Joe Koenig and Stanley Simek, the two vandals who were found guilty of having destroyed 69 tombstones in the cemetery of the Beth Hamidrash Congregation on the night of April 28, 1929, were sentenced here on Friday afternoon by Judge Jacob Stacel to serve 30 days in the workhouse.
Koenig and Simek were first charged with committing felony for the destruction of property valued at over $100, but a jury which tried them in the Court of Common Pleas found them not guilty on this charge. They were then rearrested and charged with disorderly conduct. The trial on this charge took place Friday with the defendants pleading guilty and offering to pay for the damages they caused. Their counsel assured the Court that the defendants have no hard feeling toward the Jews and committed the crime while under the influence of liquor.
Under the law they may be rearrested 69 times and be charged separately for each tombstone they damaged. It is not known whether any further steps will be taken.
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.
