Evening star., 1925-11-01
Two Motor Tourists, With Company
of Peasants, Engage in Battle With
Leader of Persian Mountain People
Experiences as Pooh-Bah of Large
Estate.

/ sian peasantry. The roads, which
We're (prior to the occupation) intest-
| ed with brigands, We're then safe for
/ any traveller.
! In the course of this occupancy We
| had a rude awakening from tran
| quality and were all aStounded to hear
! that a famous briga nd-one Moham-
me- Mi" who had of late been keep
| ing TO the mountains and leading a
! quiet life-had resumed operations on
! the main road. In Aveh Pass, road
which crossed d high range OF noun
/ tains OF the same name, about 90
miles north of our headquarters, the
! Persian post cart was held up one
| afternoon and all the mails ana pas
| sengers were robbed.
| During the hold-up an army motor
| truck. driven. by a private in the Brit
! iSh army. came around corner ana,
| thinking the crowd We're simply arSu-
/ ing about the weather or Persian poll
| tics he tried to get around them.
/ The road was not wide enough. how
ever. and in irving TO avoid running
! them down he stopped his engine.
| As he left the truck to turn the
/ starting handle the robbers fired at
him. fatally wounding him.
! was unaware of this tragedy until
4 about two mornings after, when MS
excelency and / had an urgent mes
sage from the British consul In Hama
dan, requesting US TO come I'M
meGiately to see him. When we ar
/ rived we found him with the Persian
| Governor Of Hamadan and also a
very dapper little man in the uniform
/ of a captain of the Persian gen
darnerie, who was commanding those
! forces in the city.
This crime had created a peculiar
! situation for the colonel commanding
! the British troops in the district.
They were really occupying this part
| Of Persia as guests of the Persian
! government. and it would have been
an error of diplomacy TO take any
action which would interfere in any
wav with the interior economy OF
/ the affairs of the country.
X x
THIS murder had taken place near
the territory of my chief and his
| brother. and as the brigands had been
| mreyious TO 1919 a continual source
! of trouble TO them. it was suggested
! by the officer commanding British
( troops that we should take Joint
action against Mohammed All. lie
! sent a message TO the consul directing
/ him to inform the governor that un-
| less he could show proofs OF the TACT
/ that this ScOundrel was deau OF a
prisoner within seven DAYS he would
! he obliged to take action himself with
! the troops at his disposal
! This suggestion left the little cor
pulent governor extremely agltated.
/ He had only recently been appointed
/ to his post and If he could be lucky
/ enough TO retain his job for something
/ approaching a year II would. like all
! Persian governorships, prove very
profitable one. Hence his worry.
Many times in the past Mohammed
( Ali had erred. and many times the
I imperial Persian forces at Hamadan
/ had been sent against him by various
/ governors but without success. 1t is
highly probable that the gay brieand' s
purse strings had loosened both to the
troops and also TO their eXcellencles.
Z the governors.
But here. with British ultimatum
I confronting him. it was not only I'M
! possible for him to regard this as a
/ source of income but he was faced
| with the definite fact that unless he
! could arrange for the determination
of this gentleman. the chances were
that he would be looked upon with dis