Beasts in Cassocks: The Crimes of the Heads of the Russian Greek Catholic Orthodox Church in America/Chapter 10
CHAPTER X.
Ivan Gorbach, the "Specialist"
Since then they did not hesitate to give me errands with which they probably would not have entrusted anyone else. Besides having to deliver confidential parcels with which they would not trust the post-office, Dobroff would order me to visit various people to warn them that say, a certain document they wanted forged, would be ready at such and such a time, or to report the price of a Doctor's, Engineer's, or Professor's diploma, etc., etc. Since the number of people who were interested in obtaining forged documents was large, the income from this "business" was very great and that meant a lot of work for me. The money taken in for the forged documents was divided between Bishop Platon, Bishop Alexander and Dobroff. More than once I would have to go to Dobroff at Platon's order, get the cash and bring it to Platon from whom I received nothing but verbal thanks. Not infrequently I had to stay in the Bishops' apartments or in the consistory until all hours of the night. Platon often sent me to bring him secretly, so that even his servant would not know, Lina Geres, who, according to his Eminence was "a butterfly of indescribable beauty." He would also frequently send me for Archpresbyter Peter Ignatyevitch Popov. Whenever Popov could not be found, he would send me for one, Ivan Gorbach, a very handsome, pale-faced Pole, who was a chorister at the Polish Church on Seventh Street. Always, whenever I brought these people to the Archbishop, he would comand me to stand at the door and not to allow anyone, with the exception of Bishop Alexander to as much as to mount the stairs. I was also ordered never to admit Raphael, the Bishop of Brooklyn.
Once, being "on sentry duty" and feeling rather bored, I reminded myself that servants in such cases usually while away their time by peeping through the key-hole and I resolved to resort to the same means of amusement. And here is what I saw with my own eyes: Archbishop Platon would disrobe, lie down in the bed and would make the woman "massage" him. Besides Lina, a certain woman, a priest's wife and "dentist" whom I shall name when necessary, would come to him. The woman would lie down so that Archbishop Platon's head would come between her legs. She would caress his penis with her nipples, while Platon licked her sexual parts with his tongue. Following the "massage" they would perform the sexual act, after which both lay like dead ones and after having come to, rubbed each other with eau-de-cologne.
As for the male "massage", it varied. Archpresbyter Popov first put some cold cream on his hand, then rubbed Platon's testicles and penis. When the "massage" had the desired effect, the Archpresbyter would lie down on his stomach and Platon perform the act through Popov's rectum. This was also followed by a period of rest and mutual perfume rubbing, after which Platon, remaining in bed, but now fully dressed, would send Archpresbyter Popoy to his duties at the Consistory.
Ivan Gorbach did the "massaging" not with his hand but with his tongue. He licked, and sucked Archbishop Platon's penis until it stiffened and then, like Father Peter Popov, would expose his rectum to Platon for intercourse, but apparently being a greater "expert" in this line than Popov, kept changing the position of his body so as to make the act more enjoyable for the Archbishop. I once saw with my own eyes, how after such an act of Pederasty the Archbishop gave Gorbach five one-hundred dollar notes and when I was sent to fetch him the next time and asked him what he had done with the "saintly" Prelate's $500, Gorbach replied: "Do you think that is the only $500 I ever got? I get as much for every visit to Platon. Your friend Alexander, however, is either poorer or more of a miser. He never pays me more than $300 for a massage; sometimes he complains that he was robbed and gives me less than that. And besides he is a peculiar, foolish fellow. … To massage Platon is a pleasure. He is a man with understanding, while Alexander is nervous, and does not do the right thing. Many a time I have promised myself not to go to him, and I am going to keep my promise. If he sends for me, I'll refuse to go. What he needs is a boor, not a specialist."
All this did not agree with me and I asked the Father Arch-as "guard" bored me to death. Father Slunin promised to help me, but said that while I was to go on with my former errands, I was also to be given a few others for variety's sake. And indeed, Father Slunin told me soon afterwards that my place would be for the time being taken by Archpresbyter Popov and that I was to accompany Father Slunin to an inquest.