The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1907-05-27
BODY TAKEN
FROM A TRUNK
Armenian Priest Killed
in New York.
MURDERED FOR HIS MONEY
Greeks Left Baggage in Lodging
The Police Believe the Gruesome Find
of Mrs. seherer Was shipped to
Manhattan from
MURDERED FOR HIS MONEY

New York. May 26.--Rev. Father
Kasper, of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, of Hoboken. N. j.. was MUIR
dered in this city some time last week.
The body was found today in a trunk
which had been left as security for
their rent by two Greeks who. three
weeks ago, engaged a furnished room
of Mrs. Henry Seherer. who occupies
the third floor of tenement at 1913
West 9th Street.
Three weeks ago Mrs. Min
ME Seherer rented one of her
six rooms in a tenement at 33a
West Thirty seventh, Street. to two
unknown men. When last Wednesday
the rent was not forthcoming, her
dodgers. two Greeks. told her that she
was amply secured by their we'll filled
trunks.
The following morning the men dis
appeared, and today the trunk was
broken open. To the horror of Mrs.
Seherer, 1t was found to contain the
badly decomposed body of a man be-
lieved to have been a priest of the
Greek Church The body was in
hHCttIHB pOSlliOu WIN lllc hCdu DouIii
against the knees by a heavy strap
that passed over the back of the neck
and was buckled under the shins. The
murdered man must have been about
so years of age. flowing beard. IL
inches long, was streaked with gray,
but the long and bushy hair was
black. An undershirt of balbriggan
and a cuff on the right wrist were all
the body had one, but on top of 1t had
al nle rieal
cut, a white Numbered shirt, two pairs
OF black lace shoes, a feft felt hat,
two Roman collars and a detached cuff
The police think IL possible that the
body was shipped here by express from
Chicago, and the authorities of that
city have been asked TO follow ono
clew based on a meal ticket also found
In the trunk. This ticket was Issued
at restaurant at 1922 Halstead
Street, West Pullman, Chicago Be
cause of the condition of the body. the
manner of death was not Immediately
apparent
Two Arrests Made.
Following an autopsy at the morgue.
two men were arrested on suspicion.
Mrs. Seherer told the coroner that when
the men engaged the room In their
home, they described themselves as
John and Paul Sarkis. each about 35
years of age. The men had been Wis
tied, she said. by man wearing a
clerical garb. who looked not unlike
the murdered man. She thought that
this man called at s o'clock last We'd
nesday morning.
Late Wednesday afternoon an ex-
press wagon brought to the house
trunk which later was found to con-
tain the body.
That night Mrs. Seherer asked her
roomers for the rent due. They point
ed to the trunk and said il would be
found to contain ample securities for
what they owed. Later the men said
that the trunk delivered to them was
not theirs, and that a mistake had
been made. 1t remained in the house,
however. and was there the next morn
ing though the roomers had left before
Mrs. Seherer was up. She did not see
them again.
The next day unpleasant odors were
detected coming from the room the
strangers had occupied, and today Mrs.
Seherer applied to the police and the
trunk was opened.
The autopsy developed that the neck
had been broken as had one arm. Cor
oner's Physician Leblanc declared. how
ever, that death was due to sufroca-
ton. The Internal organs were con-
gested, and DR.. Leblanc gave 1t as his
opinion that the man was thrust into
the trunk while alive and the cover OF
trunk held down until death ensued.
The condition OF the organs was found
to be similar to those in cases of as
phyxiation.
Identified as Priest.
Removed to the morgue the body was
Identified as that of the priest. He
had lived at No. sos Monastery Street
West Hoboken, and frequently made
trips to this city, soliciting funds for
his church.
Father Kaspar. carrying small
leather bag in which his collections
were placed, came to he a 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 coro-
ner,s physician said that the man had
probably been dead six or seven days.
The contents of the stomach will be
examined to determine whether some
drug was used.
The police have sent out a general
alarm for Sarkis Ermolyian. Sarkis
Baromvian and Paul Sarisalan.
Simon Pasharian of SOC Tenth Ave-
nue.. tonight Identified the trunk as
belonging to Ermoylian. an Armenian.
who. he said roomed with him for four
months and up to last Monday night.
when he quit the house. He told the
police Ermoylian. previous TO his COM
ing to this city. had worked in res
taurant 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 Yves. Thirty seventh
Street address.
shipped from Chicago.
Chicago, May 26.--The Chicago po-
lice learned tonight that on February
of this year a trunk which is said
tO answpr the dissertation of that