The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-01-28
The Khan of Khiva
Robbed, Ragged and Starving.
A Victim of BolsheVism

Moscow. Dec. 2S.-Robbed, rag
sed. starving and forgotten in the
: big concentration camp Of PokroW-
Sky. a few miles distant from this
city. is the fate Of the Hevdiar.
Khan Of khiva. who. until d few
months ago. was one of the richest
of the Mohammedan rulers Of Cen
trail Asia As he is nearly so
Years old. he may die there.
Hevdiar. successor 10 Tamerlane
the Great and Genghis Khan. who
, ruled from China to Germany in
; the Middle Ages. is a pu"eblooded
Uzbek Turk 10 whom the Sultan
kof Turkey is mere modern up
start. He has been brought TO his
present plight through the revofu-
tions engineered by the Moscow So
viet in Russian Turkestan, aided
| by Enver PaSha. recently de-
nounced by Mustapha Kemal PaSha
as the arch traitor of Turkey.
The treatment of the Khan Of
Khiva, not yet widely known by
people of the Mohanamedan world.
is expected in time to widen the
rift that has long threatened be-
tween the Russian Soviet and the
Mo1ammedans Of India and the old
Turkish donninions. The Russians
have long been hated for their
conquest Of Khiva. Bokhara, and
the rest of the territory known for
the past so years as Russian Turk
eStan.
torstwo centuries the Russians
tried in vain to conquer these war
like peoples and only in 1873 was
h niva humbled and its Khans made
subject princes Of Russia. But they
retained their religious influence
and their vast wealth and when
they came TO the Russian imperial
court at Petrograd, their presents
in gold and jewels surpassed easily
the treasures OF that gorgeous
court.
For the past two years the So
Wet influence has been slowly
tightening its hold on old Russian
aided by 100000 German war pi-is-
oners. First. a Soviet revolution
ary committee was formed at Tash-
kent. after the approved Bolsherik
manner. and later Bokhara, and
finally at khiva. These commit
tees in turn gave way to theforma-
ton Of Soviet republics. assin Baku
and Tifis. at the point Of the Red
arnly'< bayonet.
The Enir of Bollhara was re-
duced TO fgurehead, though still
held as a possible religious sue
cessor TO the Sultan Of Turkey.
Hevdiar was unseated in his rule
by the new order but when his ad-
visers showed him how the palace
walls were falling about him, he
got together the choicest Of his in
herited jewels. his favorite wives
large stock of his royal robes, to-
gether With 400 pounds avoirdupois
Of solid gold, ordered a train at
Sokhara and started overland to
reach il. At the depot in Bokhara,
The Cheka, or secret police, swoop-
ed down upon him, robbed him Of
ais wives. his jewels and gold. and
made him prisoner. together with
his 20-year-old sen and heir ap-
parent
Both We're put aboard the train,
lnder heavy guard, and sent to
Moscow, TO the old convent pris-
On Of Pokrowsky, where they
nave since been.
With heavy white beard. the
Shan maintains his proud bearing
md still looks the part Of great
ruler in exile. Silent and uncom-
planning after the manner of his
people. he sometimes attends the
concerts organized for the prison
arS.
In answer TO his request 10 the
Soviet khiva Mission for food, be
vas sent exactly one pound of
bread.
1T is the will Of Allah. said the
Khan when the bread came His
son has Jared somewhat better. BE
does odd jobs. such as scrubbipG
floors, for the more fortunate priS-
oners whose friends send them
food. a:d in this way keeps soul
and body together.
German I ,ahOr