Intermountain Jewish news., 1925-11-19
SECURITY Of JEWS
IN POLAND STAkED
ON STEICER TRIAL
States New Witness Claims
to Have Seen Steiger
Throw Bomb

W hldNC DVVi btCiSCi
Throw Bomb
EUROPE WATCHING I<TENTIY
Warsaw Since the Dreyfus AFFAIR
and the Bells Trial. no cnse has held
public attention 10 such n degree aud
created SO much excitement and tension
as the Steiger trial. The Jewish news
papers point out that in ease Stciger
Is sentenced. the Jewish community Of
Poland will he affected ns was the
French Jcwry by the Drcyfus case The
antl-Semitic press from the very start
made the Steiger affair n ease against
the Jewish people OF Poland. attempting
TO prove that Steiger's alleged act was
AN expression Of disloyaty TO the
Polish Republic on the part Of Polish
Jewry. The fact that the state went
so far ns to arrest number of Jewish
communal leaders in Lemberg in con-
nection with this trial indicates. accord
ing to the Jewish press. that even the
representatives of the state have been
influenced by similar motives. and, al-
though these men We're proved innocent.
the anti-Semitic papers continue To ex-
plot the Stciger affair in their anti
Semitic propa aganda 1t is feared that
the Steiger affair will strengthen the
anti-Semitic agitation in Poland and
lead 70 irsw attacks against the Jews.
I.cmberg Liberal public opinion in
Poland has been greatly alarmed as a
Stanislaw Steiger, the Jewish student
accused of having thrown the bomb at
the president of the Polish Republic
during his visit to I.embcrg September
!, 1924.
After n number OF witnesses had
testified to Steger's innocence, a seri-
on the witness. stand of Miss Victoria
Loedel Polish girl brought frem
Vienna for the purpose Of testifying in
the Stcicer trial.
Miss Loedcl declared at The beginning
of her TESTIMONY that she came all the
way from Vienna TO Lemberg in order
TO fulfill her duty as a Pole and TO
prevent the injustice of Steiger's ac-
quittal"
Miss Loedel stated that she had noti-
fed the Polish Consulate General in
Vienna that she witnessed the attempt
10 assassinate the Polish president
Miss Loedel declared that she and Miss
Pasternak grabbed Steiger's arm after
he threw the bomb.
The testimony of Miss Locdel made Il
great impression on the court. and held
the attention of the accusation and the
counsel for defense during the entire
day Following a motion by the coun-
sci for defense the court decided to
proceed to the place where the bomb
was thrown. in order to cross-eyamne
the witness on the spot of the attempted
assassination.
The entire scene of the attempt on
the life of the Polish president was
renacted in Marjacki Square. Miss
Loedel pointed out the place where she
stood and also where Steiger stood,
Miss Loedel's description contradicted
the testimony of Miss PaSternack. The
nf NItSr \ nn1aI and AtisS
Pasternak is the basc- upon which the
charges of the accusation rest.
During the cross examination of Miss
Locdel. the counsel for defense brought
out the fact that the witness did not
notify the Polish Consulate General in
Vienna of her knowledge regarding the
Steiger case until April 1925. eight
months after The occurrence. The cross
examination also brought out the fact
that the witness was n habitual reader
of anti-Semitic newspapers. especially
the Wiener RelchSpost." which print
exciting reports, taking Steiger's guilt
for granted. In an attempt TO prejudice
liiih 'IliilIbli- i'i
also pointed out that the witness was
reared in Catholic convent and that
her trip from Vienna. to Lemberg TO be
a witness against Steiger. whose guilt
she deemed 1t her duty 10 prove was
made against the advice of her brother
The fact that Judge Rutka, who is ii
charge Of the investigation, asked fol
leave of absence following testimony b,
Sawiclll. the chief of the Polish polltica
police in Lemberg compromising Judgt
Rutlia. as well as the friction over tht
Steiger affair which exists between th'
Lemberg police authorities and th'
central authorities of Warsaw, creates
the impression that sinister forces
with the same nnti-Semitic motives AZ
in the BELLS case, have been at worl
to frame" Steiger.