The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-06-08
EX-SHAH TURNS PIRATE KING
AND ROAMS THE CASPIAN SEA

BAKU, Southern Russia, May 90
Mohammed Ali Mira, who succeeded
his father, Muzaffar-ed-din as Shah OF
Persia in 19O7 and was deposed in 1909
has become a pirate king upon the
Caspian Sea.
The Medilis CParliamenD at Tehe-
ran offers 100000 head money tor
him, dead or alive
AT the present moment he is occu-
plying an impregnable position on the
coast to which he recently returned
from a cruise with two vessels laden
with priceless booty. He has in his
command two hundred desperaooes
fully equipped and eager for prey
In company with his uncle Malik
and his brother Read, the former
Shah recently captured personally a
party of Persians. For one of them,
he exacted ransom of 100000 The
others were burned alive.
! Despairing of receiving any financial
assistance from the Persians or from
the Russian Government, Mohammed
Ali accepted from Kniaz Lianozoff the
Fish King" an immensely rich man
Of barbaric tastes, the offer of a feet
Of boats commanded by a widely
known pirate named Ismail Bey, whom
every sailor and fisherman in the Cas-
plan region fears more than death, so
terribly does he torture those who
cross his path.
Among these pirates the deposed
Shah has set up a regular court, his
ministers and associates being robbers
who have spread terror in the eau
casus for years.
His so-called Minister of the Interior
is robber named Zaurbek Boroff, for
merly a Russian police spy who was
condemned to hard labor for robbery
under arms. He fled to Mohammed's
court and the police are not likely to
get him easily as the part of the coast
frequented by this pirate band is in
tested with freebOOters, who are form
liable antagonists. This man Boroff
wears a Persian uniform and covers
himself with medals given to him by
the ex-Shah.
Another man high in favor at this
strange court is Boroff's brother, an
equally desperate character. The
Cabinet is formed of people of the
same calibre, but the portfolio of Min
lister of Finance has not been assigned.
Mohammed Ali looks after that de-
partment himself
Unless Russia gives Mohammed
enough money to live comfortably else
where, he doubtless will stay where
he is, for he claims to be quite happy
and there is plenty of scope on the
Caspian Sea for his fleet to replenish
empty treasure chests.
This new King OF Pirates is not
quite forty years old. He was born
June %, 1872, and succeeded his father
when thirty-five years old, becoming
/ the first monarch of Persia to rule
under a constitution. On his deposit
ton in July, 1909, after two years of
sovereignty, he went to Russia and
lived in Odessa until June, 1911, when
he foolishly returned to Persia and at
tempted to regain his throne. He
fought several battles and had some
small successes, but his supporters
were not numerous and he soon found
himself in danger of capture and i'm
prisonment. Russia and England dis.
cussed the advisability of giving him a
pension, and Persia was authorized by
these powers to offer the deposed
Shah 100000 a year as a pension il
he would keep out of Persia.
But there was good deal of delay
in settling this matter and Mohammed
Ali took steps to assure his own fu,
ture, He has shown that he is not