The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-08-23
A Curious Story About it Coming
From New York,
In Which a Fiend or Madman
COnfesses to the Crime.
Was Reubenetein Really Innocent OF
the Murder Of Sarah Alexanderp
The Narrative as Published Simultane-
Ously In Cincinnati and New York.
New York, August IA, 1877.

en- identity, wrongful conviction on cir
cumstantial evidence, and ultimate con-
fession by the real criminal, is to be pub
lisbed in Thursdays World-a story
which, in many of its features, has no
parallel in the long list of curious stories
ofCrime, A confession is related which
was made by the real murderer of Sarah
Alexander, of whose murder Pesach
Nisun Rubenstein was convicted over
year ago, and the circumstances under
which the confession was made fairly
rival in sensational interest the story oil
the murder itself.
A New Yorker scarcely needs to be re-
minded Of The thrill ofhorror felt by the
community at the terrible death of the
handsome young Jewess, but in order to
understand the force of the story told by
the real murderer it will be necessary to
lay before your readers brief resume of
the circumstances attending the finding
of the body and the trial of Rnbenstein,
On Sunday afternoon, December II,
1875, woman, afterward known to be
Sarah Alexander, crossed the ferry from
New York to Willamsburgh, and took the
street cars thence for East New York.
She got out at point near the base of
Ridgewood Hill, and was seen by one or
two persons after alighting, and it is
thought her cries for help were shortly
afterward heard by passer.by. This
journey was easily traced aiterward by
means of the testimony of strangers, as
she wore striped red and blCk shawl
of peculiar appearance, and as she had
no head covering on, a circumstance
which attracted the attention Of. all who
EaW her.
She was accompanied by a man, and
the point of Issue on the trial of Ruben
stein was the question whether he was
that man, for there appeared no reason
able doubt that her companion was her
murderer. , his question was decided in
the light of the evidence on three points
to which l will presently refer.
After the dusk of that Sunday evening |
the unfortunate woman was seen no more |
alive. On the Tuesday following her
body was discovered by farm laborerin
o corn-fed a short distance from where
she left the car. She lay on her back
with her limbs drawn up, as if Convul-
sively. Her dress was greatly disordered
and there were three wounds on her
person. One was cash down the right
cheek through the upper lip; another
was cut in the palm of the left hand,
while the third and fatal one was ter
rible gaping woundin the throat, which
was cut deeply from the right ear to the
middle Of the neck.
The police took charge of the body at
once, and set about finding the murderer
They found on examining the foot prints
on the ground, that two persons only had
been engaged in the struggle. That the
murderer was man was evident from
the tracks. Careful search discovered a
knife thrust under pile of corn stalks
and shucks q little distance from the
body.
The corpse was exposed in the Brook
lyn Morgue for identification, and, besides
being positively identified by Sarah AL
exander's friends, was recognized by
number Of persons as that of the comely
young Jeweas whose presence had been
noticed on the horse-cars and ferry-boat.
From these witnesses confused and con.
hiCting descriptions we're obtained of the
man whom all had seen with her, but
whom no one had specially noticed.
There were thus three chances offnding
the murderer, and these three were the
points referred to above. First the foot
that made the tracks in the field might
be found. SeCondly the owner of the
knife might be discovered Last the
witnesses might be able to identify some
one as the man whom they had seen.
1t was found that the woman was far {
advanced in pregnancy, fact which fill {
ed her relatives with horroran astonish-
ment, for she was unmarried and had
borne an excellent character. The police
then sought to discover with whom she
had intrigued, and they learned that Ru- I
bernstein was particular friend of hers.
She had been servant in his fathers {
house, and was attached to the family. II
was said (thOugh the story was denied {
and not settled on the tria) that, at about
the time she must have become pregnant
Rubenstein had been very i'll, and that
she had nursed him night and day
Whether this is so or not, it served to {
raise suspicion that he had been her loy-
er and other circumstances were not lack
ing to indicate that he was her murderer {
as well.
1t was learned that on Monday night {
several hours before the body was found, {
he had told his brother and his father
that he had had horrible dream about {
the girl, who had been missed for TWEEN.
ty-four hours. He said that in his dream
he had seen her living dead in field some /
ten miles from New York, and that be
knew that she was murdered, and that
she wanted him to find her and bury
her.
This dream was lightly thought of by
bis father and brother, who knew well ;
that he was a dreaming fanatic. He was
a man under thirty years old, who had
permanently ruined his health by his rig
orous fasting and his mind by morbid
observance of religious ceremonies. He
spent large portion of his time in pray.
er, and was regarded by even the strict
est people in his Synagogue as q fanatic.
He WAS pedler Of Watches and jewelry,
and, though he was worth only a very few
hundred dollars, his credit was perfectly
good with the houses from whom he
bought. But, while his word was good in
Pecuniary matters, be was known to be
visionary, and had so often had affected
him strongly for time, but which prov
ed baseless, that his relatives attributed
this one to his excitement over the loss
OF the girl, to whom he was known to be
attached.
The detectives, however, thought 9TH
erwise, and so did the public. He was
taken to the Morgue, in Brooklyn, aud
forced against his will, to look on the dead.
de cringed and covered, shrieked aloud
with horror, aud was at length taken
away, y,oyereome with emotion and almost
prosLrale. His arrest was ordered. and