Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-08-01
|ND|CT PRIEST
ONROBBERY
CHARGE
-, n.
ARMENIAN CLERGYMAN
ALLEGED BLACKMAIL Err
Police Believe Reverend Pris-
Oner Leader in Widespread
Conspiracy to Extort Money
From Rich Foreigners.

tBy Morning journal Special Leased WIre.I
New York, July 31.-Four indict-
ments now lie against Father Levont
Martogessian, the Armenian priest
who, II Is alleged. sometimes laid aside
his priestly robes to practice extortion
and blackmail. The priest is lust now
the central figure In the conspiracy
which the district attorney seeks to
prove had for its object the robbery
of wealthy Armenians and led to the
murder of the rug merchant, Tav-
shanjlan, and others who refused to
be financially bled,
From the slayer of Tavshanjian. Be-
dros Hampartzoomain. as he is known
here. the police hope to secure a con-
fession establishing that the youth
was unwittingly the agent of black
mailing terrorists, A trunk which
Hampartzoomain had in Lowell, Mass.
has been brought here. and its con-
tents may throw some light on the
investigation. Once the assassin Is
convinced that he was more OF tool
than patriot, the police expect him
TO make disclosures that will make
easy the wiping out of dangerous
gang.
OF the three additional indictments
against Martogessian brought In by
the grand jury today, two charge at
tempted robbery, as did the original
indictments, and one alleges extortion.
The latter charges that the priest was
responsible for at least one of the
blackmaling letters, which quickly
followed the death of the rug mer-
chant The latter was mailed in New
YORK on the afternoon of July %, the
day that Tavshanjan was shot. Ii was
written in red ink in the Armenian
language, and was signed by the SYM
Dol of the terrorists. three hands with
the dagger uplifted, poised above a
red heart The letter follows
Death warrant: The executives OF
the Constantinople Armenian revoiu-
tionary terrorists' organization con-
demn TO death Haroutln Goudenkiar.
Gulabi Gouldenkian and Patrick
Gouldenkian, the three brothers who
have turned deaf ears to all appeals
for national freedom. our executive
board having given It's decision to
Haroutin and Gouldenkian in Amer.
lea, gives them twenty-four hours to
decide between their duty and death.
"Constantinople Armenian Revolu.
tlonary Terrorists' Organization.
The letter Is dated "Constantinople.
June p, 1901" Following the letter
is postscript, also in red ink, which
reads as follows:
Although neither prison nor hang
Ing can prevent us from fulfilling our
duty TO the end, IL is necessary that
you to know, II you betray this letter
or cause harm to one hair on the
heads OF us--against that. consider
your whole family wiped out.
Before this letter came Haroutin.
who Is the accusing witness against
the priest, had received a blackmaii-
ing letter demanding $4,000, but
had not compiled with the demand.
The sense of the indictment Is that
the priest either sent the quoted letter
or caused It to be sent.
Also 1t is alleged that In September.
1905, the priest threatened TO kill or
cause to be killed Bedros Nazanilan.
a merchant OF 20 Union Square. un-
less the latter gave up s15O,000 TO the
Armenian revolutlonists.
Further II is charged that Father
Martogessian represented to Miriam q
Garagenzlan, an Armenian, that he
would meet death unless he gave
100000 to the Armenian revolution
airy fund.
Garagenzlan, II IL said. received this
communication in the form Of letter
on August. 1905. The letter added:
'The list Is not finally closed yet.
There may be several others. and you
may be the next"
The late afternoon developed an Inn
portant witness when Magderich Lus-
terian. blacksmith was examined by
Assistant District Attorney Manley
According TO Information later Civ
en- out at the district attorneys Of
flee the witness said he had often at
tended meetings Of the Hnnohaklst
society, at which MartoEesSian presid-
ed. Continuing. he Is alleged 10 have
stated that he knew of five different
cases where men had been sent from
this country TO Europe al the lnstiga-
tion Of a man to murder persons. on
two occasions Lustrian said he had
been chosen to do murder. but man
aged In various ways to shift the re-
sponsiblllty
Some time ago he was told that he
would have TO kill an Armenian be-
cause he was Turkish SPY. The
blacksmith made further startling ad-
and furnished corroborative
evidence Of great Importance against
the prisoner, who Is declared by other
Armenlans TO have been the moving
spirit In the blackmaillng band.