The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-07-03
Fear Russia
Has Killed
American
Woman Believes
Her Husband Was
Fascist Spy; She
Is Given Freedom

MIAMI. Fla. - Mrs. Ruth
Marie Rubens. recently re-
leased from a Russian prison.
said in a letter received by
her nine year = old daughter
here that her husband.
Adolph A. Rubens. won't he
with us any more.
Rubens was arrested at Moscow
In an espionage case in December
1887. Mrs. Rubens was seized
several days later, She saw her
husband in prison twice. but the
last visit was more than year
ago.
Mrs. Rubens said in an In
teryiew' last week at Moscow
after the letter was mailed
that she believed her hus-
hand was a fascist spy. that
she had no knowledge Of his
whereabouts and that she
feared he was dead.
The letter. sent TO Ruth Braman
Rubens, a child by former mar
rage, was the first direct COM
munication her family-dsughter,
mother and stepfather-had re-
eeived from her in Is months.
h.. ha srl
were seized in Moscow on espion-
age charges in December. 1887,
and little had been heard of them
since.
3 REMAIN SILENT
Out of the arrests came pass
port fraud trial in New York. |
Edward Blatt, lawyer, friend of |
Rubens; Ossip CARRIER, and Aaron
Sharfin. were sentenced to two t
years in prison each by federal /
court in New York City May .
last.
Blatt was charged with sending /
forged passports from the state
department to homes of his friends
and relatives. CARRIER with forg-
ing passport photographs. and
Sharfin with getting false pass
port applications approved.
The three men remained silent /
throughout the trial and sentene-
ing, in keeping with the deep mys-
terry which attached to the Rubens
case from its beginning.
MOTHER PLEADED
Mrs. Frederick Boerger, of
Miami, mother of Mrs. Rubens,
testified at the New York trial
that her daughter and Rubens
sailed hurriedly for Europe in
October. 1887, after receiving
secret midnight call at their apart
ment.
Mrs. Boerger said she pleaded
with her daughter and son-in-law
not to leave so precipitously. She
continued:
Marie told me that when
Arnold gets a call, he must go
Immediately"
Two sisters of Mrs Ruben said
the couple lived at five different
places in three years, that Rubens
kept a secret locked room at four
of them, and that he had paid $500
to a now defunct magazine for
permission to be known as Its
assistant editor.
MAN FIRST TO GO
II was disclosed in Moscow
dispatch of United Press Dec. y.
1887. that Arnold and Ruth Rubens
had disappeared suddenly. in most
mysterious circumstances, from
their rooms at the National hotel.
Rubens. or Robinson as he was
known to Americans in Moscow,
disappeared first. Several days
later his pretty blonde wife told
American correspondents ne had
left their quarters ostensibly TO
GO to a hospital to be treated for
fever. Mrs. Rubens appeared TO
have been weeping.
Next day Mrs. Rubens had dis
appeared.
RUSSIANS SERIOUS
The American embassy and the
state department at once took. up
the case. They met with the ut
most difficulty. II was apparent
only that the Russian government
took a grave view of the case.
One difficulty was that Rubens
could not be identified as an Amer
lean citizen, and it was the in
yestisation Of him that led to the
passport case in New York. l.
DECLINED U. 5. AID q
In February, 1888. two months
after the arrest Of the couple, 10y
w. Henderson. American charge
d,affsires at Moscow. received per
mission 10 see Mrs. Rubens, IN
company with Russian officials
It had taken months, and the
secret police had mad To give their
approval. The interview took place
in Butirka prison in the Mosco"
suburbs. 4
Little was learned Of the inter
view. The state department ds-
closed next day that she told
Henderson she had entered Russia I
on a forged passport as Ruth +
Norma Robinson that she re-
fused Henderson's offer of assist