The latter circumstance led the coroners to believe that the crime had been perpetrated by Jews.

Saratov, a city situated outside the Pale of Settlement, harbored at that time a small Jewish settlement consisting of some forty soldiers of the local garrison and several civilian Jewish tradesmen and artisans who lived in the prohibited Volga town by the grace of the police.

There were also a few converts.
The vigilant eyes of the coroners were riveted on this settlement.

An official by the name of Durnovo, who had been dispatched from St.
Petersburg to take charge of the case, began at once to direct the inquiry into the channel of a ritual murder case.

Needless to say there were soon found material witnesses from among the ignorant or criminal class who were under the hypnotic influence of the ritual murder myth.