The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-01
THE AFFAIR AT PENJDEH.
Russian Accounts Which Throw All the
Blame the Afghans.

Russian Accounts Which Throw All the
Blame on the Afghans.
ST. PETERSBURG, April 30.-The Official Mes
senger to-day published a telegram from General
Komaroff which is reply to the dispatch of
Sir Peter Lumsden. the British commissioner,
denying the accuracy of General Komaroff's re-
port of the battle on March go on the Kushk
river, between the Rrussians and Afghans.
General Komaroff in the dispatch published to-
day. admits that he had received an order from
the Russian War Office, previous to the battle not
to occupy Penjdeh, but says that other officers
on the frontier had not yet been advised of the
receipt of such an order. Referring to the
alleged advance of Russian troops previous to
the fight, he says that only few of the Tur-
Romans had advanced toward Penjdeh but they
had no intention of attacking the Afghans, and
withdrew when the latter approached them in a
hostile attitude General Komaroff reiterates
his former assertion regarding the audacity and
| arrogance of the Afghans, and their daily draw
ing nearer to the Russian camp, their occupa-
ton of commanding position on the left flank
of the camp, and other events which led up to
the battle.
The Official Messenger in an editorial on the
| occupation of Penjdeh by the Russians, says:
bad weather has delayed the arrival of the Off
Ger whom General Komaroff dispatched with q
detailed account of the battle of the Both ult
Sufficient data, however, have been received to
arrive at correct conclusion Of how far General
Lumsden was warranted in impugning General
Komaroff's report Russia is DESTROYS of a
friendly settlement with England, and en-
trusted the demitation of the frontier to joint
Russian and British commission But the un-
expected entry of the Afghans into Penjdeh and
the Afghan advance down the Murghab and
Herr Rud rivers compelled Russia to protect her
rights in practical manner against this arbi-
trary seizure of her territory. In this view
General Komaroff was ordered, in January last
to occupy with his videttes the line extending
from Zulfcar along the Heri-Rud river via
Krech- Risilias Keck- Ressame, Chemnebaid. and
Chouzikhan, as far as Pull Khisti, where an
ancient bridge crosses the Kushk river, thus
forming the western boundary of the Penjdeh
| oasis. The Russian commanders were enjoined
to abstain from armed collision with the Afghans
unless the latter provoked an encounter. The
Russians as directed, occupied the above de-
| scribed positions on Feb. 20. On the 4th of
March Sir Edward Thornton, the British min
| ister, informed M. de Giers the Russian Minis
| ter for Foreign Affairs, that the Afghans had
| been requested not to attack the Russians with
the object of driving them from their positions,
| but solely to resist further Russian advance
| England at the same time expressed a wish that
| pending settlement of her boundary dispute,
the commanders of the Russian outposts be or
dered to refrain from making any further ad-
vance Russia agreed to this, with certain re-
strictions, and being informed also that Russian
| outpost was already stationed at Pul-iKhisti,
and an Afghan outpost at Ak-Tepe, General
komaroh was requested not to occupy Penjdeh
The information furnished Russia correspondent
with what General Lumsden had said-that the
Russians had occupied Pull Khisti, and that an
Afghan outpost was stationed on the right bank
| of the Kushk river. England's explanation that
the Afghan's troops had been requested to stop
| their advance entirely excluded the possibility Of
| assuming that the Afghans might advance their
outposts to the left bank of the Kushk river but
when General Komaroff approached Pul-i-K
he found on the left bank of the Kushk river,
outside Of the Penjdeh district, fortified Afghan
post This being in contradiction with his
protection of his small detachment,
to request the Afghan commander to withdraw
his troops from the left bank of the river. The
Afghan refusal to do this was the direct cause of
the battle of the Both instant. Hence it is evil
dent that the intention attributed to General
Komarof, of bringing on the collision, is in con-
| tradiction of the facts General Komaroff did
HOI OFerStcp MS OTuerS Wnen ne luSlSJcQ on the
the evacuation of the left bank of the river
Kushk. Russia is unable, at present, to say why
| the orders mentioned above and which agreed
! with the information received by England,
should have been interpreted in different man
| ner by the British officers attached to the AT
CHAN detachment which occupied Penjdeh. Gen
| Komaroffs dispatch Of April Is contains expla-
nations regarding several points in General
| Lumsden's telegram of April IL. concerning
which General Komaroff's final opinion has not
| yet been received"
| The Official Messenger publishes the following
| telegram from General Kornaroff, dispatched
| from Askabad on Friday last:
IA telegram forbidding the occupation of
Penjdeh reached me on March %. only COM
municated it to commanders of outposts, and
did not make it generally known. General
Zacrzevski, with my permission, interviewed by
correspondence, some British officers, in pri-
vate capacity. did not admit their right to
treat officially. l addressed my demands
direct to the commander OF the At
CHAN forces General Alikhanoff rode in
the direction of Markals. along the bank on the
Russian side 1t was by no means my intention
to advance on Penjdeh. One company of Rus
slams marched on the heights on the right bank
of the Murghab river, but did not reach our
videttes on the left bank Of the same river
When the Afghans approached however, this
one company, by my orders, returned to camp. y
General Komaroff thus concludes his dispatch:
"In view of constant movements over hundreds
of versts of territory, and owing also to heavy
floods, it is impossible to furnish regular re-
ports"
UNEASINESS IN INDIA