Distress is rampant in the Warsaw underworld these days because a fromer inhabitant, Isaac Faberovitch, know as “Urke Nachalnik,” has gone straingth and is exposing the life of the underworld in a series of literary creations.
The underworld has been undera cloud ever since the last time Urke was released from prison and began writing his boods. His former cronies are particularly incensed because Urke gave up his previous profession, and their ire cuminated in an act of revenge which they recently perpetrated, although indirectly, upon him.
One of Urke’s plays, “The Law Suit” is now running at the Scala Yid#ish Theatre here. Last one night a group of unknown persons made their way into the theatre and made off with the costumes of a number of actors, particularly of those taking leading parts. The thieves were certain that the play could not go on without costumes.
NEGOTIATE WITH THIEVES
When a robbery is committed in Warsaw, one of two means of negotiating with the thieves is usually employed. In some instances personai notices much like those which appear in American newspapers in kidnapping cases are {SPAN}in#ted{/SPAN} in the newspaper. In these notices the “Messrs. Thieves.” are urged to communicate with the owners of the stolen goods, who offer them various conditions for the return of the objects. In other instarces the thieves are the ones the make the first move, using the telephone to make their demands to those they have robbed. In this case, the thieves made the first overtures.
On the morning following the stealing of the wardrobe, a representative of the thieves telephoned the director of the Scala and apologized for any trouble they might have caused him. “We would never have robbed a theatre, much less a Yiddish theatre,” the voice of the telephone said, “but sinec you gave us troubel, we are returning some.”
The director progosed paying the thieves a sum of money for the return of the stolen costumes, but his offer was refused. His friends didn’t need the money, the emissary of the underworld declared. The costumes would be returned only if and just as soon as the play was taken off the boards.
The director, in his turn, spurned this offer and contiued to give the productions, presumably with new costumes. The damage amounted to about ten thousand zloty.
Some of Urke Nachalnik’s disclosures, all of which are written in Yiddish, ran serially in a local newspaper.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
