El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-02-03

American Consul Sees Stir
ring Times in Russian and
Persian Fight.
STORY OF RUSSIAN
CRUELTY IS DENIED


London, England. Feb 3-The Ameri-
can consul at Tabriz, Gordon Paddock,
had decidedly exciting time during
the recent fighting between Russians
and Persians there, according TO a letter
/ from an old resident which has Just
reached London.
The American consulate Is Just in the
shadow Of the old citadel. popuIarIy
called the ARK" The Ark was one of
the principal targets for the Russian
artillery fire, and it was shelIed holly
for several days. Many shells burst over
I the consulate buildings and around Mr..
PaddOc1s house, but fortunately no one
was injured, and the principal damage
was the destruction of the flagstaff
from which the stars and stripes were
flying.
During 10 years in the consular ser
wee Mr.. Paddock has been a Spectator
OF many interesting events in far parts
OF the world. He was stationed some
years at Seoul, in Korea, and there wit
messed the naval battle when the Rus
clan cruisers "Nariag" and @KOrierz7
were sunk by the japanese at the be-
ginning Of the RUssO-Japanese war. He
saw the debarkation of the JaDanese
forces; was afteTward at Hardin in the
times when 1t was unsafe for a white
man to venture into the streets after
dark, and in Nukden witnessed the most
Manohuria.
This letter, which came BY the first
mail 10 leave TabriZ after the fighting.
contains interesting news of the situa-
ton there.
Saw No TOrturing.
"A good many bodies Of Russian sol
dleTs were mutilated by the Persian
tedals, says the writer, shut there Is
no evidence, so far as I can discover.
mat there We're any cases Of torture. al
though the Russians insist that there
We're A good many non-eOmbatants
were killed or wOmded-hOw many IS
unknCWn-as might be expected in
street lighting in a walled town ike
this Some were killed in the Russian
attacks on the houses occupied bv the
tedals, near the Russian camp but
there was no such thing as a massacre
Of innocent women and children Nv the
Russians. In fact, they took women
and chlcren as refugees into their
camp during the fighting.
Some LOOting.
Russian soldiers have done soma
lootng and uObbing. and they do not
seem to be under perfect discipline. But
sInoe the arrival of the commanding rem
eral that has been pretty well sun
pressed. except that the Russian author !
tiles have destroyed a good many houses /
OF leaders of the Nationalist party: in 4
other words, of the recognized govern /
ment before this affair. The worst fea- /
tire OF the matter from a non political /
wa M
the fIrst instant Of some Of the DrOmi-
nent eonstitutiOnalists here. and the
method Of doing it was not too civilized.
ne execution Of Slgat- ul-Islam. a noted
parsonage, and of Ziah-ul- Ulman. late
chief justice. has caused much comment.
The New Battleship.
The new battleship, the keel of which
was recently laid at Portsmouth dock
yard. the first Of the five armOred ships
OF the 1911-1912 program. VIII be known
as the secret ship" 1t Is generally
known that she IS to he the largest bat
tleship built for the British navy. that
she Is TO have an anti-tOrDedO battery
OF six inch instead of four inch glr.s. as
in older ships, and that there Is to be 4
great improvement in the compartments
to prevent sinking IN case she is tor
pedOed. Beyond this, however. the ad-
miralty are Introducing changes which
are to remain a secret for the time be-
ing at least.
Usually the LAYING of the fist keel
plate is attended with some ceremony
and naval attaches and others are IN
vited. On this occasion. however. only
the dOcSyard officials, Miss EVELYN
Moore, daughter Of admiral Sir Arthur
Moore, who performed the ceremony.
and a few women were present. News
paper men and photographers were rig
OrOUslv excluded. The ship is to be ]
completed IN two wears. but it IS quite
likely that she VIII be ready for service ]
before that time. Immediately her first
plate was laid wOrknen commenced nut
ting other plates in position, so that be-
lore the afternoon had passed the vessel
to take shape In fact. a
great deal Of the material was ready
before the actual work Of construction
Tries Potato Diet.
Dr.. Fletcher. the dietetic expert. who
has been stopping in Copenhagen. has
finishing a course of living on potatoes
md margarine. which lasted So DAYS
The object was to prove that man
an live comfortably and do a reason
lble amount of work on a diet of pota-