Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1876-03-11
RUBENSTEIN's DEVOTIONS.
The Singular Actions of the Murderer In
his Ccll--BindInE Himself with Straps
How he was Brought TO while FeIgnins
Denth.

Death.
"Ruby," as Pesach Rubenstein is fa-
miliarly called by the inmates of the
Brooklyn Jail, sat on the steam pipe in
his cell, bound in his straps, intoning
his prayers and reading his Bible. He
bound himself, wrapping the thin, mar
row leathern straps, one around his
right arm, beginning at the large mus
cles above the elbow, and winding it
around and around his arm until it
reaches his finger nails, and the other
about the upper part of his head. On
his forehead and on the inside of the
arm, at the elbow, are firmly fastened
two small cubes of wood about two and
one-half inches thick, with margin at
the bottom of half an inch, and cover
ing or case fitting over the cube and
resting on the margin. On each of
these cubes are written in Hebrew the
ten commandments. The straps are
bound so firmly as to interfere some
what with the circulation of the blood,
but the devoted Hebrew endures it as
duty. He says it is necessary to rid
himself of certain amount of animal
force, and that the muscles being the
seat of that force, he begins to strap
himself at the place of greatest muscu-
lar development, above the elbow. The
finger nails, he says, are "one of the
essences of religion" and this vital
ferce leaves the muscles and enters the
strap at the end and travels its entire
length, escaping through the nails of
the fingers, where the other end of the
strap terminates. He presents curious,
grotesque appearance with his blocks
and straps on, and his long black hair
turned under in rolls about his head
His face is pale, his neck extremely
small, and his body small. He possess
es much cunning, and shows it in his
face.
No one is permitted within the gate
that separates murderers' row from the
other cells of the jail unaccompanied by
deputy sheriff. The watchman who
attends Rubenstein by day says he lets
no one inside the gate, not even the pris-
oner's own relations, and no one is al
lowed to approach nearer than six feet
of the prisoner.
Rubenstein drives reporters from his
cell. He took the sheriff into his cell,
and sat down at the extreme end of it,,
as far away as he could get, and in muf-
fled German asked him to use his infu-
ence with the judges and the district at
torney to obtain stay or reprieve for
three months. He said he could not get
ready to die by the twenty-fourth of
March, and urged the sheriff to get him
time enough to prepare to die. At
times he put his lips to the sheriff's ear,
and looking to see whether any one was
listening, whispered something very con-
fidential. The sheriff would not say
what it was. At times he smiled and
seemed in good spirits. He says he will
not be hanged because he is innocent
and in the hands of God, who will not
allow him to be hanged. On account of
his confidence of escaping the gallows
the strictest possible watch is kept over
him. The Bible that his father sent him
was not given to him, for fear that the
leaves are poisoned. Twelve dollars
sent him by friends was not given to
him for the same reason. The sheriff
took the bank notes sent and gave him
others in their place. The wary Ruben
stein hesitated some time before accept
ing the money. The sheriff, after con-
siderable talk, persuaded him that it was
right and safe to take it, and explained
that it was from his friends to aid him
in obtaining a new trial. Rubenstein
took the money, and signed receipt.
He afterward prayed with his face to
the east, rocking his body to and fro
and shifting his breast. He moved his
lips in smothered utterance, placing at
times his unstrapped hand over his
eyes. Then he read his Bible, intoning
a short prayer before beginning. After
this was gone through with he unbound
his arm and forehead, kissing repeated.
ly the ten commandments on the cubes
as he carefully wound the straps about
them and placed them in a bag. He
asked the sheriff to let him go tC
the synagogue, but his request was
denied.
The night watchers say they fear tc
leave Rubenstein alone five minutes,
lest he tear the sheets to his bed an6
hang himself. They took Rubensteir
to bathe, and while in the water he be
came apparently dead. He had nc
pulse, and his heart seemed to stor
beating. To all appearances he wa:
dead, and his keeperssaid they "tLough
. that they had lost him." There was {
slight pulsation at the pit of the stom
ach, however, and they imagined he wa
! playing possum. To test him keeI Q
took hold of his hair and asked for scis
sors to cut it off. The sheriff told Ru
bernstein in German what the keeper in
tended to do, and asked whether h
wished it done. Rubenstein thereupol
opened his eyes wide and gave an omi
nous shake of the head, answering a
the same time: "Oh, no, no." He at
eight eggs one night after fasting al
day. He eats heartily at every meal