Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-07-26
GOTHAM ARMENIANS
IN FEAR OF lives
OFFICIALS MAKING SECRET IN.
CURRY INTO METHODS OF
BLACKMAtLERS.
RICH FOREIGNERS
TERROR STRICKEN
Threaten to Hire Rival Murder Band
to Kill Secret Foes-Menacinq
Letters Sent to Wealthy Men Soon
After Recent Murder.

New York, July 26-Acting District
Attorney Smyth and an assistant are
doing their best to probe deeply into
the terroristic methods employed
against wealthy Armenians to force
them to contribute to the anti-Turkish
movement being worked up by GER
tain of their fellow countrymen.
That these revolutionist Armenians.
who, it appears, constitute the society
called Hunchakist, do not stop at
murder was proved by the shooting to
death on Monday of H. S. Tavshanjian,
the rich rug importer, In Union
square.
Messrs Smyth and Manley have had
several Armenians before them and
expect to examine others today. Every
witness so far questioned has
besought the district attorneys Of
his presence in that officials Office
secret, so great is the fear among Ar
menians of the Hunchakist. The in
quiry is, therefore, not a public one.
Plan Defensive Death Society.
The rich Armenians here are in
fed from the country. Conversant
with eastern methods of justice, they
do not understand why the district at
torney does not throw into prison a
number of Armenians whose names
they have given the authorities.
Copoo nf fbn man ara
even said to be considering a project
to raise a defense fund, hire a rival
society and eXterminate all the black
mailers and murdereTs. Others are
much less aggressive, and counsel
yielding to the blackmailers for the
time being, and trusting to the dis
trict attorneys Office to break up the
system.
The rug importers business makes
them an easier Lrey than they would
otherwise be, because it obliges them
to keep on friendly terms with the
Turkish government, and, as a result,
hostile to the Armenian revolution
lists.
Letters Menace Others.
It has been learned that SO bold
has the Hunchakist become that with
in about an hour after the murder Of
Tavshanjian threatening letters were
mailed to at least half a dozen
wealthy Armenians. One such letter,
it appears from the postmark, was
mailed in the district bounded by
Houston, Twentieth street, the East
river and Fourth avenue.
District Attorney Smyth is sure that
this letter was written by an accom-
plice of Bedros Hampartzoomian who
killed Tavshanjian.. The recipient of
the letter was A. Karaghensian, rug
importer, whose brothers have large
businesses in Constantinople and
Paris
All the letters announce the death
of Tavshanjian and threaten the 9th
ers with the same fate unless they
submit to the blackmail already de-
manded.
Attempt to sIackmaiI Three.
Providence, r. l., July 26.-It has
become known that three prominent
Armenians of this city have been ap
preached for money by the Huncha-
kist society. The organization is di-
vided into two factions, with total
membership of 100, and has been try
ing to get money from wealthy Ar
menAns.
John Bezazian, member of the firm
Of Bezazian Bros, wealthy rug mer-
chants, admits that he was called on
by members of the organization and
asked for money, but says that he re-
fused them.
Rev. Appear Vartannian, the only
Armenian clergyman in the city, was
another to whom the appeal was
made, but he, too, refused. The third
did likewise.