Evening star., 1894-02-17
THE CASE OF DR.. NOURI
he Complains of Being Robbed and Shut
Up in an Asylum.
He IL Now I'm This City and His Case IL
Before the State Depart
ment.

The papers in the case of DIR. Zamern
Nourf have been transmitted to the Depart
ment Of State by the Turkish minister Dr.
Nouri alleges that his property was stolen
at San Francisco. that he was Illegally
committed to the insane asylum at Napa,
Cal, and that the case against those who
had caused his troubles had been dismissed
by the courts of California. after his tor
mentors had confessed that they had first
poisoned him, then robbed and at last had
him committed to the asylum
The man who has thus been abused Is
His Pontifical Eminence. the Most Venera-
Bile Prelate. Monseignor. the Zamorm
Nouri. John Joseph. Prince Of Ncuri, d. D.,
LID. (by Divine Providence). Chaldean n
Patriarchial Archdeacon of Babylon and
Jerusalem, Grand Apostolic Ambassador or
Ambassador of Malabar India and Persia
the discoverer OF Noah's Ark and theGolden
Mountains of the Moon, the Sacred Crown .
Supreme Representative Gencral OF the
Holy Orthodox Armenian Patriarchal I'm
periality.
These are the titles which the gentleman
in question bears and which are appended
to his photograph.
DIR. Nouri at present is the guest of Rev.
Dr; EasIon. pastor OF the Eastern P:esby
terian Church OF this city. A reporter fo-
The Star called on DIR. Nouri this afternoon,
and In joint interview with the two gen.
tlemen ELECTED the following statement:
steamer China and landed at San Francisco
June 23. 1892 He came. 1t was said by the
direction of missionaries in India and went
TO the house of DR.. Easton. who was then
a pastor of a church In that city.
He took rooms at the American Ex-
chanse Hotel His property consisted of
two trunks and a valise which were
hlied with valuable documents. creGen-
tials. manuscripts. vestments Jewels and
decorations and antiquities.
He Meets DR.. smith.
While at that hotel he fell into the
hands OF a man named DIR. George s.
Smith. This man took the doctor to his
nome at Seal Cove. San Mateo county
where the two remained for several
months.
On March IL last he bought ticket from
San Francisco for Chicago. there to attend
the parliament of religions. Then Smith
represented. II Is said. that 1t would be I'M
possible to cross the mountains at that sea-
son or the year: that all the trains which
mad started out had been snowb bound and
death. ~
lie induced Nouri to go with him tn his
rooms, which were at 1916 IL Missouri
street On the night of March IL. Nouri
says that he felt he was about to have en-
attack Of malarial fever and Smith who
potion. -
During the night Nouri was taken yio-
lently III. and Smith administered an emetlc
ana the next day. under the plea of taking
Nouri before body of medical men to
have his stomach examined to locate the
cause OF his trouble. carried him down to
me city hail. left him in an anteroom, had
consultation with Insanity Commission
erS Il. Windelle and j. Z. Lewenthal
Ihen, at word from Smith, a deputy
sheriff seized Nouri, carried him "in great
uissrace across the court and put him in
n To No,
mained there for three months and two
weeks. During this time he claims to have
oeen wretchedly treated by the asylum au-
thorities. Superintendent NJ A. Gardiner
ana his assistant Drisback Smith.
He was not allowed, he said, to communi-
cate with his friends in the outer world and
was forced to perform the most menial
work. One day as he was in the grounds
strange lady. Mrs. Whom was attracted
by his oriental costume. and spoke with
him. He told her his story. She carried a
letter from him to Mrs Cornelia E. Easton,
wife of Dr. Easton.
Finally Released.
The latter wrote to the authorities, and
after a good deal of correspondence, in
which the asylum people stated, 1t is said
that DR.. Nouri had never been a fit subject
for the place. he was let out on leave and
has not yet returned. When he reached San
Francisco he procured warrants for the ar
and their confederate. one j. H. LaHurrey,
on a charge of grand larceny.
At the preliminary hearing 1t is said
that they confessed to having administer
ed arsenic to DR.. Nouri. having worked
him off as an insane man. and ON the day
after his departure for Napa had broken
open his trunks, sold part of their contents
and destroyed others. The jewels with
which Nouri's medals were set were taken
out, sold and the medals sold for the metal
that was IN them.
During brief absence from San Fran
CISCO which Nouri took by the advice of his
physician. the cases against the men were
dismissed, as DIR. Nouri says mysterious
ly." The value of the goods stolen the loser
places at $4,000. He came to Washington
a short time ago to bring the matter before
the Turkish minister. who in turn has
brought the case to the attention of the
State Department.
DIR. Nouri is a typical oriental. with an
eXuberant flow of converse and terrific
fund of adjectives He was born in Bag
dad on February 1, 1865, graduated in Mes
opotamia in 1883 and solemnly ordained
at BajirmiapoliS in 1854. lie was conse-
Grated grand archdeacon in Babylon in
1885, and is said to have discovered the ark
and the golden mountains of the moon on
his eighth Armenian expedition. He has
made many trips around the globe. and
speaks English with great fluency and
rapidity.
EQUAL SUFFRAGE WON.