Intermountain Jewish news., 1925-10-15
BY MENDEL BELLS


The Court Room presented holiday
appearance. 1t was all over; nothing
remained hut the formulation Of the
end, the final touch. The Presiding
Judge asked me with solcmnity:
BELLS. what have you to say in your
defcncc?"
l rose weakly to my feet:
Gentlemen, l can but repeat that !
am innocent. l am too weary for any
thing else. The prison and the trial
have made me tired of words tan
only request that you scrutinizc all the
evidence to which you have been listen.
ing the thirtyfour days of this trial
Examine 1t carefully, and deliver your
verdict, so that ! mny return to my
| ing for me these two and half years"
The Presiding Judge began TO sum
up the case.
Gentlemen. 1t is my duty to say
nothing, good or bad. must be I'M
partial. But this trial has been an ex-
ccptional one. 1t has touched upon
matter which concerns the existence
Of the whole Russian people. There
are people who drink our blood You
must not take into consideration any
of the things that have happened here.
Neither the witnesses who wanted to
whitewash Bells, nor the experts who
stated that the Jews do not use Chris
| tian blood; nor the stories of Vera
Tchcbrlaks' guilt. You must dsre
of one thing alone: child a Christian
child has been murdered. Suspicion and
the accusation have fallen upon Bells
He is now before YOU ON the defend
ants bench. 1t is him you must try"
This, and much more, was said by
the Judge in which he call an impair
tial tone. His summing up amazed
not only me, but great many in the
court room. Everyone was astounded
to hear the Presiding Judge speak as
though he We're the Prosecuting Attor-
ncy. But he continued his summary
until sunset.
1t was about five in the afternoon
when the questions to I've put before the
jury were decided upon. First: AT
what place had the child been muir
dered?" And second: "Who murdered
the child?' At last the moment had
come. The peasants who composed the
| jury, in whose hands my fate rested,
rose from their box and retired TO de-
liberaic upon the questions. | was led
TO my room.
The last moments of terrible anxiety.
had been waiting for them for years,
and now they We're at hand My fate
WIS to be decided in few moments.
Was | doomed to eternal darkness ;
shame and grief, or would l come out
n new man, free, and with all of life
before me?
| was again brought into the cou.
room The jury was 10 give Its de-
cision, signed and sealed II was to he
rcad aloud a deadly silence fell over
the room. People almost stopped
breathing.
The Prosecuting Attorney, the law
yers for the prosecution, and nll the
Black Gang looked about them tri-
umphantly. They seemed assured of
victory. Only two of my lawyers,
Zarudnie and Gregorwitch- Barsky, re-
manned in he court room Gruzen-
berg Maklokov and Karabtchevsky
had left They were afraid Of IN ad-
verse Ycrdlct and they did not feel
strong enough to withstand the shock.
After the excrtions of the trial, they
felt unable to endure It.
The jury had not yet entered the
court room. All eyes were directed to-
ward the door through which the Great
Secret was to come At last the door
swung open and the jurymen slowly
filed in During the "a days of the
CONTINUED on page %