revisionists held in connection with the murder of Dr. Chaim Arlosoroff, noted Zionist Labor leader, asserted that witnesses who maintained they could identfy him had been first shown his photograph. The examination was resumed today before Magistrate Bodilly.
Previous to Mrs. Arlosoroff’s affirmation that she recognized Stavsky as one of the persons who was present at the assassination of her husband in Tel Aviv on the night of
June 16, the 28-year-old defendant said that Inspector Stafford drew attention to him during the police parade of the accused Revisionists. Moreover, declared Stavsky, the Bedouin trackers who, after a protracted man-hunt, decided upon the defendant’s alleged guilt, saw him before they were able to claim identification.
Cross-examined by Prosecutor Shitrit, who posed the question why Stavsky had made an attempt to leave Palestine without first obtaining a return visa, Stavsky said:
“I know a good way to return and would have smuggled in friends from Poland.” He admitted that money found in his possession had been received from friends who wanted illegally to immigrate into the Holy Land. Press cards, purporting to authorize representatives of the Hazit Haam, a monthly magazine, were also used as means of smuggling immigrants, Stavsky said.
He denied knowing the Hebrew language however, adding that he did not write the name of David Ben Gurion on an unfinished building foundation at Petach Tikvah. The name of the member of the executive committee of the Jewish Agency for Palestine had been found inscribed on mortar under the legend “Death to Ben Gurion.”
Stavsky repeated insistently that he is innocent. He described the present hearing as a “comedy for myself, but a tragedy for my parents.” The elder Stavsky, a resident of Brest-Litovsk, Poland, came to Palestine to listen to the evidence against his son.
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