Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1907-05-30
Body Of an Armenian Priest Left
with Landlady for Room
Rent
HAD BEEN DEAD FOR DAYS
Two Greeks are supposed q Have
Done the Deed For the Little
Money the Aged Man Had
Collected.


Kaspar Of the Armenian Apostolic
church Of Hoboken, N. ]. was muir
dered in this city some time last
week. The body was found Sunday in
q trunk wrich had been left for se-
curity for their room rent by two
Greeks who rented q room Of Mrs.
Henry Sherer who occupies the third
floor Of q tenement at 1893 West S7th
street.
After removal to the morgue the
body was identified as that Of the
priest. He had lived at sos Monastery
street, West Hoboken, and frequently
made trips to iris city soliciting funds
for his church.
Father Kasper carrying a small
leather bag in which his collections
were placed came to be- familiar
figure in Greek and Armenian circles
here and It Is believed that he was
murdered for the money he carried.
The autopsy revealed that the
priest had probably been drugged and
placed while still alive in the trunk,
there to be suffocated to death. The
neck and one arm had been broken,
but apparently trese injuries had not
been the cause of death. Thrown up.
on the body and as II to fill the trunk
to the point of suffocation was the
priests clothing.
The coroner's physician said that
the man had probably been dead six
or seven days. The contents Of the
stomach will be examined to deter
mine whether some drug was used.
The police have sent out general
alarm for Sarkis Ermoylan, Sarkis
Barmorvion and Paul Sarisatan.
Simon Pashakarian, Of 500 Tenth
avenue, Sunday night identified the
trunk as belonging to Sarh Ermolan,
an Armenian, wro, he said, roomed
with him for four months, and up to
last Monday night, when he gait the
house.
Pashakarian told the police Ermoy-
Ian, previous to his coming to this
city, had worked in a restaurant In
West Pullman, Chicago,
The police theory is that the
priest was murdered In the Tenth
avenue house. They believe that the
priest was lured to this room there
drugged, robbed and murdered and the
trunk later sent to the West S7th
street address. According TO one man
who saw the body, kaspar went 70
Hoboken from providence, II. !. ne
had been in the habit of taking his
meals at a Greek restaurant In West
With street. The bad IN wrich ne
carried his collections was founo
with his clothing.
The identification Of the body was
made by John Karanfilian, a trustee
81 the Armenian church In hoDoKen.
He declared that he could not be mis-
taken.
Tnree weeks ago Mrs. annie Sner'
r. rented one OF her six rooms IN Q
at 1888 West S7th street to
.wo unknown men. When last
Wednesday the rent was not forth
coming her dodgers, two Greeks told
her that she was amply secured by
heir we'll filled trunk. The following
morning the men disappeared and
Sunday the trunk was broken open.
70 the horror Of Mrs. Sherer II was
'ound to contain the badly decompos-
"a body Of man believed to have
been q uriest Of the Greek church
20 b5uy Was IN Kneeiing posture
With the head bound against the
Znees by q heavy strap that passed
,ver the back Of the neck and was
,uckled under the shins. The muir
Tered man must have been about go
raars Of age. He weighed probably
leo pounds and was about five feet
bur inches IN height A flowing
board IL inches long was streaked
With gray but the long and bushy
lair was black. An undershirt Of bal
,riggan and a cuff on the right wrist
we're all the body wore but on top Of
I had been thrown three coats OF
,lerical cut.