The Weissberger Affair in Czecho-slovakia: Witnesses Who Declare That Weissberger Was Ten Kilometres

In the nineties of last century, the Czechs won an unenviable name in the Jewish world by the Hilsner blood libel affair in Polna, which almost brought Hilsner to the gallows, and finally sent him to prison for a life-term because of the terrible attitude on the question of ritual murder by Jews taken up by the judges and the legal authorities, the “Neue Welt” here writes. There was one man, Professor Masaryk, who saved the Czech people from that infamy, it proceeds. After the Great War, it continues, it was this same Professor Masaryk who won the independence of the Czecho-Slovakian State. The Jews have wished the Czech people well. It is an irony of history that it is under the rule of this very man, it goes on, that the evil spirit of Polna has risen again. Again there is a ritual murder trial in Czecho-Slovakia. Again public prosecutors, gendarmes and investigating judges and other authorities are at work to resurrect the lie of Jewish blood ritual. Under the Government of Professor Masaryk, the Legionary Horak, who murdered and robbed seven Jews, has amid the acclamation of the people been unanimously acquitted by the jury. Under his Government, a Jew, Weissberger, has been thrown into prison on a charge of having shot Czech peasants. The Horak case caused an outcry in Jewry, so now the attempt is being made to bring forward a Jewish murderer to counterbalance the Christian murderer and rouse anti-Jewish feeling.

We therefore publish the following letter, the “Neue Welt” says, which we have received from Michalovce, the home-town of the arrested man. Samuel Weissberger, signed by Bernat Hecht, an iron-dealer, of the same town:

From December 1st., 1917 till April 1st., 1920, I was employed in the Weissberger ironmongery firm in Michalovce. At that time, Samuel Weissberger, who is now under arrest, was already the head of the firm. During the war he was a gendarme stationed at Strazece (Ormcza). Weissberger was demobilised on November 3rd., 1918, and after that date he was again working in his business at my side. On November 10th., 1918, a motor lorry arrived at Satoralja with a detachment of flying corps men, and the peasant Kucik was taken out of his house and shot, and the peasant Jurca, who was attending the Sunday service at Church was also taken out and shot. This happened on November 10th., and on this day Weissberger was in Michalovce, 10 kilometres away, wearing civilian clothes and serving his customers in his shop.

This, the letter goes on, was confirmed on December 17th., 1931, before the investigating judge, Dr. Szanto, by ten witnesses, five of them Christians, a Chief Notary, a Solicitor, a police captain, a police inspector, and a barber. The other five witnesses, including myself, are Jews. In spite of the evidence of these witnesses, Weissberger is still kept under arrest.