Kahn, The Black-Hearted Syrian
In the lower part of New York near the Battery, in the vicinity of Washington and Greenwich Streets, there is and has been for several years what is known as the Syrian colony. The few immigrants that come from Damascus, Beyrout and other parts of the Turkish Empire all seem to gather here. As it is contrary to the Koran for any of them to use liquor of any kind, or sell it, these Mohammedans are seldom in prison, yet they are lacking in saintly character as much as the Latin and Slavic nations of Europe. At the time of which I write there was a hotel or boarding house in the Syrian colony, kept by a widow named Lazarus. She spoke the English language very imperfectly. But she had in her employment an experienced hotel manager who attended to all her affairs whose name was Abirams. He had been in the country a number of years and could speak the English tongue fairly well. Everybody liked Abirams as he kept the house clean and sought to make it respectable. On one occasion a countryman named Kahn came with a young girl and tried to hire a room in the hotel for immoral purposes. Abirams positively refused to receive him or the woman. Words passed between them. Then he left the place swearing vengeance.
It was afterwards learned that Kahn was a criminal of the deepest dye and would do anything to ruin an innocent man. Twice he had been saved from the gallows by turning King’s evidence in his own country. Since he came to America he was known to have sent many of his countrymen to prison for long terms on perjured evidence. He would do anything to save his own neck.
In an hour afterwards Kahn returned to the hotel with a police officer and charged Abirams with robbery. The prisoner was at once put under arrest and then locked up over night. In the morning he appeared in the Tombs Police Court. Kahn was on hand and presented before the Magistrate a sworn affidavit that Abirams had robbed him of money and a watch in the Syrian hotel the previous night. The woman was also present as a corroborative witness. Without further examination the prisoner was committed to await the action of the grand jury. For five or six weeks the poor Syrian, Abirams, neglected and forsaken by his countrymen, lay in prison on a false charge founded only on malice and perjury. I made an investigation of the case and secured affidavits of Abirams’ previous good character, showing him to be an exceptionally good man. I visited the Syrian colony personally and soon had ample reason to believe that Abirams was innocent of the charge placed against him by Kahn. After a few weeks the woman in the case disappeared for fear of arrest, then Kahn was given to understand that if he went before the grand jury and perjured himself, he would receive a long term of imprisonment. Indeed, he had offered to withdraw the charge for a money consideration, but he, too, became afraid of arrest and then fled to parts unknown.
In the meantime I visited the District Attorney’s office where I sought to interest Mr. Henry W. Unger, Col. Gardiner’s chief assistant, in behalf of the poor Syrian. Mr. Unger, always courteous and gentlemanly, gave me much encouragement—eternal blessings on his head—he has always tried to temper justice with mercy by giving the friendless a helping hand, and doing it kindly, and will certainly not lose his reward.
It was afterwards learned by indisputable evidence that Kahn was a tough character and had done the same thing before—that is, he sent innocent men to prison who angered him, and was ready to perjure himself again if we had not made an investigation and showed him up as a notorious liar and blackmailer.
It is needless to say that Abirams was honorably discharged and returned to the colony a wiser man. The notorious Kahn was so scared that he kept out of New York for many months afterwards.