Page 360 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

•8 PERSIAN GULP ADMINISTRATION REPORT

After bo loft tho Qawam-ul-Mulk was made Acting Govornor-Gencral.
He was violently attacked by tho Democrats and pro-Germans. His Excellency
and His Majesty’s Consul woro threatened with assassination and were unable
to go out. On tho 8th September tho British Vico-Consul, Gkulam Ali Nawab
was shot while walking in the street and succumbed to his wounds. Ou the*
23rd October tho Consulate Munshi and a “ ghulam ” (peon) woro shot at and
both wounded, the ghulam subsequently succumbing. It was evident that tho
Germans and their adherents were trying to torroriso the people into having
no dealings with tho British Consulate.
His Majesty’s Consul was endeavouring to procure some ammunition for
Qawam and also to arrange a loan for tho administration of Fars; and it was
also agreed that Sowlct-ed-Dowleh should havo tho Governorship of Dashti and
Dashtistan subject to certain conditions. It was hoped that tJio qombination
of the two principal local magnates, Qawam and Sowlet, who were now on
friendly terms, would bo able to reduce Fars to order.
Early in [November the relations with tho Persian Government became
very strained, and at one time a rupture seemed imminent. It was however
averted by energetic action at Tehran by tho British and Russian Ministers
and the advance of tho Russian troops from Kazvin towards Tehran. The
upshot of it was that the German, Austrian and Turkish missions left Tehran
for Ispahan but without tho Shah, whom they had hoped to take, and a pro-ally
Cabinet was formed under Farman Farma.
It was hoped that this coup would have a good effect in Fars, but in point
of fact.it had a contrary result. The Germans were roused to.redoubled energy,
and, with the help of the Gendarmerie, captured Shiraz on tHc 10th November.
The plot was apparently known only to the German “ Consul ” and one or two
other Germans, Angmann, the Swedish Commandant of the Gendarmerie, and
three or four of the Persian officers.
Before sunrise, on the 10th November, having presumably cut the tele­
graph to Ispahan, various parties of Gendarmerie quietly occupied the points
of vantage in Shiraz, secured the artillery park ana placed guns and machine
guns in commanding situations.
At about 8 am. a deputation of the “National Committee for the
protection of the Independence of Persia” called on His Majesty’s Consul and
gave him half an hour to decide whether ho would surrender with the British
Colony and be token to the coast, or not: in the latter event the Consulate
and houses of the British Colony would be bombarded. Major O’Connor
accepted the terms of the ultimatum and was arrested and taken to join the
rpst of the Colony many of whom had already been apprehended. The party,
consisting or seven men and four ladies, was hurried out of the place forthwith
and taken down to Borasjun where they arrived on the 18th November. .They
received a hostile reception at Kazerun, probably engineered by Nasir-i-Diwan,
the Kalantar, who had frequently evinced anti-British tendencies, but other­
wise the journey was uneventful. At Borasjun the party was divided, the men
being taken to Ahram, where they were retained as prisoners in charge of Zair
KhidJiar, and the ladies came on to Bushire where they arrived on 20th
November.
Major O’Connor and tho other men were lodged in one long room and a
small room at Ahram, and tho Khan appeared to do what ho could to make
them as comfortable as the circumstances would permit. At first the prisoners
were allowed to go out twice a day and bathe in a hot spring near by; also
they were allowed to receive letters and papers and provisions from Bushire.
At the end of the year, however, they were still unfortunately in detention,
and it seemed likely that regular communication would be cut off because
'W’assmuss and the Khans could not get answers to the letters which they had
6ent to German and Persian prisoners in India and Basrah.
Meanwhile, at Shiraz, the Qawam, on demanding the reasons of all this
violence, was put off with lies to tho effeofc that Persia had declared war on
England and that orders had come to the Gendarmerie all over Persia to arrest
all British subjects. Owing to Shiraz boing isolated telegraphically the Qawam
could not get any instructions, and no letters from him to Bushiro were