Show PRIEST CHIEF Of CONSPIRATORS Four our Indictments Returned Against Father r Levont BLACKMAIL AND MURDER EFFORT TO RUN ARMENIAN GANG TO EARTH New York July now against lie Father Levont sian fian the Armenian who It Is alleged sometimes laid aside his priestly robes to practice extortion and blackmail The priest is just now the central figure inthe in inthe the conspiracy which the district attorney ney reeks fecks tCo tc had for its object the robbe robbery o wealthy Armenians and led to the murder of at the rug merchant and them others who refused to be financially bleG i From the slayer ot of Bedros I as he is known here the police hope to secure a confession es establishing establishing that the youth unwittingly was the agent of blackmailing terrorists A trunk which had In Lowell Mass has been brought here and its contents may throw some light on the outrage Once the assassin Is convinced that he was more cf a tool than a pa patriot riot the pollee expect him to make disclosures that will make easy the wiping out of a dangerous gang Of the three additional indictments against the priest brought in today b by bythe the grand jury two charge attempted rob robbery robbery bery as did the original Indictment and andone andone one alleges extortion The latter charges that the priest was responsible for at least one om of the blackmailing letters which preceded the death of the rug merchant mer merchant chant Incriminating letter The letter was mailed In New York on the afternoon of July the day that was hot It was written in red ink in the Armenian language and was signed by the symbol of the terrorists terror terrorists three hands with daggers uplifted poised above a red heart The letter follows R Co Brunswick building New York Death The executives of the Constantinople Ar Armenian revolutionary organization tion condemn to death Haroutian Gulben kenlan kenian Gulabi and Patrick the three brothers who en entirely entirely have deaf ears to all appeals for national freedom Our executive board having haing given its as decision to Haroutian and Gulabi in America gives gies I Ithem them hours time to decide between their duty and death Constantinople Armenian revolutionary terrorists organization The letter I is dated Constantinople June 27 1907 Following the letter Is a postscript also albl in red ink which reads ass as follows tollow Although prison nor hangIng can prevent us from fulfilling our dut dutto duty to the end It is necessary that you ou know If you ou betray this letter or cause harm to toone tone one of the hairs on our heads your whole family will wiIl be wiped out Efforts to Extort Money Before the letter came Haroutian Gul who is the accusing witness against the priest had received a black blackmailing blackmailing mailing letter demanding 2000 but had hadnot hadnot not complied with the demand The rhe sens of the Indictment is that the priest either sent the quoted letter or caused It to be rent ent I Also it is alleged that in September 1005 Father threatened to kill or cause to be killed Bedros Hazan I jian a merchant of 29 Union square un unless unless less the gate sae up to the I Armenian revolutionists Further it Is charged that Father Mar i represented or caused to be represented to G an Armenian that he would meet death un unless unless less he gave gae to the Armenian revolutionary fund It is said received this communication in the form of a letter on August th 1905 The letter added The list Is not finally closed yet There may be several others and you ou ma may be the next Sent Abroad to Murder I The late afternoon developed an Im Important important witness when Lus trian a blacksmith was examined by As Assistant Assistant District Attorney Manley According to Information later given out at the district attorneys office the witness said that he had often attended meetings of the society at which presided Continuing Continuing ing he is alleged to have stated that he knew of five different cases where men had been sent from this country to Eu Europe Europe rope at the of a man to murder persons On two occasions Lus trian sad he had been chosen to do mur murder murder der but managed in various ways was to shift the responsibility Some time ago he was told that he be would havo to kill be because bet t cause at that time It was believed that was a Turkish spy According to dr Manley the blacksmith made further startling admissions and furnished cor corroborative corroborative evidence of groat importance against the prisoner who is declared b bother by other Armenian to have been the ing spirit in the blackmailing band |