(Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
The courtroom of the People’s Court was crowded when the retrial of the hooligans who tortured the aged Jew, Kaufman, was opened.
The three new defendants, A. Lubimov, I. Zheleznov and A. Zhelesnov, pleaded not guilty and disclaimed their anti-Semitism. When questioned, they admitted they were accessories in the tortures perpetrated on Kaufman.
Golovkin, Lubimov and Lichomanov reiterated the testimony of their previous trial that they were. only teasing their Jewish neighbor.
Kaufmann in testifying related a touching story of the abuse inflicted on him. He described the events of the night of May 19, when the hooligans bound him with wires about his body and neck, nearly strangling him. and demanded that he turn over to them his daughter.
The neighbor who. saw the tortures, testified that Kaufman was afraid to inform the police under threat of his torturers. The witness and two other neighbors were the ones who informed the Ogpu, political police. Further witnesses will be called tomorrow.
The judge of the court is woman, a former worker. The trial is arousing city wide interest.
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.
