"Fire away," he said, "if you like. I came here in the name of justice and humanity to plead the cause of innocent sufferers." They stared at him first for a few minutes. Then the shouting and tumult increased, but still he did not move.
Ultimately the crowd, threatening and shouting, dispersed. In the evening Mr Halfon, the banker, called. With tears in his eyes, he cried, "We shall all be massacred."
Monsieur A. Halfon, the President of the Comité de l'Alliance Israélite de Bucharest had strongly advised Sir Moses not to come to Moldavia at all, as by doing so he might hurt the feelings of the Prince, the Government, and the Roumanian population. Sir Moses, however, having before him the appeal of the Hebrew communities in Moldavia, who strongly and repeatedly supplicated him to plead their cause before the Prince personally, did not consider himself justified in following the advice of Mons. Halfon, especially as Mr Green had made a statement to the effect that it was the opinion of some persons in Bucharest "that the wealthy class among the Hebrew community, having no cause whatever to complain, would not like to join the middle and poorer classes, who publicly complain of the grievances they have to endure."
At the foot of the page I give an exact copy of Monsieur A. Halfon's letter.[7]
The tears of the banker, and the threatened massacre of the Jews, did not affect in any way the indomitable courage of Sir Moses. "Are you afraid?" said he to M. Halfon; "I have no fear whatever, and will at once order an open carriage, take a drive through the principal streets and thoroughfares, go even outside the town, and drive near some public garden. Every one shall see me; it is a holy cause; that of justice and humanity. I trust in God; He will protect me."
One of the attendants entering the room, Sir Moses gave the order for an open carriage, with two lights in front, so that his person might be seen by everybody. Within ten minutes' time the carriage was ready at the door. I had the honour of being invited to take a drive with him and sit by his side. Monsieur Halfon, dreading the consequence of what he deemed so rash an act, returned to his house. The people in the hotel, as well as all those who had been watching the house from day to day, as if they expected some extraordinary event to occur, placed themselves along the street in two rows, right and left. Hundreds of new-comers did the same; but we continued our drive without taking any particular notice of them. We had been driving for nearly two hours, and all went on peaceably enough; but there was one carriage, as we drove along outside the town, which appeared purposely to follow us in every turn we made. Not feeling quite so calm and easy as Sir Moses, I suggested we should halt and inquire the object of the gentleman in the rear carriage following us. Sir Moses consented to our doing so. We were a good distance from the town, on the public road. No lamps were to be seen except the two in front of our carriage. It was rather an exciting moment. Upon asking that gentleman, in the Roumanian language, whether there was any particular reason for his following so closely to our carriage, he jumped out quickly, and, with an air of determination, proceeded towards Sir Moses, which made me feel even more uncomfortable than before, apprehending as I did the sight of a revolver or a dagger. But happily, to my great relief, he commenced addressing Sir Moses, not in Roumanian, but in German.
His object in following Sir Moses, he said, was to find an opportunity, in a convenient, secluded place, to request him to intercede in his behalf with his Serene Highness Prince Charles, that he would grant him the continuance of the privilege to light the town with oil-lamps!
It was late when we returned to the hotel, where we found a woman of ladylike appearance and manner of address waiting to see Sir Moses. She would not give her name for political reasons, and was very pressing in her request to have an interview with Sir Moses on a political subject. A military officer also came to have some private conversation with him, likewise on a political subject. He was unknown to the persons in the hotel, nor could his name be ascertained. Sir Moses would not see either of them, and it was with great difficulty they could be persuaded to leave the hotel.
Friday, August 30th.—"I am," Sir Moses says, "most anxious, weak, out of health, and vexed to the heart. No one can imagine the extreme pain of my situation. Political factions strive to create confusion by my presence in this place."