Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-08-01
|NO|CT PRIEST
ON ROBBERY
CHARGE
ARMENIAN CLERGYMAN
ALLEGED BLACKMAILE Err
Police Believe Reverend PriS-
Oner Leader in Widespread
Conspiracy to Extort Moaey
From Rich Foreigners,

GBy Morning Journal special Leased wire.I
New York. July 3l.-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 Just now
the central figure in the conspiracy
which the district attorney seeks to
prove had for it's object the robbery
Of wealthy Armenians and led to the
murder of the rug merchant. Tav-
shanjian, and others who refused to
be financially bled
From the slayer of Tavshanjlan. 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 terr0rists. trunk which
Hampartzoomaiu had In Lowell, Mass,
has been brought here. and its con-
tents may throw some light on the
investigation. once the assassin IL
convinced that he was more Of tool
than patriot. the police expect him
to make disclosures that will make
easy the wiping out OF a dangerous
gang.
OF the three additional indictments
The grand jury today. two charge at
tempted robbery as did the original
indictments, and one alleges extortiou.
The latter charges that the priest WAS
responsible for at least one Of the
blackmailing letters, which quickly
followed the death OF the rug mer-
chant. The latter was mailed i'm New
York ON the afternoon Of July %, the
day that Tavshanjian was shot. 1t was
written in red ink In the Armenia n
language, and was signed by the sym
bol OF the terrorists, three hands with
the dagger uplifted, poised above a
red heart. The letter follows;
Death warrant: The executives OF
the Constantlnople Armenian revolu-
| tionary terrorists' organization con
I denim to death Haroutin caulaenklaa
4 Gulab Gouldenkan and Patrick
! Gouldenklan, the three brothers whI
1 have turned deaf ears TO all appeal,
I for national freedom. our executive
| board having given It's decision ia
Haroutin and Gouldepkian IN Amer
lea, gives them twenty-four hours "a
decide between their duty and death
'Cunstantinople Armenian Revoln-
tionary Terrurists organization"
The letter is dated "Constantinople.
June "a. 1907" Following the letter
Is postscript also in red ink, which
reads as follows.
although neither prison nor hang
lag can prevent us from fulfilling our
duty to the end. Il Is necessary that
YOU 10 know, IL 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 blackmail-
ing letter demanding s25,000. but
had not complied with the demand.
The sense of the indictment Is that
the priest either sent the quoted letter
or caused II to be sent.
Also II Is alleged that In September.
1905. the priest threatened to kill or
cause to be killed Bedros MACMILLAN.
a merchant OF 20 Union Square. un-
less the latter gave up $3.50, 900 to the
Armenian revolutionists.
Further Il is charged that Father
Martogessian represented 10 Miriam q.
Garagenzian. an Armenian, that he
would meet death unless he gave
100000 10 the Armenian revolution
ary fund.
Garagenzlan. Il is said, received this
communication in the form Of a 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-
teriau. a blacksmith was examined by
Assistant District Attorney Manley
According 90 Information later Civ
en- out a. the district attorneys Of
flee the witness said he had often at
tended meetings OF the Hunchakist
society. az which Martogessian presid-
ed Continuing. he Is alleged to have
stated that he knew of five different
crscs where men had been sent from
this country TO Europe az the instiga-
tion of a man 60 murder persons. on
Two occasions I.ustrian said he had
been chosen to- Do murder. hut man
aged In various Ways To- shift the re-
spnnsibilitv.
some time ago ne was told that he
would have 10 Kill an Armenian he
cause he was Turkish spy. The
blacksmith made further startling sd-
missions and furnished corroborstivs
evidence Of great Importance against
Die prisoner. who is declared by other
Armenians 10 have been the moving
,pirit in the biackmHiiinr band