Coll 28/116 ‘Persia (Iran). Isfahan – Consular situation reports’ [‎398r] (805/876)

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With the CommUnnents ^
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OONFIDBKTIAt.
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Isfahan
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I. Tai-hos,
On tho morning of August 3rd. Mr. Harris, V i 5 e ”9 OI ' lsml o
who was touring near tho Shuturan Kuh in luristan &
had with him Dr.Griffiths of tho CMS Hospital,Isfahan and the
latter*s small son,was ambushed by tribesmen,now held to^he f
Bakhtiaris, It appears that fire was opened from behind sangars
of stones above the track and that one of the first bullets
struck Harris in the leg,killing his horse and throwing him
down# Dr. Grifliths,who was carrying a rifle,fired but was at
once fatally wounded,dying very soon afterwards. Harris then
tried to draw a pistol and while doing so was shot in the ^
head by the guide of the party,xtxuiK who had seized Griffiths
rifle,at close range. The guide was of tho same tribe as the
attackers and had prsoum ( ably been engaged n d^y or so before.
There is no information to be had from the two servants or
Harris ! and the four muleteers of the party,who brought the
news back,of the fate of Griffiths’ son but I think it is
likely that he was killed immediately after the death of the
two men. The attack took place about four days journey by
caravan from the Pereidan district where Harris had already
spent some time in the villages and it seems that a num
ber of village headmen and others both there and during the
journey had strongly advised him not to go to the Shuturan
Kuh area which was said to be dangerous. Harris,no doubt for
some reason which will never be known,had evidently decided to
disregard these warnings having already jw&k planned to seek
news of a Russian aeroplane said to have crashed on the Shutur-
nn Kuh and to investigate reports of Germane hiding there
abouts. He had with him at the time of the attack three I^bel
rifles,one of which was pecked on a donkey and the other two
carried by him and by Griffiths. There was a shot gun in a bac
too. That the ambush had previously been prepared there is no
doubt. Harris and his companions was some way behind the mnin
caravan idiom the attack was made. Whether it was 3 ust rtt-
ack on a party of foreigners and Qurlstlans to obtain their
arms or whether it was in fact for the purpose of liauidatthg
Harris is not clear yet. 1 consider it likely that Ccl.werou-
har,Military Governor of Pereidan,who is known as a German sym
pathiser,may have engineered the whole thing,with the conniv
ance or at the behest of General Zahidi # GOO,Isfrhan.to get rid
of Harris whose activities in -^eroidan were not to their lik
ing or it may have bemn engineered on the spot by Germans if
there were any there expeoially if they had reason to believe
that Harris had been able to confirm their existence. Harris
two servants were evidently connected in some way at least with
tho disposal of his belongings for on their return to *ereidan
they were well treated by Col. Pcrouhar whereas the four mule
teers were kept under arrest. On the arrival of the servants
in Isfahan,the four muletters were again arrested as well as
their master .with whom Harris had stayed and who had helped
the latter to prepare for his journey, whereas the other two
were only examined by the military in Isfahan end let go. So
far there has been no reaction from Tehran to a request to the
Legation to secure the release of these men who,I think,have
been detained solely beceues they assisted s British Govern
ment official in the carrying out of hie duties. Although X
realise that there may be difficulties in the way of taking
punitive action for the murder I feel that,by doing nothing
about it,we shall lose face e one i dor ably in the eyes of thd
Persians and that,if there is any hint of a Russian ojllap^u
in the Caucasus, inaction now may bo costly in other lives lat-
er on. The Persian dooe not edmiro us when we do nothing in
such clrmumstaneoe. He compares ua with the Russians - unip\
ourably. Bakhtiari things seem miiet. Gen, 2 ahidi,whe
credit for fixing* Ohahar Uahal eeems to have adopt-
■a t lev of 'you scratbh V back end I 4 11 scratch yonre*
from Menuohehr Khan of the delivery of 14,00^ kkmxxw
of whoe« 40 ih. Ooverasent against th#