St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-01
ROW AMONG HEBREWS
Jews Are Wpoth at the Con-
duct Of a Fellow Coun-
tryman.
-
Meyer Smell Said to Have
Acted Harshly Towards :.
Isaac Saltpeter,
Refusing a Burial Permit I'm
til Ten Dollars Was
Forthcoming.
What Mr.. Smell Has to Say
in Reply to the Charge
Against Him.

a protest more or less vigorous is be-
ing made by members of the Jewish
churches in st. Paul against the meth
DDS of President Meyer Smell. of the
Russian Congregational Brotherhood.
Nj. Suell, in addition to his religious
duties, carries on lively business as a
peddler, and makes periodical tours of
the rural districts for the purchase OF
scrap iron. The trouble arose, it is al
legged, from the refusal of Presiden
Smell to grant a permit to Isaac
Salt peter, Hebrew resident on
Texas street, for the burial
of the latter's child in the Jewish burial
ground. The Protestants allege that
the ground is the common property of
the Jews, and that the action of Presi-
dent Smell was contrary to the canon of
the church and altogether unpardona-
bic. Isaac Saltpeter is member of the
West side church. situated on Texas
street. The church has membership
of $50 and is reputed to be on sound
basis financially. When Saltpeter asked
for a permit to bury his child in the
Jewish cemetery it was denied him ex-
$40.
Ell. A. Singer,a member of the church,
also resident on Texas street, and who
conducts tailoring business at 499 st.
Peter street, says:
81 wish to call my countrymen's at
tention to the conduct of Meyer Smell,
president of one of the Hebrew
churches on the West side. Last Sun
day Isaac Saltpeter, Hebrew, asked
MI. SnelPS permiSSiOe to bury one of
his children in the cemetery, which is
the common property Of the Jews. HIS
request was refused because he did not
have $40. and, but for the kindly assist
ance of Julius Austrian and myself, the
unfortunate man would be obliged to
bury his child in other ground which
would be contrary to our belief"
A GLOBE representative called on
President Smell at his residence, at the
corner of Indiana avenue and State
street, last evening. He admitted that
he had refused to give SaItpeter per-
nit at first, unless he paid $40 for it. He
added:
"The fact is. that this man owed
some money to the church, and knew
that if he applied to me for permit to
bury the child he might be asked to pay
the money he was owing. So. in
stead of making his application to
me, as he should have done. he
went across the river and made applica-
ton to the presidents of several other
Hebrew churches for a permit. All re-
fused to grant his request, saying that
he should apply to the president of his
own church. Finding that no other
course would avail, and knowing that
to bury the child outside the Jewish
ground would be contrary to the Jewish
custom and belief, he at last came
to me, Then it was that l refused
to grant his request unless the money
was forthcoming. He stated that
last took all | could get from him,
poor and had acted straightfoTW ardly in
the first place there would have been
no refusal. | knew, however. that he
had several hundred dollars, and it was
my business to get what could from
him."
Mr.. Smell also said that he had fire.
quently paid the funeral expenses of
people whose relatives were too poor to
stand the expense, and he thought his
course in the Saltpeter affair was per-
fectly justifiable.
The statement that Saltpeter was able
to pay the amount demanded is de-
MED by several members of the cOngre-
CATION, and MesSrS.S Singer and Austrian
lent him the money to secure the per-
nit. There is a good deal of indigna-
ton over the action of the president,
and the belief is expressed that he will
be called to account to the church
authorities for his behavior.