The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-30
is AN OUTRAGE.
John Constantine Robbed Last
Night Of 81, 800 In Gold.
Smoky Row Bandits and Gar
rOters Did It.
$4OO OF 1T RECOVERED.
Constantine Is an Armenian
Minister Visiting Here.
Smoky Row Now Infested By
a MurderOus Gang.

The boldest highway robbery which
has occurred in Topeka was perpe-
trated last night in Smoky Row in
which John Constantine, an Armenian
Christian minister, was robbed of ST.
500 while on his way to his boarding
place.
Two colored men and a colored wo-
man held him up and took from his
pockets two sacks containing gold coin
to the amount of 81 800 The affair
was reported to the police and they are
working on the case. This morning
the Armenian found one of the sacks
of gold which contained $40O where he
had been robbed last night. The rob
berry occurred at o'clock
John Constantine is a Christian min
lister of Armenia, and is "A years old
He is native Armenian, and his home
is in the province of Kurdistan, at the
village of Giloa. He has been sent by
his church to collect money for the aid
of the suffering Armenians.
He has been through India, China
and Japan. securing funds, and a short
time ago he landed in California, and
since that time has been working east
ward. A few days ago he sent 5000
back to his native Armenia to help his
suffering cOUntrymen.
Tuesday he arrived in Topeka and
Immediately went to the home of the
Rev. G. F. Grabner, pastor of the Ger
man Lutheran church of this city Mr.
Grabner took his visitor to the Renker
boarding house at the corner of Crane
and Quincy streets where quarters
were secured. Mr.. Grabner knew the
people there, and as German was spo-
ken there, he thought Mr.. Constantine
could easily be understood.
Yesterday noon he dined with Mr.
Grabner and in the afternoon visited
some local ministers. After supper he
came up town and attended to some err
rands, starting toward his boarding
place at about o'clock. He walked
north on Jackson street and when at
the corner of First street Just west of
the Rock Island depot, he noticed two
cOIOred men coming toward him. One
of them asked him what time the Rock
Island train came along. Mr.. Constan-
tine said that he did not know, and
that he could speak English but poor
ly. They asked him where ne was go
ing, and he said that he was Chris
tian minister and was going to his
boarding place.
I am a Christian, too, and will go
along with yOu,' said one of the color
ed men. This is the shortest way
saying which the two men led the I'M
Suspecting Armenian down into a dark
place behing the eParkhurst- Davis build
ing. When in the shadow of the build
ing they grabbed Mr.. Constantine and
went through his pockets. He tried to
make resistance. A cOlOred woman
ran to the assistance of the men and
snatched from his hip pockets two
sacks of money. Each sack contained
gold coin. In one of them was $780,
While in the other one was ST. 100, says
Mr.. Constantine.
In his struggle to release himself
one of the desperadoes bit Mr.. Constan-
tine on the hand. Finally he broke
away from the men and the
woman, and ran to the police station.
He arrived there much out of breath,
and very nervous. An investigation
was begun.
This morning Mr.. Constantine went
to the alley where he had been robbed
and after hunting about carefully he
found the sack of gold containing the
S400. The cOlOred people had probably
dropped it, and in their hurry to es-
cape had left it, fleeing with the large
sack which is said to have contained
81 100
A robbery of some kind occurs nearly
every night in Smoky Row, there be-
ing a gang of colored toughs there both
men and women who hold UP people
and rob them. Many robberies are re-
ported to the police This whole gang
should be put under arrest by the po-
lice.
If absolute crime cannot be traced to
them, they should at least be frighten-
ed out of town. number of them
have come here lately from other pla-
ces, as Nevels the murderer did.
In nine cases out of ten the robbers
are never caught because of the diff
Guilty of proving anything.
Mr.. Constantine while on the street
this morning saw a colored man and
woman ride past him in a
buggy, and as soon as they saw him
they whipped up and drove away rap
idly. He thinks he could identify the
colored toughs who robbed him last
night, and the police are working on
some promising clues The depots are
being watched, and if any gold coin is
being passed by colored people there
will be arrests. The police think they
know who did it, and it is probable that
the guilty parties will be brought to
justice. Smoky Row is now infested
with the toughest gang of people that
ever lived in Topeka.