Evening star., 1933-12-26
REBELS DREW LOTS
|. TO SELECT KILLERS
Police See Armenian Arch.
bishops Murder as Anti
Soviet Protest.
By the Associated Press.

oy the associated PTeSS,
NEW YORK, December 26- I'M
PEELED by burning passion for restora-
ton Of the old Republic of Armenia,
rebel irreconcilables of the alleged revo-
lutionary order Of Tashnag drew lots to
select the killers Of Archbishop Leon
Tourian. the police said today
Striking silently and from behind,
the archbishops assassins struck him
down Sunday as he paced up the aisle
of the Holy Gross Armenian Church,
clad in the full vestments of his Office
and leading the church professional.
Police, who had five men under ar
rest today after combing the Armenian
quarters of the city, said the killers
apparently hoped to bring their pro-
tests against Soviet politics more
strongly to the fore by writing them in
the blood of the cleric.
Members OF the church are now
characterizing the slain prelate, head
Of the Armenian Apostolic Church In
North and South America. as a martyr
-Four men were arrested shortly after
the assassination and a blood-stained
shirt led police to a fifth man yester-
day. although they expressed the be-
lief he was not directly connected with
the act.
Shirt Causes Arrest.
The new prisoner, Juan Gonzales
Tchalcikian. %, was charged with
homicide. His arrest resulted when an
Armenian shopkeeper told police that
man had entered his store shortly
after the church murder and had
asked permission to change a bloody
shirt he wore for a new one. The mer-
chant gave him q new shirt and the
man left the old one. Police traced
ownership through a laundry mark.
Tchalcikian told police he was at
the church when the archbishop, prim-
ate of the Armenian Apostolic Church
of America, was stabbed to death by
two knife thrusts into the abdomen,
but he denied any part in the assault
The prisoner said he was born in
Panama and came to this country in
1928. His father was Armenian, his
mother Spanish.
The four others held on homicide
charges are Martin Mazian, Al; Asian
Yerjianen, AZ; Matos Leylgian, &c. and
NiShan SarkSian. Police said all four
had admitted membership in Tashnag,
a revolutionary organization aiming at
the restoration of the cid republic Of
Armenia.
Worshipers Questioned.
More than 40 worshipers at the
Hcly Name Church have been ques-
toned. Most of them expressed the
belief that the archbishop's opposition
to activities of the revolutionist group
led to his murder. 1t was the primate's
contention that there Is no longer
separate state of Armenia and that
therefore the church should recognize
the government In whose territory the
church has its headquarters. This
territory Is now part of Soviet Russia
The only words spoken by the arch
bishop after he was stabbed while
proceeding in full vestmentS toward
the altar, were: Il am wounded" He
died swiftly. for one of the two knife
thrusts had severed an artery.
The slain archbishop, who was born
near Scutari 54 years ago, was a nat
uralized British subject, his friends
said today. Before taking over leader
ship of the Armenian Church in Amer
lea he was Bishop Of England, and be-
fore that served as Bishop of Adrian
ople, Bishop of Bulgaria and Bishop
OF Smyrna.
Law on RecOnSecratiOn.
Reconsecration of the church in
which he was slain will be necessary
before services may again be held there,
unless it is declared that the arch
bishop died a martyr, in which case
the Holy Name Church would be desig-
mated shrine and no reconsecration
would be necessary under church law
Members of the executive council of
the Armenian Church from various
parts of the country were called to meet
here today to make funeral arrange
ments and to elect q temporary sue
cessor. A possible date for the funeral,
which may be held in one of the city's
larger cathedrals, is Sunday. Burial