The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-12
JEWISH PROSECUTIONS.

The trial of Jews, in Hungary, for
the alleged murder of a Christian
girl, to obtain the child's blood for the
passover, shows that conspiracy takes
the place of open affrOntery in the
outrageous prosecutions of the chosen
people of Israel. A Jewish boy of
fourteen was absolutely enlisted in
the scheme against his people. and he
swore that he had seen his father
and other Jews kill the child,
Esther Solymozzi, in the syn.
agogue. This boy, Moritz Scharf,
who was the chief, if not the only
material witness, swore that he had
looked through the keyhole of the
door of the synagogue and had seen
the accused Jews kill her and catch
her blood. Upon his testimony the
prosecution was begun. Several
women of the neighborhood corrob-
Grated his story only so far as to tes-
tify that they heard shrieks in the
direction of the synagogue at the
precise time fixed 10y him for the
murder. Not long after the alleged
murder the body of girl was found
in the river, upon which were the
clothes of Esther, but the body was
proven not to be that of Esther,
No one believes now that Jews use
the blood of Christian maidens in their
religious sacrifices, though the popu-
lar belief in such a horror led to many
n Jewish persecution in the middle
ages. The law of Moses does not in
culcate such practice any more than
does the law of the good Christians
of Hungary, who have derived large
share Of their religion from the per
secuted Jews. But there is now left
no room for doubling the
theory of the defense that
Esther had been hidden somewhere
and that this corpse was dressed in
her clothes in the belief that in it's
rapid decay it could not be identified,
and would be accepted as the body of
the lost Esther. The boy Scharf
swore that he saw the Jews put the
clothes of Esther on this corpse and
throw it into the river. But he did |
not give this testimony until it was |
proved beyond all doubt that the body |
was not that of Esther Solymozzi.
Much evidence was elected showing
the conspiracy. 1t was shown that
the magistrate, who took an active
part in the prosecution, was once SEN
fenced to twenty-five years imprisOn-
ment for a brutal murder. This mag
lstrate admitted that he signed the
of several witnesses,
though he was not present when they
were examined. 1t was further
by the defense that this wor-
Thy example of the Hungarian judi
;iary threatened Moritz Scharf with
Imprisonment if he did not
confess, and, as an inducement, told
him that his father had already made
of the crime. A priest
admitted that he attracted
suspicion to the Jews by several
anonymous attack upon them in con-
nection with the disappearance of
Esther Solymozzi. Esther's sister
testified to having spoken with her
several hours after the time when
Moritz Scharf swears he saw his
father and the other Jews kill her in
The synagogue. The defense called
attention to the fact that MoritZ did
not give his testimony in German
which is his mother tongue, but in
with which he is less ia
niliar. This, they say, is a signif-
can't sign that the story of the murder
was taught him in that language by
The promoters of the conspiracy. and
the further fact was shown that re-
Iigious persecution plays an impor-
5ant part in the movement against
The Jews.