The San Francisco call., 1904-07-03

gan to clear app. was invited to din
ner that day with our editor-in-c chief,
and we were leisurely enjoying cur
time over a cigar when the tumult Of
the rioters reached us. The first thing
that occurred to my mind was the pos
sible danger of my uncle and his
daughter, who lived in Libedsh. He
kept a jewelry store and lived above it.
When l reached the place I found
everything destroyed ana plundered,
and in the gutter in front Of it l no
tced you lying senseless and bleeding
(my memory now became clearer).
Fortunately, the Soldiers and officers.
who at first helped the mob to plunder
and rob. kept them back now. DR..
Mandel. a friend of mine. came up with
an ambulance. left you in his care
and went in search Of my uncle and
his daughter I found the girl in an
unconscious condition in the hallway"
Levinski put his handkerchief to his
face, but his voice betrayed that there
were tears IN his eyes.
You can imagine my feelings when
] looked at my cousin thus violated.
Through the assistance of DR.. Mandel
she gained consciousness and began to
cry for her father. This reminded me
of my uncle, and we went to search for
him. We looked through the house,
but he vas not there. The furniture
was demolished and his Dooks-for he
had a valuable library-weFe stolen
and some We're torn leaf from leaf.
Finally ne found him lying in the back
yard with fractured Skull He had
died long before we had arrived.
Il could see that the girls condition
was critical. When she gained con-
sciOusness she told how her father
had met his fate. Learning that the
mob was plundering downstairs, they
locked themselves in a dark room on
the second floor, hoping 10 save their
lives. But after the mob had finished
their diabolicaI work downstairs they
broke into the rooms upstairs and at
tackled the door of the room where they
were hidden. 1t was forced open and
the girl assaulted. She and her father
were armed with knives, but what
could weak creatures like them do?'
Levinski paused here and openly
broke into tears.
The ravagers succeeded in wrestling
the poor~child from her fathers arms,
and violated her while she was wrest-
ling with the rioters who held him
back. Then they flung him through
the window, and the girl succeeded in
rushing downstairs. But they caught
her in the hallway and attacked her
again"
A vague recollection of the situation
in which ! found the girl was now
coming back to me.
How is the grip I asked after a
short pause.
she sta bbed herself in the abdomen
while being ravished, and she died from
the wound the next day." LevinslIi
said and sobbed again.
After the riot broke out in Yeliswet-
grad. if you remember that, rumor
was circulated that a similar outbreak
was going TO take place here on May
3. We sent a delegation to the Mayor
and asked him 10 station soldiers in
the most thickly populated Jewish
streets. but he bluntly replied: I would
not trouble the soldiers for pack of
Jews However. the riot did not oc-
cur on the day expected, but on the
next Sunday.
Il was a dreamer We were all
dreamers who thought we had be-
come citizens of Russia. Yes. We are
only stepchildren in every country,
after all, and we very seldom find a
kind-hearted stepmother to take care
of US. Always sneered at, scolded.
cursed. prosecuted, beaten, whether we
commit a fault or achieve the heroic.
To please the Christian nations we
ought to. as Fichte says, cut off our
Jewish heads and put on Christian
ones; and ] scarcely believe even that
would be sufficient.
t'Yes, I was dreaming But the
stones hurled at the windows of the
Jewish quarter, the burning roofs over
the heads of my brethren. the cry of
agony of the wretchedk dwellers OF
Libedski-these awaken me. The
dream is over"
He spoke furiously; his eyes flashed
through their tears.
Yes, / awoke. Russia is my father
Land no longer. / can't stay in this
country. ! expect to leave Europe and
all Christian nations forever. The ma
tions that teach love in the name of
the crucifed Jew do not practice it.
They never practice it. The Crusaders,
the auto-da-fe, the Russian knout, the
German press-they are all pursuing
the same end in the name of Christian
brotherhood. I shall fee to my Uncle
Ishmael and seek protection under
him. He does not preach much, and
this leaves him more time to practice. "
Il do not understand you,'' / inter-
rupted him. DO you intend to go to
Turkey"
You have been i'll for the last few
months so you do not know what is
going on among US now. There is a
movement among the Jews to go back
and colonize Palestine. A great num-
Der of Jewish students of Kieff and
Kharkon have abandoned their studies
and will sail in a few weeks for Pales-
tine. I subscribed to this league. too.
Enough OF this European civilization!
Back to our ancient fatherland, where
our prophets saw celestial visions and
preached peace; where David poured
forth his heavenly psalms: where the
earth was once saturated with the
blood of the Maccabeaus. where the