The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-09-28
SCHIFFRIN is HELD
FOR GRAND JURY
BYFRAMEUP CREW
Judge Changes Mind"
About Dismissal
of Militant
socialists Want Blood
Defense Body Rallies
Workers

Inc WneelS OF Ine CaplLdllSC
frame-up machine again moved
sprightly yesterday afternoon
when Magistrate Dodge in the
Bronx Homicide Court an
nounced his decision to send
William Schiffrin, left wing trade
unionist, to the grand jury for in
dictment on charges of homicide.
Socialist" leaders of the right
wing in the Jewish labor unions here
are not only participants in the
framing up of Schiffrin, but are
leading the pack that is trying to
fasten long sentence on militant
worker who defended his life against
ithe deadly attack of five knife
lwielders.
] With appalling brazenness, the
same magistrate who had declared
at the end of yesterdays hearing
that he was quite satisfied that the
testimony showed Schiffrin to have
defended himself against attack, to-
day rasped decision that the left
winger must face the grand jury
panel, where an indictment will be
sought for his fatal wounding of
Harry Silver, hireling of the right
wing Butchers Union who led the
gang of assailants.
To the stunned courtroom full of
people-press representatives, spec
tators, defendant and attendants
Judge Dodge sneered when the pro-
testing defense attorneys pointed to
his remarks yesterday: "Well, since
yesterday I've changed my, mind"
Defense Strengthened.
The decision to send Schiffrin to
the grand jury would not have been
$50 shocking to the hundreds of SYM
pathetic workers waiting outside,
and especially to those in the court
room, if the evidence brought out
today would in any way have weak
ened the case of the defendant. Quite
the contrary is the fact, however.
If yesterday established beyond all
doubt that Schiffrin acted heroical-
ly in self-defense, today's testimony
makes it all the more clear.
Rarely indeed does a district at
torney get up in court to declare to
the judge that he had cross-ques-
toned three members of the squad
that assailed Schiffrin, and that
they had completely reversed their
testimony of the day before, accord
ing to sympathetic attorneys. And
yet this happened in court yester-
day, only to be completely ignored
by the judge.
Judge Changed"
Uninstructed by those interested
In railroading to a miserable fate
all revolutionary workers. the judge
yesterday recognized that the So
cialist frame-up virtuosos could not
even get their own followers to tell
similar lies, and showed that he rec
ognized that, by practically declar-
I png that he would dismiss the charge
against Schiffrin. But today he was
a changed man. This was imme-
diately evident by his hostility to
the witnesses whose testimony was
favorable to Schiffrin. BY his en-
couraging attitude toward Samuel
Markewitch, right wing lawyer, who
vainly tried to shake the straight
forward answers of witnesses to his
firing cross-examinations.
Defense Witnesses Unshakable.
In the name of the United He
brew Trades, the Butchers Union
and the relatives of the deceased
squad leader Harry Silver, who were
his clients, Markewitch demanded
the right to cross-examine the wit
nesses, in spite of the fact that the
district attorney was prosecuting for
the state. He got permission, of
course. Protests of defending
counsel were unavailing.
Not single witness, who though
called by the prosecution gave ir-
Irefutable evidence for Schiffrin
)could Markewitch break down after
two court sessions of grueling. Not
only did he not break witnesses
down, not a single detail in fact was
he able to shake.
While on the other side, of the
case, whatever witnesses the prose-
cution could count as favorable to
themselves, contradicted themselves,
going so far as to make confessions
to the district attorney that they
had been lying yesterday. Every
one of the statements made by Schif-
frin were substantiated by changed
testimony of the right wingers.
"Your. honor" said Prosecutor
Kier to the Judge. II called in Katz-
-.r paizen and Suskowitz. To me