The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-03

LONDON, May 2.-[Copyright, 1896,
by the Associated Press. lit is rumor-
ed in this city that the assassination
of the shah of Persia was brought
about by the Vaccinations of his eld-
est son, Massoud Mirzia, governor OF
Ispahan. The latter was born in 1850,
while the new shah, second son of the
deceased monarch, was born in 1858;
but the latter is an offspring of a wife
of higher rank, and thus was chosen
to succeed his father in place of Mas
soud, his elder brother. He has often
rebuked Mirzia for his unruliness, and
in 1888 recalled him and only allowed
him to return to Ispahan after dis
banding some of the regiments and
ordering him to pay more than the
usual tribute.
Massoud Mirzia, who is also known
as the Zilles sultan, or Shadow of the
Kingdom" resented this treatment,
and it was believed that he might make
an attempt to usurp the throne.
Massoud Mirzia, who is enormously
rich, is unpopular on account of his
severity and Intolerance and on the
other hand Muzafar Ed Din, the new
shah, is much loved by the people of
the province of Azerboijan, where the
Persian army is chiefly recruited
The discomfort of the Babist sect,
upon which Massoud Mirzia is be-
lieVed to have worked, is due to the
fact that the late shah did not allow
them to establish their religion, his
refusal to do SO being based on re-
presentations made to his majesty that
it would conflict with the existing faith
in Persia and split the people into re-
ligious factions. The Babists have al
ways been kept in check and little has
been heard Of them for some years
past.
CHICAGO, May 2.-Frederick H. Win
ston, who spent the year 1866 at Tehe-
ran, as United States minister to Per-
STA, speaks in terms of admiration Of
the murdered monarch
The death of the shah is to be de-
plored,' Mr.. Winston said. HE was
kindhearted, very intelligent man and
filled with progressive ideas that
would have benefited his country i'm
mensely had he been permitted to
carry them out. He assembled the
throne when boy. with the limited
education in mathematics and Persian
literature gained in the native schools
notions gained from lack of contact
with civilization, it being an unwritten
law in Persia that the heirs apparent
shall not live in the capital city After
taking the throne his character changed
and he developed into a civilized ruler,
anxious to improve his country
Mr.. Winston described him as being
very exclusive in his family life, al
ways dining alone in the palace, and
never diverting from the customs of
his country in the management of his
household. The shah's ruling passion
was hunting. To crafty his love for
this form of sport the shah maintained
large game preserves which he visited
every summer.
Speaking of the question of success
sion to the vacant throne, Mr.. Winston
expressed the belief that a revolution
was among the possibilities for Persia.
The oldest son is not the heir apparent
owing to the fact that his mother was
not Of the royal blood. This son is
about as years of age and very popular
among the army officers. He is highly
educated, man of boundless ambition
and great energy and imbued with
as progressive a spirit as his father
was. For years he has been close OBJ
server of foreign affairs and has had
special agents travelling all over the
world to keep him posted. Not knowing
the circumstances under which the as
sassination took place. am not justified
perhaps in predicting any trouble of
a revolutionary character, but I can
not help apprehending something of
the kind when / remember the Oldest
sons characteristics. If he chooses to
move on the capital with an army be-
hind him he could reach there a week
before the heir apparent could reach
the city"