PERSIAN MASSACRES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 426, 30 December 1911, Page 5

PERSIAN MASSACRES.

j THE RUSSIAN VERSION. j St. Petersburg, December 27. I An official telegram from Jelfa, in j i'rans-Caucasia, reports that the RusI gian Consul-General at Tabriz protests I against the infamous calumnies upon ' the Russian troops, who, he says, are j treating the inhabitants with humanity, notwithstanding atrocities committed by Persians upon Russian wounded, and notwithstanding the mutilation of Russian dead. The Consul General declares that any particular instances of the innocent perishing are solely due to the bombardment of houses from which a Russian detachment had been subjected to a fusillade.

The commander of the detachment removed the women and children from these homes to a shelter encampment, I whence they were conveyed to the town by peaceable inhabitants escorted by Russian soldiers. The officer commanding the latter was treacrherously killed. Subsqueently the Consul-General informed the Governor and the chief mullah that disarmament of the people was a pre-requisite to peace negotiations, adding: "We will not tolerate the presence of armed spectators in the streets and on the roofs." Placards were posted throughout Tabriz demanding the immediate surrender of arms. Twenty Persian Cossacks, under the Consul-General's instructions, patrolled the Christian quarters. The Consul-General further says that he sent troops to a spot where a number of Russian soldiers had been killed. The bodies of the latter were found reduced to cinders. There were indications that some of those found burned had apparently not been dead, but only severely wounded.

BRITISH CONSUL MISSING. Teheran, December 27th. Mr Smart, British Consul, while travelling from Bush ire to Shiraz. escorted by the Sowars, had a desperate fight with Kashgai roadguurds. The Sowars fought their way to Kazerun, but Mr Smart is missing. His horse was fuiind wounded.

(The trouble between Russia and Persia had its origin in the action o c : Mr Morgan Shuster in sending a party to seize the. property of Shua-es-Sul-taneh, brother of the ex-Shah, in default of payment of taxes. The officials of the Russian Consulate, claiming that the property had been mortgaged to the Russian Bank", threatened to fire on the party if they entered the property. Mr Shuster next day notified the Russian Minister at the capital of his intentions, and sent 100 gendarmes, under the command of an American military officer, to seize the poperty. On this occasion the Russian Minister (M. Peterbof) contented himself with making a protest against the seizure. Russia notified Persia that unless she apologised for the insult offered to the ViceConsul she would occupy the pro vinces of Ghilan and Mazanderan, on the borders of the Caspian Sea. Upon receipt of the Note the Regent and his Cabinet resigned, but the Mejliss (National Council) met, and passed a vote of confidence in Mr Shuster. Russia subsequently broke off diplomatic relations with Persia, and presented an ultimatum demanding the dismissal of Mr Shuster and the payment of £300,000 to cover the claims made by Russian subjects. This the Persian Government agreed to do. but the troops then in the Shah's dominions were ordered to advance in order to enforce the claims and the authority of the Persian Government is practically dependent upon tne support of the Russian troops.)