Year: 1876

Justice is certainly an accident In


Persia. The perpetrator Of foul and


malicious murder may have his sentences


remitted il he can obtain sufficient


"blood money" to overcome the desire
of the victims friends for his execution


The creditors of the peasants and oi


small traders are generally soldiers
for these only feel sure of the requisite
power to recover their loans. The de.


faulter well knows that If he does not
repay the soldier. his house, or his


store In the bazaar, will be plundered


Of all that is worth taking by gang


of military money-lenders. In one
part Of our long ride from the Caspian
Sea to the Persian Gulf we were atten-


ded by an officer of the road-guard and
some half dozen of his men. For days
these people accompanied our caravan,
by order Of the Governor Of the prov


ince we were traversing- We observed


that whenever they approached flock


Of goats or sheep, the officer. with one


or two men, rode toward the herd. and


that soon afterward one Of the flock


was following at our heels. The officer


sold animals thus obtained at every


town We passed, and pocketed the pro-


ceeds of the transaction, which we have


no doubt was highway robbery. In an


swer to our demand for an explanation


Of his conduct, which we Threatened to


report to the Governor, he replied that


he had lent the herdsman money and


was only taking security for repay


ment. But this cloak for his probably


ri minal conduct was seemingly trans


parent to his gigling followers, who per


haps had received some small share in


the gains Of these roberies by men


whose immediate duty it was to protect


us and our baggage from robbers.


Walking one day through the narrow


and filthy streets Of Ispahan with the


only English resident, We met with


two native complainants. The first,


Jew, said that the house Of his brother,
q silversmith, had been broken into and


plundered by the servants Of the Gov
ernor, with the plea that they wanted
to carry the brakeman before the Prince
to answer a case In which money was
claimed from him by Persian. The
second was a henna-dyed follower Of
Islam, who informed us that Persian,


with whom our companion was well ac-
Quainted, and who, though the son of
poolah, was known for broad" views,
mad been summoned before the Prince
and bidden in friendly language QOr
he had lived on such terms with the
GoverDor) to abandon the wearing of
trousers Of European pattern as Offen-
sive, upon one of his descent to the
Sheik-in-lslam. The man, eager to
obey the wishes of his illustrious friend,
departed and quickly reappeared in or
thodOx costume. Co." said the graft
fled Prince, and show him how quickly
at my request, you conformed to his de-
SIRE" The man went, but Immediately
upon reaching the presence of the re-
ligious authority, who Is an ecclesiasti-
cal judge ex Ofiicio, he was seized, and
without pretense or trial. sentenced to
"one hundred sticks" The English
man at once undertook inquiry into
the truth of this story. He found that
no exaggeration had been made, and
that the sufferer had been so punished
hat for weeks he would be unable to put
his feet to the ground. In Persia, death
or the sticks Is the commonest punish
ment. The man, in the latter case, is
laid on the ground, and after his shoes
and stockings are removed, his ankles
are passed through leathern loops fast
ened to beam, which is held BY two
men at nearly the length of his legs
from the ground and by them turned
until his ankles are so tightly secured
that no writhing of his back can un-
place them. Near him are laid the
precise number of sticks to which he
is sentenced. These are little switches
five or six feet long. and rather more
than half an inch thick i'm the centre. !
Two experts, who usually wear scarlet
coats bound with black, then take their
places near the beam, each armed with
q stick, with which they in turn be-
labor the soles Of the feet until the
tick is broken too short for use. In
the case above referred to the beating
was continued until the hundred sticks
were reduced to this condition. The
Prince was annoyed at the severe pun
ishment Of his friend, but his Royal
Highness had to bear it, for in Persia
unless stirred to unwonted effort, the
Shah's Government is far less power
full than the chief priest Of Islam.-
Contemporary Rerieio.