Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-19
Situation al Kiev, Russia,
Appears Less Tense.
Authorities Striving 10 Solve
Mystery Of Boys Death.
American Joint Committee Gives
Out Interesting Statement.

ST Petersburg May lS.-The seri-
Gus situation which has arisen from
the threatened ma ssacre of Jews Ut
Kiev. since the discovery Of the body
OF a boy under such circumstances
as 10 stir up the cry of a Ritual
murder has aroused the authorities
in their endeavors to solve The my 5
terv Of the boys death In the mean
time even the anti-Jewish newspapers
admit that the reports on which the
agitation is based FOR the most part
are not worthy of eredenee
In an interview today NJ. Sliosberg
a leading Jewish lawyer. exhaustive
ly reviewed the history of the cues
ton of ritualistic murder, contained
in the records of the courts of Rus
STA and abroad. He said that hardly
year passes without a revival Of
the old myth about the "Eastertir,e, =
relative to the temporary disappear
ance Of boy or a girl or relative to
some untraeed murder. The ignorant
among the population become excited
and their excitement lasts until the
case is cleared up.
In the majority of cases it was
shown thai no murder had been com
mitfed and III the remainder of the
eases the murder was traced 10 the
culpahle agents and il wGs proved
that Jews had no connection what
ever with these eases. Only two cases
Of alleged ritual murder in the past
40 years, said Mr.. Sliosberg, war
ranted an investigation by the
courts and in both cases the verdict
-. L.
Jewish faith who had been placed I'M
der arrest. NJ sliosberg said that
in the present case, the killing Of the
boy Yushohinsky no information was
available. The investigation he de-
elared had yielded no results or the
results We're not ready for publication
All that could be said, he continued
was that no jew had yet been ar
rested or was implicated in this affair
New York, May 1S.--The American
Jewish committee when asked today by
The Associated Press for its views re-
spectine the recent dispatches from
Kiev authorized the following state
ment:
Tho committee is satisfied that only
a wide publicity can avert recur-
renee ef the horrible massacres insti-
gated by the Russian government,
which took place in 1909 and 1906 and
especially at Kieshinelf. Odessa and
Bialystok. when thousands of Jews
We're foullv massacred and millions Of
property destroyed
3 a1'lfet nfonstrous and infamous stories
recently sent out by the Russian gov
eminent from st. Petersburg. KieV and
Moscow and published in American
newspapers respecting the alleged
murder Of boy at Tfiev are precisely
similar to the unfounded tales circu-
lated by the Russian government pre-
.vious to the Kieshinoff Odessa and
Bialystok programs.
Investigation shows that the stories
which nave been sent out to American
newspapers are founded upon baseless
calulnnies which. appeared several
weeks ago. in the well-known anti
Semitic and reactionary organs Rush
koye znanya, Koiokol, Semschtina
and especially in the foremost organ
Of the Reactionaries. the Novoe Vre-
nYa, as is well known is the mouth
piece of the Russian government in st.
Petersburg
The political situation in Russia at
the present time due to the recent re-
dictionary victory of the Gar and his
'prime minister Stolypin, is one of in
tense excitement. The Russian govern
ment has always resorted to mass2-
cres Of Jews whenever the political sit
sl1ation was one of great tenseness and
has repeatedly utilized this method to
provide an outlet for the pent-up feel
sings Of her excited populace. The gov
ernment, by the use of the soldiery,
the police and the administrative Off
Gals has always instigated and direct
ed the massacres at such times
Z There is a similar condition at the
present moment and unless the widest
publicity is given to the villanies which
the Russian government never hesi-
tates To perpetrate in order to serve
her own purpose the world is likely to
see repetition at any time of the in
describably horrible scenes. which are,
for tle present. held in abeyance by
tie Russian government"
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