'File 61/11 V (D 95) Hejaz - Nejd, Miscellaneous' [‎204v] (425/530)

15th July last were not slave girls, and therefore he would be glad if they could r f j
be handed back at once to the local authorities. In reply, I told him that his 18 f }
news was rather surprising, as, according to the girls' interrogatories, there if J
seemed little reason to doubt that they were slaves. However, in view of the ® rltt r
fact that the local Government contested the case, the Legation would be glad,
as usual, to see any alleged relatives or guardians of the girls at the Chancery, W f,
who would doubtless soon prove their claim to our satisfaction. Ali Taha ^
demurred to this, and stated that detailed enquiries made by all the local J
authorities concerned, including the police, had elicited the fact that the girls fc 0 !
were free and had never been slaves. He added that if we could not accept the IP !
local Government's word for this, we could send the girls to the Sharia Court,
where they could soon be identified as ordinary citizens. I hastened to assure
Sheikh Ali Taha at this point that we had no reason at all to doubt that the local b 1 ' 0 ^
Government's enquiry had been comprehensive and painstaking, but that we, on
our side, wished to complete our own investigations. In these circumstances, I
prayed him to assist us by allowing the case to take its normal course, viz., by ^
the early attendance here of an alleged relative or relatives, guardian oV
guardians, with whom we could amicably discuss the matter in the first instance, i
I asked the sheikh here to co-operate with us in a matter which, on the face of it, I f 51 c
appeared comparatively simple. But Sheikh Ali Taha again demurred. He
said that the girls were free, and, if necessary, the local Government would give jiffltsta
the Legation a certificate to this effect. In reply I pointed out that these girls
had taken refuge at the Chancery; that we had at the moment every reason to ®^
believe that they were slaves, and, in these circumstances, all we asked for was lltowoid
for their co-operation in assisting us to complete our own formalities. I thanked itico
him for his offer, but told him that, though we appreciated the Government's 1 Ise
good faith, we could not. for the time being, solve the problem in this way. (At jiegi
this juncture Sheikh Ali Taha rang off, saying that he would return to the charge ■ fl fk
later, after he had consulted his chief.) fctol
2. I took the opportunity of this respite to send for the two girls. I told iljestrs
them that we had now heard that there was every reason to believe that thev were iiti
not slaves, and that, if it were found out later that they were in fact free I i
girls, the consequences to them would be serious. Neither blandishments nor iesk
wiles, nor hectoring nor intimidation would shake them. The younger sister km
burst into tears during the cross-examination, but separately and jointly they
reiterated that they were slave girls, and that their interrogalion papers, drawn iia
up five days previously, represented the true history of the case. 1 saw that it ife
was useless to continue. I sent them away, and told them to talk over the matter ito
together for a quarter of an hour, when I would send for them again and expect ipir]
to hear the truth. (I made it easy for them to confess gracefully and without
penalty, and dilated on the fearsome consequences of an obstinate persistence in
their story.)
3. bheikh Ali Taha rang up again a few minutes later. W^e went over the
same ground I persisted that alleged relatives or guardians should visit the
Chancery m the first instance, while he insisted that the two girls should be sent
to the Sharia Court at once. As no progress was made, Ali Taha rang off A few
minutes later I went to discuss the matter with head of Chancery when we were
mterrupted by a telephone call from Sheikh Ali Taha, who asked for an interview
with Mr. Calvert. I told him that I would speak to Mr. Calvert and oive him a
reply m due course. &
4. In consultation with Mr. Oppenheim I sent for the two girls as arranged
and again saw them separately and jointly. We saw the younger sister first.
1 asked her to remember our previous talk, and to tell me finally whether she was
a slave girl In reply she stated clearly and categorically that she was a slave
girl, and had been treated as such m her master's house. I put further questions,
but again nothing would shake her testimony. We then saw the other sister, and
repeated the process, with the same result. Further questions were put to both
o them but they remained adamant. In view of their immovable attitude, we
t^T^i^ e Ar X TT reported thmatter t0 Mr - Calvert, who agreed
to see hneikh All Taha at 12-45 p.m.
thp mnrnL S ^n? r t I ir a ^i e f 1 T li i rie? 0n j the Same evenin g (the 20th July), and on
.•« thfi kfll i 7 '. m . 0 u t0 get a™? 161, information about the girls'
?hTt M tw a g master g house. The result of these enquiries indicated
that (a)there was reason to believe that the girls were not slaves; and they