The Indianapolis journal., 1885-12-30
ATTACHED BY PERSIAN GUARDS.
Inc American Minister AssauIted-Soldier
Punished for the Offense.


Washington Special.
The following official report by s. G. W. Ben,.
jamin, ex minister to Persia, which has recently
been communicated by the President 10 Com
gress, describes an international episode of even
more thrilling interest .1:.ii .As. . .e @ irreo
when the Pittsburg chief police ordered the
Imperial Royal Austro Hungarian Consul
Schamberg to take in his flag:
Il nave the honor to report that on June 12 I
was riding out to the country from Teheran in a
carriage, on the way to the summer quarters of
the legation. was accompanied bv NV daugh-
ter. According to the custom of the country,
the carriage was preceded by two out
riders. The other lega ons, on such
an OCCASION take. four to eight out
riders. matter of necessity as we'll as
of display in Persia. AS we approached a
coffee-ho ! observed line of Carriages wait
ing by the roadside in the shade. AS it is very
common for several vehicles to he seen standing
there, while the occupants are taking e. smoke,
had no idea that any precaution needed to be
taken. L was greatly surprised, therefore, to
see a troop of mounted cavalry rush out from
| the shade of the trees and make a violent at
tack on MY outriders, who Immediately cried out
several times that the United States minister
was in the carriage. and had the right of way I
now recognized the soldiers to belong to the
Royal Guard and Immediately after preceived
that the wives of the Shah were in the
carriages. Although having officially the abso
Lutte right to pass, allowed to no one except min
listers and their families at risk of immediate
death to all others, l ordered my driver to stop,
In order to give officer opportunity to come
the carriage to apologize for the attack and to
escort us safely through the guards stationed in
front and rear of the royal harem. But as no
attention seemed to be paid to this, / ordered nv
men to keep on, thus throwing the responsibility
Of any results on the guards, who not satisfied
with beating the outriders with the fiat of their
swords, swarmed around the carriage itself with
loud cries. hourishing their weapons. The lieu
tenant of the troops seized the carriage
horses; others struck and thrust at the
driver himself. Fortunately the ma man was vas
alike sklllful and intrepid. and succeeded both
in controlling the horses and driving us safely out
of disagreeable melee. which at one moment
threatened serious results The number of men
attacking was about twenty. It is proper to add
that when the chief lady of the harem saw what
was going on she dispatched a eunuch to escort
us through the lines; but he did not arrive until
the attack was nearly ended. All my men and
horses were more or less bruised. They all be-
haved well. On the same evening sent a note
to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, demanding
the prompt chastisement of the offenders, leav-
ing to the Persian government to suggest, out
OF its friendship, such further redress as the oc
casion required. There being some delay in re-
plying to my note, l sent our 6ragoman, Mr..
keun, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs After
an extended interview, the Minister replied:
p" Tell your minister that he shall hear from
me tomorrow. am anxious that he should be
convinced of our good will, and give you my
word you shall be entirely satisfied by sunset to-
morrow that am sincere in these expressions.'
''At ii A. NJ on the following day, accordingly,
the Sanieh-el-Dowleh, prominent member Of
the Cabinet was announced. Coming at once
to the point. he stated that he had been person
ally deputed by the Shah to express the royal
regret and to say authoritatively that our de-
mand should receive immediate attention. In
the afternoon of the same day ] received an
apologetic note from the Minister of Foreign AZ
fairs. In accordance with request at the end
of the note, our Moonchee went to the Foreign
Office next morning, and was there directed to
take my driver and outriders and 90 at once
to Sultanslabad. the summer place where
the Shah is staying at present
There the Moonchee was confronted
with the Royal Guards, and the men who had
been most forward in the attack on my carriage
including their lieutenant were recognized by
my men. grand chamberlain of the palace
then ordered the punishment of the men, and
they were accordingly punished. 1 think we
| the Shah toward the United States than the i'm
Royal Guards to be punished at the instance of a
foreign legation. In the afternoon of the same
day the captain of the company came to the
legation and apologized in graceful and thor
oughly satisfactory manner for the hasty and
unwarranted action of the guards Two days
later called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs
and thanked him for the satisfactory manner in
which the affair had terminated, and later
acknowledged his note in a note intended to
reach the eye of the Shah, who, have reason to
know soon as he fully appreciated the grav-
ity of the occasion, was willing, if possible, to
anticipate our demand"