Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-06-12
lFrom the Chicago Tribunsl
Pirates Of the Persian Gulf.

N~@N-aN
Pirates Of the Persian Gulf.
Abrihim Moosa is now proprietor OF
q stall in the Bazaar Of Muscat, and
when last | saw him, was doing a good
business in pearls. Ten years ago, you
would have found him q wandering
Bedouin somewhere on the plains be-
tween Oman and Hadramaut. His
mother was the fifth wife of Doolah
Moosa Moosa, and as such she shared the
fortunes of one of the greatest villains
the world ever produced. Doolah Moo
sa Moosa and his clique. numbering
some FIVE hundred Bedouins, formed q
tribe the most terrible of pirates that
infested the Persian Gulf and its ada
cent waters. d. NJ. Moosa & Co., four
ished for nearly q quarter Of century,
until the British gunboat Tiger put an
untimely end to the firm, in the year
1913. Their retreat, e strong one, was
found out. and the Tiger captured forty
craft besides four large armed buglahs,
each carrying from fifteen to twenty
guns, six and nine Founders. In the
hold of one, the 'Sheik Fl Emir," there
was collected together no less than
thirty-two pairs Of skeleton hands,
many skulls. besides odd arms, legs and
other parts of the of the human body.
The pirates fought like demons, but
were in time beaten; few were taken
prisoners, and far too many were allow
ed to escape into the fastness Of the
mountains.
Twelve years after this event I had
the pleasure of being stationed in the
precise locality of the above occurrence
at Elphinton's Inlet, a spot some
miles distant, west Of Cape Mussendon,
on the eastern coast Of Arabia. Ny
business at this place was to endeavor,
in making arrangements with the
neighboring sheiks Of the Bedouins, tc
guarantee that none Of their people
would amuse themselves by cutting the
throats of the telegraphists who were
about to locate in that neighborhood.-
1t was here met Abrihim Mooss, sad
finding him somewhat of a civilized
being. employed him as my noonshe
tutor, and interpreter. One Tuesday
night he became very much excited
1t was the anniversary of the death o
his father, ''who was brutality murdered
just there" said Moosa, pointing oVel
/ his left shoulder into the intense dark
ness of the night. -
1 was alone and felt uncomfortable
The Government of Bombay had pro
Vided for my reception hulk ano
crew of Hindoos This hulk was moor
ed fore and aft, and to me it alway.
appeared singularly suggestive Of {
floating target on which the settling
Arabs of the shore could practice with
exquisite convenience to themselves
Il lay q half mile, either end, from 8
wall some hundred feet high, Of black,
/ gaunt and inhespitable rocks. Cover
ing the tops of these hills pretty thick.
ly were the worst breed of Bedouin-"a
man who never says his prayers"
Amongst the multiplicity of orders
the Bombay Government gave me,
when leaving, was one most particular
to ind out, at any cost or expense, what
had becomes boats crew numbering
eighteen hands who had left their yes
sci in search Of fresh water, and had
never been heard of afterward. The
ship to which they belonged was named
the Constance, trading between Aneri-
ca, Muscat and Calcutta. began talk
ing over the matter with Moosa that
very Tuesday night. and finished about
four o'clock the next morning. The
arrangement was almost complete.
Moosa agreed to tell me the whole of
the story, aud il return promised him
one thousand rupees, and so set him up
in an honest trade. He was tired of
the Bedouin life. He had cut many
throats; he had forgotten how many
he was tired of counting when he got
over the 6ftieth- The money was paid.
obtained it from 3 Persian Jew of
Kilshain. / heard the tale, knd here it
is from my diary as told By Moosa.
The crew landed, leaving two men to
mind the boat on the beach. The
guides who were to take them 10 the
wells led them into mountain pass !;
they were surrounded by hundreds of
the Bedouins. It was only month
past since 9 gunboat had caught and
hanged eighteen of this piratical gang,
so now came the Arab revenge. Some
of the crew were killed on the spot; the
remainder, about twelve in number,
we're dragged into the hills; Bedouin
court sat and tried the prisoners, and
the crew were then one by one tied TO
pieces of projecting rock and 'jambier-
ed" which is no more or less than
hacking pieces of muscle from their
bodies. TITS occurred about noon aud
they were then left to bleach and per-
ish in the sun. SO they died most
aSsuredly the worst kind Of all sgoniz-
ing deaths.
| sent a special messengers to Bombay,
and in the course OF q month had the
British gunboat "Vigiianr with me to
inTestigate the matter. The spot in
the mountains was accurately described
70 US By Mooss, snd we found it with
little difficulty. On landing We passed
through the settlement of the Bedou-
ms, who offered to join US '.for our
safety" as they expressed it. On our
return they had decamped.
Besides some pieces of rocks we found
all We wanted--the remains of nine or
ten men. These we collected together
in a sack which We carried away to
give q decent burial. A little island
some distance off we selected, and it is
now marked in all good maps as the
tombs. ALLEN WARD. \