File 3516/1914 Pt 14 'German War: Persia; general situation' [‎218r] (440/532)

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The Mulla and the Deputy-Governor strongly pressed me to take the
statements of several persons who had complaints to make, but this I refused
to do.
At the conclusion of the interview the Mujtahid was smiling and pleased.
He dismissed the congregation of Saiyids and told us confidentially the populace
looked to him to do something in the matter of their grievances I It was only
at the end of the interview, almost as an afterthought, that the Mujtahid
mentioned the Cossacks had occupied the Masjid and that it would cost 2,000
Tumans to repair the damage 1
7. Monsieur Samsonoff arrived at Khidri on the 7th instant. Prom there
he sent a note in Russian to the Officer Commanding the Cossacks, which
-reached us in the evening by the postal courier who was told to say
M. Samsonofl: would stay at Khidri until he received a reply to the note, ap
parently also fearing that the Germans had possibly returned to Kain. I sent
.a letter off to M. Samsonoff the same evening informing him of the position,
and he reached Kain the following day at 10 a.m.
At noon we accompanied M. Samsonoff on a visit to the Deputy
Governor. He announced he had been specially sent by his Government to
act as Political Officer to the Russian troops, and to investigate any
complaints people had to make. He further stated an additional force of
about 1,000 Cossacks would arrive from Turbat in a few days, and exhorted
the Deputy Governor and the people of Kain to give him every assistance in
procuring provisions for the troops.
I gave M. Samsonoff all the information we had gathered, including
copies of the statements of the Sistani we had caught and the statement of a
German “ syce ”, who was brought in later, together with a copy of the letter
found on the Sistani (in veiled code, with explanations of the terms used)
and a copy of the cypher telegram sent by the Germans while at Kain.
We were able to smooth the way for M. Samsonoff by showing the people
he was coming to rectify their grievances ; to introduce him to the Deputy
Governor (a personal friend) and to induce him and the people of Kain to
greet M. Samsonoff with open arms and extend to him the same friendship
thev had for us. Indeed, l am perfectly sure Mirza Assadullah Khan would
not have remained at Kain if we had not been there to induce him to do so,
and the absence of a representative of the Governor would have created an
impossible position for M. Samsonoff, who would have been forced to take up
a role of Dictator.
M. Samsonoff arrived at Kain with only one _ Cossack and a personal
servant. He told us he had practically no ammunition, having expended all
he had in driving off a band of robbers who attacked him near Gunabad. At
his express desire we remained at Kain an extra day, the 9th instant.
I was able to send some cypher telegrams for M. Samsonoff and altogether
X think he had cause to be grateful for the assistance we v ere able to give him.
The Sistani’s statement particularly was of the greates importance to him and
enabled him to wire to Turbat and effect the arrest of Herr Jaeger and t
Armenian, Khwaja Ibrahim.
3 The Sistani’s statement disclosed the fact that a syce (groom) off^e
Krimanj and he was brought back to Earn. His statement (Appendix c;
attached, but it is of little value.
9 We left Kain on the morning of the 10th instant accompanied by
Haider A?Ehan and n ten sowars, and reached Birjand on the mormng of the
12th without incident. rc • n 1
10. In conclusion, I ^Syouwiilhesogoodas to conyey officially
to Mr. Hale an expression of my smeere uianKs m J dered the
services. t^Tvarious^totements and reducing them to writing.
SKSSSfS CSS. ™ °< i*'"” “r “ , “ s ’ I “‘
.chief Mujtahid.