File 1341/1921 Pt 1 'Khorassan Intelligence Summaries 1921-1922' [‎361r] (369/1080)

270.
CIS-FRONTIER.
Bandargaz. —November 27th.
No news of importance. The correspondent continues to report that
everything at Baku is normal. p ^
JBujnurd. — Nil.
Quchan. —December 5th.
An official telegram was received by Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, Governor
of Quchan, addressed to him as “ Officiating Governor ” from which it is
inferred by him that the incoming Governor-General of Khorasan will appoint
someone else as permanent incumbent. The correspondent at this centre
hints there may be consequences if the Kurd is deposed.
The Persian Cossack officer who was deputed to take over rifles and
ammunition still m possession of the Khawanin has proceeded to Sabzewar to
report to the incoming Governor-General his failure to secure the full number
from the former.
A Bolshevik Consular Agent has been nominated to Quchan His
name is Shumakoy. He was manager of the Russian Bank and Consular
Agent in Quchan m 1910.
No news has been received during the week from Bajgiran owing to the
want of an agent there nor from Lutfabad and Sarakhs. The latter is pro
bably due to the closing of the post office on account of the mournin 0 ' cere
monies mentioned on page 2. & ^
271.
TRANS-FRONTIER.
Transcaspia.—There is a large influx of famine refugees from
western Caspian ports into Transcaspia via Krasnovodsk. Some of these had
not seen bread for six months and had been living on grasses, bark, and
fish when procurable. The freezing of inland water had lessened the supply
ot this last article of food. 11 ^
On arrival at Krasnovodsk refugees have to be accustomed gradually to
Turkestan Wtien able t0 di ° est are moved on to the interior of
•i ^ a i Z1 ’i W ^° U f e(1 ^ tor . ture officer Prisoners by hammering brass headed
nails into their shoulders m mockery of their badges of rank, who led a raid
into Persia last year, who spent some time therefor in a Meshed -jail only to be
released by Muhammad Taqi Khan and giyen a command in the Gendarmerie
has been executed for desertion in Askhabad whither he had fled on the death
of his patron.
The Askhabad radio station which used to be on the Bajgiran road just
outside the town, has been moved to the cavalry cantonment of Kaushi some
fcur versts south of the town. The Turkmen Cavalry unit is stationed in this
cantonment and is under the command of a Makhtum Quli Khan.
The present military komissar is Zimin—said not to be the same Zimin
recorded on page 199 of “ Who’s Who in Turkestan’’—The present chief of
the Propaganda Department is Zalilov.
Firuza, the sanitarium of Askhabad, contains a nominal garrison Noth
ing further has transpired regarding its retrocession to Persia. The question
will probably be decided after the ratification of the Russo-Persian treaty
which the Persian Majlis is now deliberating. Should it come again within
Persian confines no better intelligence point with reference to Russian affairs
could be selected.
A Turkmen who was recently in Kushk says that about four months ago
there w r as much activity in the railway shops there. Railway materia] began
to arrive and 500 people were on the muster rolls of the shops. There was
much talk of an extension of the railway line into Afghanistan but, like so
many Bolshevik schemes and plans nothing happened in the end, and now there
are only some 30 people employed in the shops.