Page 207 - Records of Bahrain (3) (i)_Neat

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British influence and foreign interests, J 904-1906

4
form, to moot him half way in any ronsonablo suggestion; or to refer hia
somo
proiujsnls to Government.

explained to him that such an IstUhhud, drawn up as it was by a Sunni
Mulla, could not bo aoeepted by any British Court or offiocr, unattestod or
unsupported, and without an opportunity of cross-examining tho porsona men­
tioned therein, and that this opportunity lie liod at the last miuuto rofuaod to
give mo.
After some argument ho ondod by saying that ho was now willing to sond
_
to m«* all tliu cye-wituosscs for oxamiuation, but oo.uIdjiQt_agrco to soiul any
person who lmd boon eoiummeiliii-tUe alfray itself.
^ rTncw~vcry woll that if tlicso witnosscs came now thoy would co.no
thoroughly primed as to wlmt to say; at the same time I did not think it was
advisable * to give the Sheikh any oxcu60 for saying that I had rofused any
advaneo of his and therefore expressed my willingness to hoar any ono whom ho
sont me on tho morrow, and asked him to send his representative as boforo. Wo
then took leave.
11. December 7th.—Sheikh Ahmed and Shoroideh duly presented thorn-
selves, togolhor with tho persons moutioned on the Istishhad. I proceeded to
exauiino them. Sheikh Llamod was very obstructive at lirst. I lmd given him
a seat on my right facing tho witnesses, and ho soomod to imagino that I was
going to let each witness rattle olf the statement lie had come prepared with,
and whon I proceeded to elicit thoir statomouisby interrogation in the ordinary
way, ho persistently interrupted with attempts to put words into tho witnesses
mouths or to provont them from saying something of a committing naluro. I
boro with him for somo timo with a good doal of longsult'cring, but was finally
obliged to nsk him to sit to ono sido and behind tho witnesses and to resow o
his communiojitions and cross-oxauiination of each witness till I had finished
with him. This had tho desired effect and teas able to oarry on with less
iuterrupliou.
I oxaminrd nino that day and tho remaining two tlio following morniug.
Copies of their statemonls are attached (Enclosure 7), but thoy nro worth
very little. One and all eamo in with tho idea above mentioned that they would
bo allowed to rattlo oil tho statement which thoy had ovidcntly been tutorod in.
In nny oasc they were obviously sont there for a purposo, namely, to givo
proof tlmt it was the Persians who nltaokod the Arabs, and that was the chief
point that thoy wero uuxious to make clear.
'ike statements of somo of them, however, undor examination rather
corroborated than othorwiso the opposite viow' aud I may point out that in spito
of the Shcikh’6 argument that it was tho Arabs who wero attacked, not asin^lo
Arab was or has been produced who sull’cred tho slightest injury nor do the
I Arab witnesses soriously maintain tlmt any did comoto real harm.
/ Tho bad sight arising from ncglcotod oyo discaso of tho young man Ramzan
/ lends probability to tho story givon by him as to tho origin of tho fracas, and
though it is possible tlmf, after tho collision with tho Scodio, ltamzau rounded
on lum and struok tho lirst blow, yet tho samo bad sight from which Ramzan
suitors makes that supposition less probablo than tho other.
I 111n vnwCr° ‘i “l do^t* however, that tho collision referrod to was tho origin of
1 a® s r;
luoTl 00W60"“™“- "«*•» very no.vly killed, and seven otkcs sovvroTy b^.en

oMled or tlmt a particular point wonted judicially oleartoe ud H mL