The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-02
ANTI-SEMITISM'S NEW CRY.
"RITUAL MURDER" CHARGED AGAINST
4 JEW FL ACsTRT1Ns.

, They seek to Show That Huisncr Killed n
czech Girl In Order to Offer n Sacrifice
with Humnn BIsod-Jews Of tho World
Protcu Against tho Iideous Charge.
Anti-semitism has taken a new turn in
Austria. Recently n jew named IlNlsner.
who apparently was not IN good standing in
the synagogue. was convicted Of numbering a
young Czech girl in Pona. a Bohemian village.
The evidence against him would not be con-
sidered strong in this country. As matter
OF fact the testimony adduced did not In any
particular point To him directly as the muir
derer The trial however was q com plcated
affair and anti-Semitio ring was
formed to prove ritual murder. In
other words the Jew-haters formed
conspiracy for the sole purpose OF prov
ing to the court that HHlsner had killed the
girl in order to Offer religious sacrifice with
human blood. This tactics OF the prosecution.
who. without saving in so many words.
adopted the ritual murder theory. possessed
devilish clevsrness. At no time did they
charge ritual murder directly. but all through
the trial Insnuatcd By vslet word that such
was the crime. The decision which con-
demnsd lidlsner loft Il mysterious obscurity
To- euveop the act which It punished The
ritual crime was never plainly affirmed. but
the Judges knew how TO MAKO that understood
which they didno: venture 70 say aloud.
The ritual murder cry was taken up by the
ant -Semites Of Vienna. where now 1t seems
to lie the general belief among Christians that
liNlsn"r killed the girl as n religious sacrifice.
The Jews. OF course. deny this with great vieor
and they defy the anti-Senitss to point to any
relgi Gus law or custom OF their race whi
would tolerate such hideous outrage. They
point TO the fact that even IL such a crime were
possible, none hut a religious fanatic could 10
guilty Of II. H0lsper. they say. s:rove to 10
baptised In order 20 marry Chri.tian girl. and
refused to fast on lom kippur. This. they say.
10 pretty conclusive evidence that the accused
man is far from being religious fanatic.
1T ought not to be necessary for the Jews in
these closing years Of the nineteenth century
to rs'ute such . ridiculous charge AZ that
81 ritual murder said. Prof. Gottheii OF
Columbia University Yesterday. What think
ing man can for moment believe that the
Jews would murder Christians to use the blool
in the celebration OF their Passover rites:
Popss. bishops secular princes. theologans
and scientists from the twelfth century down
have emphatically declared that all charges
~ tina, kind were utterly unioundsd. And yet
that West 81 all religious calumnes las been
revived this year in I'll" civilized country OF
Austria. the land which viss with France in
importance as au anti. Semitic stronghold
"A yerv ordinary murder has given the en-
emies OF the Jews the chance that they were
LOOKING for. Austria 10 to-day wildly hEitated
over what many choose to call anew Dreyfus
affair. The Polna murder has only this IN
common with Frances cause cGlebrs. that in
both cases the anti. Semitss have used tho
alleged crime OF an individual to
egg the masses on to the destruction
OF whole race But not even in their widest
m oments have tho French anti Ssnlites
thought OF going further than to charge the
vic'im Of their rage with II mercenary betrayal
Of his native country, while their Austrian
hrsthron have had tho hardhood 10 revive y
charge that the Intelligent men OF tho so-called
Dark Ages considered prcposterous.
The story OF the crime used as basis for the
present agitation ia Austria 10 very simple. A
young Czech girl named Agnes Hru2a WAS
found murdered on March 20 IN u wood near
the little Bohemian town OF Folna. whore she
had her home. The suspicious 81 the authori-
tics were at once directed against ono Leopold
Hnlsner. a poor and ignorant Jew who was in
love with Christian girl and who had taken
steps to rsnounee his own religion In order To
be able to marry her. There seemed to be no
evidence to connect him with the crime much
lees to make the crime a religious one
The murder had taken place about the time
Tor tho celebrate on Of the Jewish Passover. and
Vienna took up the AFFAIR at once and presente ell
II IN all seriousness to their readers az a
clear case cas- 81 ritual crime Their colleagues
the Jews Were comr.-d to defend tn e mselvss
An the rabbits Of Vienna Joined in a written
statement declaring that never had tho Jewish
religion required or countsnanced such n
crime. Protest meetings were held every
Ha obi Of Vienna. took solemn public G oath
that there was not and had never bsen any