Mr. Hardy to Mr. Hay.
Teheran, Persia, December 21, 1898.
Sir: In Mr. Tyler’s No. 21, of April 21, 1898, the Department was informed of the arrest and imprisonment at Tabriz of Mr. Bagdasarian, a naturalized American citizen, formerly a Turkish subject. I have no very great sympathy with Mr. Bagdasarian, who, both before and since his arrest, has shown a facility for getting into trouble, and who seems to belong to that troublesome class of naturalized subjects whose chief object in changing their nationality is to return and to live abroad under the protection of the United States. Unless some such distinction, however, as I had the honor to suggest in my No. 38, of August 8, 1898, is made and uniformly acted upon, it is exceedingly important for the safety of Americans residing in Persia that all such flagrant violation of treaty rights should be summarily dealt with. This case was therefore vigorously pressed upon the attention of the foreign office, with the result that the governor of Azabaijan was ordered to pay to Mr. Bagdasarian, who, through the assistance of Her Britannic Majesty’s consul-general in Tabriz, had already been liberated and declared innocent, the indemnity of 200 tomans claimed in his behalf.
Again, in June last the house of Dr. J. G. Wishard, of the American mission in the Shimran, was forcibly entered and robbed of personal effects to the value of 200 tomans. This was not a petty larcency, but a night attack by armed men. Dr. Wishard had taken every precaution within his power and had the usual guard of soldiers, who not improbably were cognizant of or concerned in the affair. The promptest measures were taken by him and myself for the discovery and arrest of the offenders, but, owing to the absence of all police efficiency and dilatory Persian methods of investigation, without result. I have meantime pressed for an indemnity of 200 tomans, for which there is ample precedent, and the general principle of liability has been admitted by the foreign office and promise of settlement given. But, as in the case of Mr. Bagdasarian, no progress has been made in collecting the money. Telegrams are sent to Tabriz and assurances given, but the claims remain unpaid.
I have, etc.,