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II has been said also that many Persian women were taken to camp and distributed
amongst the soldiers, and after three days were returned to their homos. I rccoived the
I following account, from an Artilleryman a P. rsian in the Turkish service w,ho had charge of
the women when hr. ught to camp. lie is a Shcah ; he stated that about lifty women mostly
of tho poorer classes and upwards of one hundred black slave girls and a few men j were
.
brought to the battery. The women were put into a separate tent and the black slavo girls
and the men <t-ho latter he said, the soldiers would have decapitated, only the Seraskier had
ordered no morn money to he given for heads) were placed apart—about three hours afterwards
Mullah Ali, native of Bagdad, came to the Battery and took tho women back to town, the
slaves were kept, but thoso since claimed have been given un. I questioned some Persians
on this subject; they said they had heard such reports. Mollah Ali most positively denies
that the women were taken to camp which was a quarter of a milo from tho Battery, nor
would the oflicors havo allowed it. I have likewise had no complaints from the Persians on
this subject.
The lose on the side of tho Turks was about four hundred killed and two hundred wounded
many of whom have since died,—the Doctor informed me that their wounds had the appcuranco
of being made with poisoned balls. At the broach and near it they lost 50 men. The conduct
of tho officers after the siege was very unbecoming allowing the troops to turn the Court of
the Mosque into a Barrack Yard, horses and mules were picked in different parts, the soldiers
placing native music and singing loose songs to the horror of the Slicahs. Very little of tho
property of the Temple of Abbas was plundered, part of a gold chain and a silver padlock
belonging to the silver door which enters the Harem arc missing, tho door itself has the marks
of several musket balls on it. Some Hags and one or two carpets arc also missing, these I
have heard will be returned. The valuable property belonging to the Mosque was in a separate
apartment, and was under charge of Scid Wahnb who is said to have plundered much of it.
A Persian sword was shewn to me here said to have been stolen from the Mosque of Abbas.
It was a common Kasvccn blade, the inscription it bore had the ‘appearance of having been
newly engraved on it. The valuable swords said to have been carried off belonged to the
fighting people of the town, who on entering the Ilarem flung down their arms, which after
the siege were collected by the troops.
The Tomb of Iloosscin was not plundered or entered by the soldiers.
Many Persians have come to me stating they have lost much property in Kcrballa, espe­
cially the Persian Bcfugee Princes, put forth large claims, but all have great difficulty in
proving the amount they dce.lam to have lost. It is a fact that many Jews left this soon after
the siege, and the prico of gold which before the siege, was at M- Kcroon*, fell when the
place was taken to 9 Keroons. The Scra-kier Zaadoollah Pasha is reported to havo carried off
much plunder with him, how far that may be true I cannot say, but he was known to have
made largo purchases before leaving this.
After the siege the dead remained in the streets two days, several had naptha flung over
and were consume d—a few were devoured by the town dogs. 11 is Excellency Ncgib Pasha
having sent to the Governor Tehir Beg'that he should visit the tombs of the Saints in a few
days, ho ordered the people to bury them immediately threatening to burn those bodies which
remained unburied, boles were dug ui tho streets near Mosques und four or live bodies were
I
It I. 111. cn.iom .i.o to hu,y tii. ilcil i. .1,0 together into them. Tho usual Mahom-
•tr*eu nt Kcrtulla—the wholo town is conjceraicd medun Burial ceremonies being omitted. ills
^rouua. Excellency Negib Pacha arrived a few days after­
wards and (I understand) the inhabitants sealed a paper which was presented to him stating
the loss of life had been trilling This paper was sealed by many who had been most zealous
in defending the town 1 asked them how they could seal such a paper knotting it to be
false, they said they did not read it, and did not know what they were scaling. All the dead
bodies outside the town were Hung into empty wells.
The principal cause of the laic affair at Kcrbella may he ascribed to tho chiefs of that
place who supported tne Y'aramas in their opposition to the Government and ia tbc time of
danger withdiew from the contest and left the innocent and helpless to the fury of the soldiers.
Much religious excitement prevailed, whon ono party shewed the slightest appearance of yield­
ing t o the Pasha's orders, some Chief of the other party stepped forward reminding them of
their faith, and .asked if they wished to became the slaves of the Soonies. The Priests did all
in their power lo excilc the people to fight, telling them that God was on their side, that death
was better thau the rule of a Soonee, and through their encouragement the pcoplo appeared
daily on the walls cursing the Snonccs, their prophet., and the Sultan, and lavishing all the
abuse they could invent. The Shecahs will never forget, that the Soonies ovcrcamo them in
tho late contest, the most deadly hatred exists between them, and many returned to Persia
filled with false impressions of the number killed, circulating everywhere tho most exaggerated
reports lo excite the religious feelings of the people, counting overy Shccah who had bcca
killed as Persian subject—as a Peisian romarkod to mo, that ho considered the death of ono
Shrcah by a Soonee, tho same ns it ten Shealis had been killed. The French Consul-General
informed me tha'- during the s-iego of Kcrhellu sotno Persians came to him and requested his
a lvico to know if they should proceed to Kcrbclla to help tho Sbccahs as it was a religious
War.