New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-01
SYRIAN FACTIONS KILL.
BISHOPS BROTHER DEAD.
I'1co Badly WOunded an Fight Ouer
Religion.

syrian was shot dead and two badly
wounded in Syrian restaurant, at No. 81
Wasnington-st, last night. in a dispute growing
out of the prolonged strife between the Greek
Catholics of the Brooklyn Syrian community
and the Maronites of the Manhattan colony in
Washington-st. The man killed was John
stefan. a brother of tie Maronite Bishop who
mas jurisdiction the local Syrians who adj
here TO the Roman Catholic Church The Brook
lyn faction belongs to the Orthodox Greek
Catholic Church, and is under Bishop Hawa-
weeny
II was learned after the shooting affair thet
the Syrian Catholics of the Maronite rite will
local courts and the police authorities the root
of the trouble. Bishop Stefan is now In Pitts
burg. but Will return TO lay the whole
before the Archbishop. as he is a missionary and
In a way under the Archbishops jurisdiction.
The faction in Westinghouse. believes that all
the trouble between the two colonies could be
ended if the dispute carefully sifted that
the authorities could use more discretion In
arrests and prosecutions.
HAwAWEENY MEN ACCUSED.
Raphael Sholisch. OF No. 26 Rector-st., was
one of the two men wounded last night. He
was shot in the back, but out of the res
taurant, and is now at his home I'm a serious
condition Elias Zyrack is in the HUDSON Street
Hospital with bullet in his chest He
shot accidentally by his cousin. George zyrack.
Both Zyracks charged with the murder of
Stefan and the shooting of Sholisch. Both
followers OF Bishop Hawaweeny.
From what could be learned in the colony last
night. the Zyrack cousins and a third
started on the warpath from Brooklyn. and n.
A. Morkazel, the Editor of "Al-Hoda," the organ
of the Manhattan colony following the Maronite
rite, was singled out for attack. The three went
TO the office of this publication. at No. 81 West
ST. Morkazers younger brother there.
I'VE don't want you; we're after your
brother" one of the men is alleged to have said.
They turned about to leave the place when one
of them spied the Editor peeking through glass
door. Several shots were fired and the three
rushed out of the place.
Patrclman O'Sullivan. who knows the ins and
outs of the Syrian controversy. saw the cousins
walking rapidly and suspected trouble. He
knew they from Brooklyn He followed
them till all three went into the restaurant at
No 81 Westinghouse, and says that almost in
stantly there another fusillade. The Zyrack
cousins. the police later found, had emptied
every chamber in their revolvers.
THE MURDER OF STEFAN
Stefan sitting at a table eating with
seven other Syrians. Their revolvers were lev
elled him and he fell dead. Sholisch was
sitting opposite Stefan and struck by
stray bullet. He out of the house 20 his
home. In the heat of the shooting George
Zyrack shot his cousin accidentally it is thought,
In the chest 1t is supposed he pushing his
way through the narrow door, holding the re-
vOiver ahead OF him. Elias was we'll inside the
room and may have turned to leave ii when the
bullet from his cousins weapon felled him.
George zyrack and four others were arrested
on the spot and later three more were taken as
witnesses. They were all sent TO the Leonard
st. station. A detail of twenty policemen
sent down to the colony after the shooting and
patrOlled the place all night.
The last outbreak in the Syrian colony
Cured on the night of October %, when q riot
call was sent in. Several of both factions were
slashed with knives Revolvers were used, but
nobody was shot. About a dozen arrests were
made then. Bishop Hawaweeny was recently
discharged in the Brooklyn courts on a charge of
exciting his followers TO riot
In an ante-mortem statement made to Coro-
ner Shrady late last night ShOllsch declared
that he was shot by N A. Mokarzel at West
TO Jersey City with his nephew when he
shot in the back. So many conflicting stories
were told 70 the police that they place no
credence in the dying mans statement and say
they believe he wished to keep back the facts
OF the shooting. The police still believe he was
shot In the restaurant fight.
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