The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-06
AMERICAN HATRED ! OF JEWS
BITTER ANTL-SEMETIC FEELING
AT NEW YORK.
Hebrews Are Hooted, Mobbed and
Robbed and Authorities Will Give
No Protection-Acts of Violence.

New York, Jan. 5.-The alleged anti
semetic prejudice, existing in this coun-
try and displayed in a steadily increas-
ing. of acts of violence toward the Jews
in the poorer quarters of Manhattan
and Brooklyn was made the subject of
a lengthy letter sent on New Years day
to President Mckinley by Leopold Cohn
of Brooklyn. The writer was once a
Jewish rabbi, but was converted to
Christian belief seven years ago in this
city and Joined the Baptist church. He
is now conducting missionary work
among the people of his race and has
charge Of the interests of three mis-
sions.
Mr.. Cohn, in his communication to
the president, states that in the prose-
cution Of his missionary work he has
continuously thrust upon his notice the
eNer-increasing hatred displayed in this
city towards the jew, until he has
found il his imperative duty to sound a
note of warning. The letter continues:
Peaceful Jews walking the streets of
this city are habitually called by oppro-
brious epithets or are loudly hooted and
insuited, as though they were mounte-
banks or criminals, and when the
threatening shout will not attract re-
Spouse, then the throwing of mud and
stones is reSorted to, and l repeat, not
in an isolated instance, but constantly
as the weeks pass, and as result of
which many have been injured, some
times seriously.
when a street car passes through
the Jewish quarter, hooting. Kissing and
calling of names from its platforms are
customary incidents, and within these
public cars l have seen Jews pulled by
the beard and pushed from one man to
another and back again like a football,
and in which horse play the conductors
themselves have participated and in
some cases which | am ready TO prove,
have crippled their victims for life. A
Jew with a push cart is everywhere es-
teemed as legitimate object to be mob
bed and robbed.
'On one occasion saw a jewish ped
der with horse and wagon set upon by
i a, mob of large boys with stones, the
man trying to protect himself by draw
ing his coat over his head. On running
TO his defense 1 was myself attacked
on appealing to a group of citizens
and admitting, upon their questioning,
that the victim was Jew, they
laughed boisterOusly, adding, with evil
dent sneer, that | was myself of the
same Gespised race; and upon appeal
ing to a policeman, he coolly replied,
after great elaboration, that the affair
was not on his beat. In the meantime,
With Hedu pleeoihS, the peuuler was
driven from his wagon, which was loot
ed and overturned.
Another case, similar except that
the wares were scattered about the
street. though not stolen, occurred in
front of boys high school where young
gentlemen are prepared for college at
the public expense, largely paid from
Jewish taxes. The aggressors were the
students, and the teachers viewed the
scene from the windows.
These incidents few selected from
many coming unsought under my per-
sonal obserVation-must not be esteem
ed merely as occasional disorders, liable
to occur under the best procurable con-
dition, but rather as manifestations of
a prevalent, widespread, deepening and
expanding public sentiment fraught
with the gravest consequences to the
well being of the nation