Page 438 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

14 PERSIAN GULF ADMINISTRATION REPORT

Towards tbo boginning of tlio yoar the Province of Lar was in an unsettled
slate. The lato Qawnm-ul-Mulk, who
Condition of country.
bad to boat a hasty retreat from Shiraz in
J)cccmber 1915, was unable to enter Lar, and had to come to Lingah to
consult tho British Authorities, and reorganise his resources. After visiting
Bushirc, the Qawnin returned up-country, otd Lingah, with the object of
punishing tho Gendarmes and Democrats, lie left Lingah, on tbo 17th of
[March, for Lar, where ho very soon restored order by punishing some of
tho instigators of the trouble.
The Muktadir-ul-Mamalik, Deputy Governor of Lar, was taken prisoner,
.and a new man, Mirza Ali Akbar Khan, appointed.
Thcro was no trouble in Bastak throughout tho year. Tho Soulct-ul-
Mulk, Khan of Bastak, and his followers
Jliutak.
romained loyal to the Qawam-ul Mulk.
On tho whole, there was very little inter-tribal trouble along tho Shib-KuU
coast during the year. A small affair
Shibkub.
took place between Shaikh Salih of Charafe,
and Shaikh Muhammad bin Rahman Bushri, of Tavuneh, but this was soon
settled by tho timely arrival of His Excellency the Darya Begi, and what might
have been a serious affair, was nipped in the bud.
Tho most rcgrottablo incident of the year occurred iu Lingah town, ziz.t
the assassination of tho Residency Agent,
Lii'gah.
Khan Bahadur Agha Badr and his two
brothers, Khan Sahib Agha Ali, and the Vice-Consulate Dragoman, Agha
Ibrahim.
On the 61 h of April, about noon, without the slightest warning, some of the
Deputy Governor’s tufangchis shot the Residency Agent and his two brothers.
Then they attacked the Vice-Consulate guard, comprised of one Naik and eight
sepoys, killing two and wounding five, two severely. The guard, though
completely taken by surprise, did remarkably well in beating off the attack,
and at the same time killing one of the mutineers.
Tho next to he attacked was a Deputy Governor, who was in the fort, and
then the Quarantine Medical Officer’s house, hut no damage was done at the
latter place. Rais Hussain, the leader of the mutineers, was shot during the
attack on the Persian fort.
While still under fire, news was received by Assistant Surgeon J. G.
Johnstone, I. S. M. D., the Quarantine Medical Officer, that the Residency Agent
bad been wounded and was dying, whereupon the former promptly left his
place and made his way to the latter’s house, but found that nothing could be
done to save him.
The whole town was by now in a perfect panic, and Assistant Surgeon
J. G. Johnstone deserves great credit, for the manner in which he took com­
plete command of the situation. The remnants of the sepoy guard were
stationed in the late Khan Bahadur Agha Badr’s house, with a few other
servants, who had been armed, and other British subjects, who were not
considered to bo safe enough in their own houses, were collected in the Persian
fort.
Of tho mutineers two were killed, ten arrested and disarmed by Assistant
Surgeon J. G. Johnstone, the remaining twelve made good their escape through
the port8 of the Shibkuh.
Two of the assassins were later sentenced to death, and wore brought to
Lingah by His Excellency the Darya Bogi and hanged in front of the Persian
fort.
Punitive measures were taken by His Excellency the Darya Begi against
the Shaikhs of tho ports at which the fugitives received assistance. In Juno
His Excellency tho Darya Begi, with tbo support of the Commodore, drove out
Ali Akbar Khan from the port of A6alu fnoar Naband) and installed a friendly
Shaikh named Muhammad bin Ahmed Khalfan.
Tho Shaikh of Chiru was also driven out of Chiru and Hindarabi, which
were handed over to Shaikh J.brahim HammadL

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