Ch.XXIV, p.575, f.1
"Then Muhammad Khan Bigliyirbigi, Amir Arslan Khan and the other
commanders, although they had guaranteed on their honor to spare the lives
of the Babis, assembled them in front of their troops to the accompaniment
of drums and trumpets and ordered one hundred men, chosen from the
different regiments, to take the prisoners and place them in a row. The
command was then given to pierce them with bayonets, which was done. Then
the leaders of the Babis, Sulayman the shoemaker and Haji Kazim
Giltughi were blown to pieces from the mouths of mortars. This type of
execution invented in Asia, but practised also by the English troops during
the revolt in India, with the refinement with which European science and
intelligence invest everything they do, consists in tying the victim to the
mouth of the cannon loaded with powder. When the explosion takes place,
the victim is torn to pieces, the size of the pieces depending upon the
amount of powder used.
"The execution over, the captives were sorted again. They set aside
Mirza Rida, lieutenant of Mulla Muhammad-'Ali, and on all those of high
standing or importance they placed chains about their necks and shackles on
their hands and feet. They then decided to disregard the royal command and
to take them to Tihran in order to augment their triumph. As for the few
unfortunates who were left and whose life or death was of no importance to
anyone, they were abandoned and the victorious army returned to the
capital, dragging with them their prisoners, who walked ahead of the horses
of the victorious generals.
"Upon their arrival in Tihran, the Amir Nizam, prime minister, found
it necessary to make an example of this new execution and Mirza Rida,
Haji Muhammad-'Ali and Haji Muhsin were condemned to have their veins
slashed open. The three victims learned the news without betraying the
least emotion; they declared, nevertheless, that the lack of good faith, of
which the authorities had been guilty, was not one of those crimes that the
Almighty could be satisfied with punishing in the ordinary way; He would
demand a punishment more impressive and striking for the persecutors of His
saints. Consequently, they foretold that the prime minister would very
soon suffer the same death that he was inflicting upon them.
"I have heard this prophecy referred to and I do not doubt for an instant
that they who informed me of it, were firmly convinced of its truth. I
must however state here that when I was told about it, four years had
elapsed since the Amir-Nizam was thus put to death by royal edict. The
only thing I can affirm therefore is that I was given assurance that the
prophecy had really been made by the martyrs of Zanjan." (Comte de
Gobineau's "Les Religions et les Philosophies dans l'Asie Centrale,"
pp. 207-209.)