Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-10-31
Sagatel Sagouni, President of Revo-
lutionary Society in London,
Murdered in Suburb.
CRIME APPEARS TO Be OF
POLITICAL CHARACTER
sition to Violence In His COuntry's
Cause-Slayer Makes Good His Es-
cape No Political significance
Seen In Murder at Boston.

London, Oct 28.-Sagatel Sagoun1,
president of the Armenian revolution
airy society in London, was murdered
in the suburb of Nunhead late Monday
evening. The crime has created a SEN
sation, as it has every appearance OF
being of political character, and has
been preceded by the assassinations OF
other officials Of branches of the same
society on the continent.
Sagouni, who only returned to Lon
don Monday after settling up the af-
fairs of an associate in Switzerland,
who was recently assassinated by stab
bling, was entering his residence when
a man rushed across the road and fired
four shots at Sagouni in quick sue
cession, the last bullet entering the
region of the heart. The murderer,
who appeared to be a foreigner, fed.
The only clews to the man in possess.
sion of the authorities are felt hat
and silver-plated revolver, both made
in New York, which he dropped in his
flight
Vengeance the Motive.
ing engineer, became wealthy in the
Caucasus and devoted his money to
the Armenian cause. His society was
entirely passive and opposed to vio-
lence, and it. is thought this attitude
inspired the advanced section of the
Armenians with the desire for VEN
geance, the latter claiming that Sa-
toJ tn
ity which would have been better ap-
piled to violent remedies for the Ar
menian grievances. Sagouni is said to
have moved to England from New
York early IN 1902.
1t is stated that Sagouni's life had
been threatened on account of his par
ticipation in the exposure, by the,
editor of a Boston newspaper, Young
Armenia, after the Misrepresentation
of funds by a faction Of the Armenian
revolutionists These men are alleged
to have collected $4,000 in America
in 1902, and to have put the money in
their own pockets, instead of pushing
the propaganda for the emancipation
of the Armenians, for which the
money was subscribed.
Sagouni had frequently spoken of
the determination of the advanced
| Armenian revolutionists to extermin-
ate the leaders of the passive party
and for that reason he always carried
a revolver and dagger in self-de-
Tense The murderer's shots were so
rapid that Sagouni was only able to
draw his revolver after the muir derer
had fired three times, and as he turned
to face his assailant Sagouni was shot
near the heart and fell.
Murder Attributed to Alfarists.
Sagouni's friends attribute the MUIR
der to the Alfarist section of the
| Hentchakist society. This section.
headed by man named Altar, was ex-
PEELED from the society after the split
in 1895, when, it is alleged, the Altar
lists were paid spies of the sultan Of
Turkey. There was some attempt in
1902 to patch up the differences be-
tween the sections Of the Hentchakist
society, but the majority concluded
that the Alfarists only wanted to get
control of the society's newspaper, tho
Hentchak, with the object of Suppress
ing it.
The feud became more acute and an
attack on the editor of the Boston edi-
ton of the Hentchak followed. A
former editor of the Hentchak, Nazar-
beck, was stabbed last week at
Lausanne, Switzerland, by an Alfarist.
1t is said here, however, that Nazar-
beck is not dead, though he was re-
ported earlier in the day to have been
killed.
The local Hentchakists say New
| York is the headquarters Of the Altar
lists.
A man arrested near Kings Cross
railroad station on suspicion of being
the murderer of sagouni has been re-
leased from custody.
No Political Significance.
| Boston, Oct. 28.-The murder Of
Sagatel Sagouni, president OF the Ar
menian revolutionary society, in Lon
don, is not regarded as being of great
political significance by Armenians in
this city, but rather as result of a
bitter feeling which exists between two
factions within the revolutionary party
itself. In support of this was cited
the recent attempt to assassinate an
Armenian editor, Peter Kuregian, in
this city by members of the revolution
airy party said to hold socialisiic views,
which Kuregian opposed. At the trial
of the case an officer of the party
testified that the members of the So
cialist wing had taken oath to remove
call distractions" in spreading their
| views ~..=