Page:The Persian Revolution of 1905-1909 (1910).djvu/211

 ASSASSINATION OF THE AM/NU’S-SULTAN 151

piece of lunar caustic and a paper bearing the inscription :

“‘Abbds Aqé, banker, of Azarbdyjdn, member of the Anjuman, national fd@z No. 41.” It did not appear to which axjuman he belonged, but the ominous re-appearance of the term /fidd’¢ (“ self-devoted ”), originally applied to the assassins who wrought the behests of the “Old Man of the Mountain,” and the fact that this one aujuman numbered at least forty other members ready to purchase a life for a life, could not fail to cause a deep impression}.

Of course the assassination of this powerful and ambitious minister produced a great effect on men’s minds. “The chief event of the last few months,” writes a correspondent in a letter dated Dec. 5, 1907, “was the murder of the Atabak, which was the turning-point of the liberation movement. It showed that this was no child’s play, that there was a grim determination somewhere, that Persians were ready to remove any Minister whom they believed to be plotting against their newly-won liberties. I am loath ever to approve of political assassination, but it is impossible not to recognize the immense good this murder did to the Reform Movement. Since then no one has dared to oppose the Majlis openly, and that Assembly has at last been able to achieve some useful work.” At first, indeed, some horror was expressed by the Persian newspapers at this act of violence, but subsequently and more especially when the contents of the Anglo-Russian Agreement became known, popular sentiment veered strongly towards the assassin, and ‘Abbas Aqa was venerated as a patriot who had given his life to rid his country of a traitor. On the fortieth day after his death, ‘Abbds Aqd’s grave was visited by crowds of persons who wished to do honour to his memory, and speeches praising his action and holding him up to admiration were delivered over his tomb. The following account of these celebrations is from No. 135 of the Hadblu’l- Matin, dated October 8, 1907, pp. 5-6 :—

“Every day and every hour acts and achievements are witnessed on the part of this noble and newly-awakened people

1 Accounts of the assassination are given in No. 56 of the Vidd-yi-Watan, No. 106 of the Had/u’l-Matin, and No. 12 of the Sér-2-Zsréfil.