Manchester Democrat. [volume], November 08, 1899, Image 3

About Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
BENEATH THE HOOD.
Beneath the hood her eyes were"
bright—
1 shyly watched her where she
stood—
Her tresBCB looked like scraps of night
Beneath the hood.
Such smiles would stir a hermit's
blood,
Such Hps—like flowers warm and
light—
Would quickly melt the Iciest mood,
Beneath the hood.
I stole behind her—'twasn't right.
I call It neither wise nor good—
I put propriety to flight
Beneath the hood.
—C. Keller in Midland.
"A gentleman—a Mr. Portman—to
see you, sir," said my landlady, looking
In at my door.
"Show him up, Mrs. Jennings," I re
plied, without glancing up from my
manuscript-
A few moments.later Mr. Portman,
an entire stranger to me, was ushered
into my room. He came forward—a
ninn of large build, some 40 years of
age, with a slight stoop-^and, fixing a
pair of dreamy dark eyes upon me,
he inquired. In a low, earnest: tone:
"Mr. Cecll LawTence, I believe?"
"ies. Be' seated a moment, will
you?" I replied, indicating a chair.
He .accepted the otter silently, and
waited my leisure, his eyes fixed upon
the crackling logs In the grate, and
his chin resting upon his hands.
"What can-I do for you, Mr.—Mr.
Portman?" I asked, presently, putting
down my pen and turning round upon
my visitor.
"You are Mr. Cecil Lawrence, the au
thor, are yon not?" he returned.
"Yes."
"The author'of 'A Romance In Blue
Dye'?"
"Yes."
"Do you mind telling me how you
came by the plot for that story?" he
said^hls dreamy- eyes lighting np for
an'" taut.
'Vin afraid I cannot give you any In.
formation upon that matter," I replied.
"Authors do hot generally communi
cate their methods of work and
thought to strangers, and'my time is
at present so much occupied that, un
less yon really ha ye some important
business with ino'l really.—"
"I have important business with
..you!* he. exclaimedj almost angrily.
"Do you fancy that I have come down
all the wny from Lancashire to ask a
mere slip of an author his-methods of
work?"
"From Lancashire?" I sold, in sur
prise. "Indeted no no sane man would.
But pleaae state your business."
"Will-you nnswer my question?" he
cried, rising impatiently and folding
his hands behind his back. "How did
you come by the facts In your story?"
"Since you attach sricli undue im
portance to the matter," I replied cold
ly, '1 can only-say that 1 owe some of
the plot of iny 'Romance in Blue Dye'
to a newspaper paragraph I chanced
upon some eighteen months ago."
"Can you 'show me this paragraph?"
"Keally, unless you can tell me in
jyhat way this matter Is of so much
^'Importance to you, I fear I must de
^cllue to continue this interview, for,
as-1 have already told you, I am ex
ceedingly busy."
He looked at me steadily for a mo
ment In silence, and the light came Into
IV his eyes again.
5 "My name Is Portman—John Port
n)an, of Portman. & Stayle, dyers and
cleaners, Bochdale," he said in a pe
culiar tone I could not understand.
"Do you understand?"
"No. I may. bo very define, but I
don't understand in whai way the
statement of your identity proves the
importance of your visit," I Responded,
becoming annoyed with bii^bis man
ners, and his tone.
"You don't eh?" he blurted out.
"Vell, Stayle, my late partner, was
the man who was found In the vat of
dye. You are a picturesque liar, you'
know!"
I started—not at the fellow's insult,
but at the germ of an Idea that was
dawning upon me. This man, then,
was the actual being whom I had cre
ated, as I thought, in the person of
James Saxon, the murderer of his
partner. I fully understood now how
greatly this man, whose actual exist
ence I had never suspected, must have
been annoyed by my .book for, doubt
less, persons who had read it and
knew of the manner in which my vis
itor's unfortunate partner had met his
death had commented upon the matter
unpleasantly to my visitor.
"Do you understand me now?" my
visitor demanded, seeing I was not
prepared to say anything about his
us speech.
Yes, I fear so," I replied, with a
sickly smile. "But. if you have come
here with the intention of bullying me
you made an error in the address. My
solicitors, Messrs. Wright & Wright,
Ely Place, are the people to call upon."
-He looked at me and frowned. Then
be crossed the oom, locked the door,
and put the key'In his pocket
"What the deuce do you mean?" I
cried, starting up indignantly. "You
are presuming unpardonably! Beplace
the key and unlock the door!" And I
went over to him as I spoke.
"Gently, gently, my good sir," he
said. "I am not nearly satisfied with
our chat yet Look at this and sit
down quietly."
"This," which he •held in my face,
was a revolver. Was I at the mercy
of a madman
"You are at the wrong end of It,
you know, so sit down and be civil."
I shrugged my shoulders and return
ed to my chair, having the unpleasant
sensation that he was "covering" me
all the time.
When I had seated myself, he came
and sat down at the other side of my
table, laid his revolver in front of him,
and began to bite his nails. I waited
his pleasure silently, wondering what
I could best do.
"It's like this!" he said, so suddenly
that he startled me out of my thoughts.
"I had a partner. That partner gets
drowned at our works In. a butt of pur
ple—not blue, mind you—dye. You see
the bare facts mentioned in the pa
pers (this Is what you say!) write a
story about It. You make me, John
Saxon of your accursed book, murder
my partner, and you bring me to jus
tice, eh?"
"Yes, that's it," I replied, as easily
08 I could., "I offer you my slncerest
apologies for the unpleasantness it
must have caused you but I assure
yon. on my honor, I never dreamed
that you really existed, or I should not
havenised such a plot."
"But you must have known! You
illllgf tjfivp seei)!" he cried, leaning over
the table and hissing his word* into
my face.
What would have happened If the
meaning of his words had flashed, in
stead of dawning, slowly, upon me I
cannot think—r never want to know.
But, coming upon my worried brain
slowly, the meaning did not make me
start, and my visitor, who evidently
realized he had spoken without think
ing how he spoke, probably trusted I
bad missed his second sentence.
To help him to that belief I an
swered
"How could I have known the unfor
tunate dyer had ii partner? I realize
my horrible mistake now, of course.
I ought never to hnve written the
book without first inquiring whether
my plot would encroach too much
upon actual facts."
He did not seem to hear me. He wbb
staring over my shoulder, deep Jn
thought, like a man who dreams his
thoughts.
"Bah!" he said suddenly, with great
passion. "How did you learn all you
know, eh? You could not hnve guess
ed what no one else had suspected!"
"I fear 1 do not understand you," I
said, with a smile.
To my uttermost surprise he made a
sudden dash round the table at me,
but In the moment of his heightened
passion he forgot his revolver. I
thrust out my "arm and snatched It
from the table as I quickly dodged my
assailant and, stepping ba«k, I held
the barrel In his face.
'Stand back, John Saxon, or I fire!"
I cried.
He staggered back and leaned
against the "wall.
'Give me the key, John Saxon," I
said sternly.
With his wild eyes fixed upon the
revolver, he took,the key from his
pocket and threw It npon the table. -I
took it up and drew toward the door.
As If he realized that the door would
open only to allow him to pass out to
the gallows, he made a desperate, sud
den spring at me as, with my left
hand, I slipped the key Into the lock.
'Stand back!" I cried, and pushed
the revolver into the hollow of hls^
ashy cheek.
"Stop!" he ejaculated hoarsely, as
with an Impetuous gesture he pushed
his lank hair off his moistened brow
with hoth his hands. "What are you
going to do, old man? A price, price,
price! A price—my life! I'll buy my
life! A price'?"
He crept toward me, shaking bis
trembling arms above his head. Sud
denly, he stopped, and his eyes started
from their sockets. He threw his cliin
forward as If trying to swallow some
lump rising In his throat Then, as
I sprang to him, he twisted on his .heel
and fell in a heap npon the floor.-
A price! Nemesis had refused his
price for life.
Preaches la a Red Robe.
The Rev. A. W. Hobson, pastor of
an independent church in Lyons, Neb.,
is known as ''the Man In Red," from
the fact that he always-preaches-ln a
red robe. "When people ask me," he
says, "what the red robe means I tell
them that they have made, the same
inquiry exactly tliat the Prophet Isaiah
did 650 years before Christ I am not
permitted to divulge the secret of the
red robe at present (though It will
gradually be done as the days go by),
further than to say, whatever else it
means, for the present It is emphati
cally a question mark, viz., 'Why art
thou red In. thine apparel?' (Isaiah
1*111., 2). As such, for the present, let
It remain. Every one instantly asks
the question when they see it. A lady
recently nsked me, 'Are there any oth
ers than yourself?' I answered, 'Yes.
many In all parts of the world.'. She
again asked, 'Do your followers be
lieve as you do, and wear the red
robe?' I answered, 'Madam, I have no
followers they are all the followers of
the Lord Jesus Christ and will, atHlB
command, put on the robe of red.'
New York Tribune.
A Bee ind Plgeea Rice.
Probably few people could say off
hand whether bees or pigeons fly the
faster. Yet the question has been ex
perimentally decided in favor of the
bee. A race'for a wager took place at
Hamme, In Westphalia. A dozen bees
and. as many pigeons were carried to
the village of lthyuliern, about a
league dlBtant and there liberated.
The bees were first rolled in fiour in
order to identify them. In the result
the first bee finished a quarter of a
minute in advance of the first pigeon,
and three others arrived before the
second pigeon. The main body of
both bees and pigeons arrived togeth
er a few seconds later.
Hit Aoptaranea Against Him.
"You wouldn't think from the looks
of that old fellow that he is one of
the ripest scholars In this town."
"It doesn't surprise me. He's the
seediest looking man I've seen to
day."'—Chicago Tribune, .:'r
KRUGER.
RHODESIA
ftAMATHMBAMA ff
1
"You lie! You know you lie! Do
you think I have come here to be suck
led on such prevarications? Do you
think I brought this with me for any
reason but to get from you an account
of how yon discovered the purple Bpot
on my shirt, how you saw how It hap
pened, as you must have done, though
you don't say so In yonr accursed
story? Can't you see, Ingenious puppy,
that I mean to know, and when I
know to send you where you cannot
ran down a man by novel writing, nor
put the law upon him? It's your life
or mine!"
"With all your threats,' said,
"you're a big bit of a fool, Mr. Port
man, or else your-mind is unhinged.
The book was mainly written Upon the
merest conception of my own, sug
gested to me by a short paragraph. I
have already told you that. The man
ner la which my murderer, John Sax
on, was brought to Justice for hiB
crime was pure fiction work. Now are
you satisfied?"
"No!" he replied, throwing himself
back In his chair. "What you say may
be true I don't know. In any caBe,
your story has put me under the sus
picion of the poUce and the people of
Bochdale. I am a marked man, I don't
doubt Probably the police are hunt
ing me down, now—now! But they
won't find the shirt!"
"Probably you overrate the Interest
the police and people of Rochdale take
in my novels and the death of your
partner," I said, with an effort at
calmness not too easy to assume.
'Possibly I do!" he replied, in a
hoarse voice, with a fugitive glance at
the door. "But there is you to reckon
with now!"
'Me?"
'Yes, you! Do you think If I knew
I was as safe from suspicion as be
fore your book was written I could
leave you after' what I've said to you
to-night?"
'What do you propose to do, then?
Give yourself over to the police, eh?"
I asked Ironically, for I was weary of
the terrible nervous strain.
"It is you or me, and, by my soul, I
will seal your lips!"
•tOEMHOT
llHUTIANA
O A N E E E S A E
CTjO HE issue between the English and
the Boers is one as old as this cen
tury. lu rnauy different forms, but
always with much the same ground of
quarrel at the bottom, it has reappeared
wlth each succeeding decade. Many
times the two peoples^have met on the
battlefield, and when war itself haB not
existed rumors of war between them
have been current. Wherever the Eng
lishman and the Boer have had their
common interests in one territory strife
has been snre to come, for the qualities
and ideals of the two-are widely dissim
ilar.
The great gold fields in the. Transvaal
fcre the material facts that have caused
A WEALTHY BUBGHBtt.
the conditions for the present struggle,
for it is through them that Englishman
and Boer have been brought so close to
gether. The Boers claim to be the lords
of the Transvaal country, and they per
sist in regarding the foreign settlers—the
UUlanderq—as temporary residents with
out real rights. Sharply opposed to this
view stands England, whose many sons
in Transvaal land have their immense in
vestments in mines and machinery and
demand a full share in the government.
4*The
Transvaal for the-Boers," is Presi
dent Kruger's cry, while the English
against it shout: "Pull rights,, civil and
political, for our emigrants who settle in
your land."
The problem takes on many phases, hut
not one of them can clearly be under
stood without back reference to the his
tory of the relations of Boers and Eng
lish. The first form of the issue i^ over
the question of sovereignty. England is
asserting her suzerainty, while admitting
Boer independence in local affairs, and
Kruger Is denying England's claim. Such
Is the history of the two that each con
fairly make its claim.
Sovereignty or rio sovereignty would
not, however, be a burning question was
there not reason for insisting on it. The
more practical statement of the issue is
that it concerns the political franchise
rights which the Uitlanders now find it
so difficult to acquire, and which Eng
land insists so strongly they shall secure
on reasonable conditions. It is on ac
count of inability to agree on the terms
of the franchise, combined with views
•about sovereignty, which leave no mid
dle gronnd. that war canfe, but even the
franchise Is only an Incident la securing
what the English really want. Sir Al
fred Milner, who has been the foremost
English agent In negotiations with the
Boers, has said that he insisted on the
franchise merely because he thought it
would help the Uitlanders to secure for
A BOSK SUPPLY TRAIN.
themselves what they need, and because
he thought an agreement could be reach
ed concerning it more easily than con
cerning the many reforms in Boer laws
which are the real objections to be at
talned-for the benefit of the Uitlanders,
and the real occasion of England's inter
vention.
Main Grievances Stated.
Reaching thus the kernel of England's
reasons for interference in the Trans
vaal, the main grievances of the Uitland
ers against Boer rule in the Transvaal
can be summed up in the following dec
larations:
The Uitlanders pay practically all the
taxes of the Transvaal, yet have no say
as to how the money shall be spent.
Their children have to speak Dutch in
order to gain a proper education.
Johannesburg is wretchedly governed,
and Is ill a fearfully unsanitary condi
tion. The Uitlanders have no power in
monicii-al government.
Their newspapers are gagged.
They are not allowedxto hold public
meetings.
Trial by jury is turned into a farce.
The dynamite monopoly is an obstacle
to the industrial progress of Johannes
burg.
The president may without trial expel
any Uitlander from the Transvaal.
He controls, the cables and can delay
messages.
The Uitlanders pay more money in
tfties than is spent in the government of
the Transvaal.
The Uitlander has been disarmed and
compelled to pay for a fort erected to ter
rorise him.
This, then, has been the status in the
TransvaaJi The Boer, caring only for
farming, hunting and religion, narrow,
bigoted, but fearfuHy strong considering
his numbers, rules the Uitlander. thre*
l/tmn nuprow, and striraalr hinders
BOER AND BRITON.
Hif'cry of the Trouble Which Has Led to War
in the Transvaal.
TRANSVAAL
ftUJTCNMftC
_J VIUCtMMM
POTCHtFSTftOOOt
KICftKSDOft*
MlOOUiUM
./JOHANNESBURG
sn«UMf*t
WN9UR6
3 BOER NATIONAL SONO.
Flag of our precious land, wave on,
Transvaal's four-color free.
We pray mar God the band strike down
er raised to lower thee.
Float proudly,.banner, to the wind,
For past the threatening til,
Our foes have fled nnd left behind
A land unconquered still.
Through many years of hate and blood,
Dear flag, thou didst endure,
Again the storm thou bast withstood
And floated still secure.
And as of old when foes assail
O'er brave hearts thou shalt wave,
Nor *halOthe blnck or Brit prevail
While we have strength to save.
Thou art, dear flag, our token true,
Transvaal's four-color free,
To thee we pledge ourselves anew,
Till death we'll Strive for thee.
Aloft o'er all our precious land
Wave, banner, proudly on,
Bv God forsaken be the hand
E'er raised to drag thee dowto.
the latter in his modern struggle for
wealth.
The war is, however, not merely a war
with the Transvaal. The Boer rules un
disputed in the Orange Free State as
well as in the Transvaal. Boers live in
great numbers invNatal, which the Eng
lish long ago wrested from their indepen
dent rule. -Boers, too, are many in Cape
Colony. Everywhere they are of the same
nature and ideals. Everywhere they, \Hll
band themselves together as foes of Eng
land. A war with the Transvaal means
also war with the Orange Free State and
bitter fighting with Boer sympathizers on
English colonial soil.
The Transvaal, or South African Re
public, as it is properly called, Is a region
about- as large as the State of Nevada,
and Is completely surrounded by foreign
countries, having no direct outlet to the
sea. To the north and west are (he
British possessions, 'Bechuanaland and
Rhodesia. To the south is the friendly
Qtangp Free State, and-also Natal,' a
British province. Tp the east are the
Portuguese colonies.
MA8UTQN
HCJ0CIBU6 SWAZI,
BTftCCHT
•bttWMIO
LAOYSMfTN
A
TYPE OP ARMORED TRAIN EQUIPPED BY THE BRITISH.
Hilly and even mountainous, full of
sharp ravines and regions of difficult pas
sage the Transvaal Is peculiarly adapted
for defensive operations, and even with
inferior fighters than the Boers could
long hold out against a great force. The
Boers settled it only after a series ofbut there was no redress,
hard experiences, the result of which had
been to drive them north and. east from
the African settlements they had orig
inally made.
Struggles in Former Days.
Only by considering the past struggles
with the: English can the present one be
seen in Its true proportions. The Boers
were the original European settlers of
South Africa. Of Dutch descent, they
had sturdy qualities, which their life In
the savage lands only served to tpak*
sturdier. They were farmers from the
first, and by the sweat of the negro races
they grew In wealth. The English took
definite possession of the Cape in 1814,
and the English immigration .then began
in such great waves that Holland emi
grants and Boer children could not keep
up the balance of power. The situation
was much such as exists now in the
Transvaal, where the Uitlanders out
number the Boers, except for the fact
that then the Boers were actually and
not merely nominally subjects of Great
Brituin. The English rule was autocrat
ic, and the Boer idea about slaves and
land holding fitted so little with the Eng
lish ideas that soon the Boers had two
great grievances against tuelr rulers.
The Dutch-French colonists quarreled
with the English continually and num
bers of them "treked" or tracked norths
ward In search of farming lands. Their
BOBK SENTINELS ON DUTY.
first settlements were In Natal, but from
there also the English drove them, and
then they "treked" into the Transvaal,
where, on an unpromlsiug uplaud. 0,000
feet above the sea level, they became
Boers—"farmers." There they hoped the
British would leave them alone and their
hopes might have been realized had not
the discovery of gold been made there in
1866.
Prior to that time, In 1852, England
CHAMBERLA.IK.
MEN 20
A N
MM*
SNCK
had practically acknowledged the inde
pendence of the Transvaal, otherwise
known as the South African Republic.
In 1854 the Orange Free States were
also declared independent, but by both
treaties and conventions England retain
ed suzerainty.
There was trouble In 1881 when a
force of British was repulsed at Majuba
Hill, the incident leading to a revision of
the convention in that year and again in
1884. It is the latter which defines the
degree of authority reserved by England
under its suzerainty, and the contentions
over which are involved in the present
trouble. By its terms the South African
OLD PORT AT MAFBKING.
Republic has fall powers to frame and
amend its constitutions and administer
its internal affairs, but is'prohibited from
making auy treaty save with its neigh
bor, the Orange Free States, without the
cousent of the Queen.
By this time British, Americans, Ger
mans nnd French were pouring into the
gold country, and Johannesburg began to
take on the size and character of an
American mining town. This annoyed
.the Boers, but their thrift did not de
sert them, and although they avoided
mining and stuck to their farms, they
found many means to derive national
revenue from the Uutlandcrs or "out
siders." The government, under Presi-
dent Kruger, levied transport dues,
stamp taxes, license fees, franchise costs,
customs and monopoly charges onvsuch a
mining necessity ns dynamite.
The British in the Transvaal appealed
to London and London appealed to Preto
By 1800
TYPBS OP UOBR SOLDIERS.
the Outlanders were paying to the Boer
government a revenue of. #,000,000 an
nually, which consisted almost entirely
in a tax on mining.
Then a number of prominent English
and American miners formed in Johan
nesburg what has passed into history as
the National Reform Union Committee,
of which Lionel, Phillips was chairman!
and John Hays Hammond, an American,
an officer. They were in communication
with Cecil Rhodes, resident director of
the British South Africa Company, and
Leander Starr Jameson, known as "Dr.
Jiin." What happened is of too recent
occurrence and too sensational to have
passed from the memory of readers.
The first battle of the Jameson raid
occurred at Krngersdorp oh Jan. 1, 1890
the second at Doornkop the day follow
iug, when Jameson's already defeated
raiders were all captured by the Boers.
President Kruger turned over the raid
ers to the British- Government, which
sentenced Jameson to fifteen months .in
jail and some of his officers to shorter
tcrfos, after making them the heroes of
London for weeks.
Kruger arrested hundreds of Outland
ers in Johannesburg on the charge of
treason, and upon trial four were sentenc
ed to death. Among the latter, was the
American mining expert, John Hays
Hammond, but their sentences, were com
muted to fine and imprisonment. Both
the Boers and the British were fighting
mad, and everyoue expected war would
follow between them, but it was averted
in a curious manner.
Emperor 'William of Germany sent a
cable message of sympathy to President
Kruger, fh» enfu}| terrible of the
family of notions by this characteristic
act changed the whole situation. England
was so mad at William that for a time
she forgot or ignored Kruger. She as
sembled such a fleet of war vessels as
has never before In the history of the
world prepared for war—aud William
sang softly.
Trouble Not Remedied,
But the trouble in the Transvaal was
not remedied. War talk was heard from
time to time in the Transvaal as well as
in England, and in August, 1807, Presi
dent Kruger, in an address to the volks
raad, openly denied that England pos
sessed any rights of sovereignty over the
country.
In March last Joseph Chamberlaini
brought the Transvaal situation promi
nently before the House of Commons.
He said that President Kruger had prom
ised reforms, but that none of his pro
posals would be satisfactory. In another!
speech during the same month he defined,
the right of intervention in the Trans
vaal which Ejngland had, limiting it to
cases in whicn the convention of 1884
had beeh"""Violated, or in which English
subjects had been treated in such man
ner ns would give cause for intervention
if they were residents of some indepen
dent foreign country, as France or Ger
many.
March 24 a petition, which had been
signed by over 20,000 British subjects in
the Transvaal, was forwarded- to the
British Government through Conyngbam
.Greene, the British agent at Pretoria. It
dealt with political grievances only, and.
aimed to show that the Boers were con
tinually making existence harder for the
Uitlanders. A body known as the Uit
lander council was formed, and its com
munications with Sir Alfred Milner, gov
ernor of Cape Colony, met with a favor
able response. Negotiations, in the hope
of securing a settlement of the troubles,
only resulted in. producing a firmer and
more emphatic assertion of his rights
President Kruger.
No definite answer to the Uitlanders'
petition came uutil May 10, when Joseph
Chamberlain suggested a conference be
tween Sir Alfred Milner and President
Kruger at Pretoria. President Steyn of
the Orange Free State at once invited
the two men to meet at his capital,
Bloemfontein, and a week later both ac
cepted the invitation. The demand made
by Milner was that every foreigner who
bad been a resident of the Transvaal five
years, and proposed to make it his per-"
manent home, should be given full citi
zenship, and that the distribution of rep
resentatives of the volksraad should be
so arranged that the Uitlanders, who
mostly live near Johannesburg, should
have proper share in the government.
The best that President Kruger would
do was much less than this. He propos
ed a two years' residence prior to natu
ralization, and then five years more be
fore the granting of the full franchise.
He placed so many -'conditions around
even this offer that it was regarded with
much suspicion. The conference had no
practical result. President Kruger sug
gested arbitration by a foreign power,
but owing to the British claim of sover
eignty the commissioner could not con
sent to this.
Fntile Negotiations,
Negotiations went on slowly after this.
The British demands formulated them
selves as a five-year period for admission
to full burghership and an increase of the
representation of the mining districts in
the raad to one-fifth of the total number
of members.
A bill embodying some.of these points
was considered by the volksraad during
the early part of July. On the 10th of
that month it was passed In a form that
granted practically what President Kru
ger had proposed at the Bloemfontein
conference.
Messages and diplomatic notes sent
back and forth after this brought out two
points of disagreement. President Kru
ger insisted that if he made any conces
sions to the Uitlanders it should be on
the distinct understanding that England
would not regard its interference as a
precedent and would formally resign all
pretense of sovereignty. Secretary Cham
berlain would not listen to such a sugges
tion.
The other point of disagreement was in
regard to the assurances that any re
forms made would not have nullifying
conditions attached to them. Secretary
Chamberlain began to insist that a joint
committee of Inquiry, made up of expert
delegates representing the Transvaal aud
the British Government, be appointed to
investigate and be sure that all franchies
promises would be carried out.
Aug. 21 President Kruger declined to
take part in any such joint inquiry, but
offered a five-year franchise on condition
that England would promise not to assert
sovereignty in the future, and not to In
terfere again with the internal affairs of
the Transvaal. England formulated,
Sept. 8, a note to the Boers which was
so specific that it was regarded as almost
an ultimatum. It asserted-sovereignty
and reminded Kruger that the proposal
for a joint Inquiry would not always re
main open.
President Kruger replied Sept. 18 with
a definite denial of England's sovereign
ty, and with a refusal to put the English
and Dutch languages on an, equality in
the raad. He also this time placed seven
years as the minimum be would consent
to as a preliminary to the franchise. To
this England replied Sept. 22 with a tem
porizing note which was taken to mean
practically a postponement of any ultima
tum till her troops were ready for the
field. The volksraad had Aug. 28 re
jected the proposal to do away with the
dynamite monopoly, and that made the
situation with England still worse.
Active arming was kept up on both
sides, and the situation was intensified
when, on Sept. 28, the Orange Free State
raad decided to cast its fortunes with its
neighbor republic. Britain continued to
pour troops into South Africa, and the
Boers were not slow to meet the emer
gency. The district north of Dundee and
Newcastle were hurriedly turned iuto
camping grounds by the burghers, Laing's
Nek wras occupied, and other steps were
taken that menaced an invasion of Na
tal.
Oct 10 Kruger's government sent an
ultimatum to London demanding the
withdrawal of British troops from the
frontier and the return .to England of
the special forces sent to South Africa
and of the forces en route. If not com
plied with, state of war was to exist
in twenty-four hours. The next day
Montague -White, the Boer consul gen
eral, quitted London, and war was prac*
tlcally on.
Boer Fighting Strength.
The fighting strength of the Boers is
very hard to estimate. It is safe, how
ever, to say that with the, Transvaal and
Orange Free State side by side, and with
recruits from Natal and Cape Colony,
they can muster an army of 50,000 men.
The white male population of the Trans
vaal Is placed by the census of 1880 at
137,047. Of these about 26,000 art
thought to be able-bodied. The white
male population of the Orange Free.Stati
in 1800 was 40,571, and the number of
burghers available for military service
17,881.
The Boers proudly say that each one
of them is equal to seven Englishmen,
and the truth is that-they are among the
most skillful marksmen in the world.
Eveu old Oom Paul cfin handle his rifle
with sufficient skill- to make him boastful
of the amount of lead he can put in Eng
lish heads. By an order of the volksraad
Issued Aug. 14 all burghers of both
classes are made liable for military ser
vice at quick notice.
The estimated cost of war with the
Bo4rs as made by the English war office
is £5,000,000 ($25,000,000), but other com
puters place it nearer £75,000,000 ($875,
000,000). The English regular army in
Cape Colony consists of 27,500 well-dis
ciplined men, but this number has been
increased by regiments from India nnd
from British garrisons.
A girl of sixteen thinks it is the
proper thing to get shocked if her
mother sits out on the front porch with
anything but her best dress on.
Self-possession is more than nine
points in law-nr in anything etoe for
th*t m§tfer,
ABOUND A BIG STATE
INTERESTING ITEMS OF LATE
IOWA NEWS.
Plot to Wreck and Rob a Train—A
Tonag Woman's Body Found in a
River—Hobo Holds Up Hobo-Trouble
at Qirls* Reform School.
A plot to wreck and rob a north-bound
passenger train on the Burlington, Cedar
Rapids and Northern road near Rockford
oo a recent ndgbt was revealed by four
arrests. It was also stated that the at
tempted crime was the third futile effort
of the kind within three weeks. The men
arrested are Frank Hay of Rockford,
Young Barkett, living near Nora Springs
Charles Wilson and "Jupe'* Brockett.
The first two have both served time in
the penitentiary, and all are said to be
members of an organized gang of would
be train wreckers. Other suspects are
under surveillance. Brockett is said to
have confessed. The train which escap
ed wreck had $35,000 In cash on its ex
press car. It passed safely^over a sec
tion of track which was displaced, but
news of the affair was kept secret until
the arrests had been made.
Tramp Held Up.
A strange case of hold-up occurred on
a freight in charge of Conductor H. Rob
erts, just before Montour was reached.
Two tramps were stealing a ride, when
one of them held up the other, stripping
him of his clothes, which with a few
dollars, made up all the man had. He
offered resistance, however, and his as
sociate shot him, the badl passing through
the jaw and out at the mouth. The
wound was not serious. The engineer of
the train saw the flash of the revolver
when it was fired and when the train
stopped tEe injured tramp was fonnd. He
gives his name as O'Connell. The would
be murderer and robber made his escape.
Mystery in a Girl's Death.
The body of a young woman was found
in the Des Moines river at Des Moines
and identified as that of MaMe Schofield
of Macksbnrg. She was 21 years old
and went to Des Moines a few days be
fore to visit at the home of J. W. Thom
as. She was missed* bat no anxiety was
felt and the first suspicion of trouble
came when the body was found. The
corooer and physicians on examination
declare that she was not drowned, as
there is no discoloration of swelling.
There were no marks of vloleoce, how
ever, and no poison could be detected.
The murder is a complete mystery.
I'rcnpe frOm Reform School.
The inmates of the girls' reform school
at Mitchellville have been In rebellion
and escaped from t^he custodians. A doz
en policemen from Des Moines went to
the scene to assist in rounding them up,
and members of the State board of con
trol' went along to investigate the trou
ble. Twenty girls escaped. They were
recaptured, and the disturbance Incident
to their return set all the inmates going.
Windows and furniture were smashed,
the guards overpowered atnd the girls es
caped.
Beet-Snsar Congress.
The Farmers' Industrial Beet Sugar
convention of the State of Iowa qonven
ed at Clear Lake. James Wilson, 'secre
tary of agriculture, presided over the
meeting. Papers were read by James
Allen of Ames, Neb. Prof. Allen of the
State Agricultural College of Minneapo
lis Theodore Hapke of Pekin, 111. Prof.
Hayes of Minneapolis Prof. C. F. Curtis
of Ames, and C. F. Sayler of Washing
ton, D. C.
Supposed Crook Falls Beneath Train.
A tramp beading his way east fell un
der the wheels of the stone train In the
Northwestern yards at Tama, both legs
being crushed at about the knee. He
gave the name of John Leonard, but
other tramps with whom he has been as
sociating say he went by the name of
Frank Williams and that he comes from
Columbus, Ohio. He died.
Brief State Happenings*N
Horse thieves are at work in Crawford
County.'-
A single tax club has been organized
at Des Moines.
Free rural mail delivery has begun In
the country surrounding Iowa City.
A. T. Wood, the postmaster at Win
tercet, has been convicted of perjury.
The name of the postoffice at Yotmgs
towtn has been changed to Carbondale.
Over one hundred men have been work
ing on the Rock Island grade at Minden.
L. J. Farrell was robbed of $75 while
asleep in a boarding house in Burlington.
Charles Gramkow, residing neaj Per
sia, suffered a loss of about $3,500 by
fire.
Dr. P. Turner, who has just died at
Des Moines, was the founder of the
street railway in that city.
G. C. Jameson, a wealthy banker and
business man of Dows, has been indict
ed by the grand jury for bribery.
Mra. Robert T. Lincoln has been ap
pointed administratrix of the estate of
her father, the lat^. ex-Senator Harlan.
William Dunsmore, a freight conductor
on the Rock Island, committed suicide by
shooting while despondent over ill health.
Mrs. Fred Seitber of Des Moines was
.thrown from her carriage in a runaway
and sustained injuries from which she
died.
The 12-year-old son of Peter Shaver of
Slgourney, returning from a hunting trip,
fell from the train and was cut in two by
the wheels.
The late James Morton of Cedar Rap
ids carried more than $34,000 insurance
on his life.* He was by no means a
wealthy man.
Thomas Glenn was killed by a knife
thrown by Frank Montague in a packing
fiouse at Omaha. They were both for
merly of Ottumwa.
Andrew Chindlund, a prominent farm
er of Buena Vista County, died very sud
denly.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Walters, an aged
couple of Weltan, were seriously injur
ed by a runaway team colliding with
their buggy.
J. D. Goff sold his 151-acre farm near
Atlantic for. $57.50 per acre—land for
which he paid $20 per acre only a few
years ago.
It Is learned that the burglar killed at
Otley, thought to be one Kennedy of
Waterloo, is Lou Bartlett, who served
a jail sentence there last summer.
A dangerous epidemic disease has
broken out among the horses near Albla.
There Is an epidemic among horses
around Ames, something similar to pink
eye.
According to the report of the auditor
of Dubuque County that county spent
$13,756.57 in criminal prosecutions last
year.
A young son of William Laubender of
Audubon while riding a bicycle was kick
ed on the head by a horse and fears are
entertained for his recovery*
A Burlington man was arrested an?
fined for shooting a duck across the river
from Burlington. He has appealed the
case and will test the Illinois frame law.
Sherman Dougherty, a boy of Paine,
fell off a tree and hurt his arm in such
a manner that ii Is feared he will lose it.
Ground has been broken and excava
tions begun for the foundation of the
C. & N. W. freight and passenger depot
at Quarry.
Wm. Broderlek of South Omaha was
found Reside the track near Dunlap with
his skull crushed and left leg injured.
His leg was amputated aud it is thought
he will recover.
When President McKinley was at Du
buque he met there an old schoolmate
who had saved him from drowuing while
both were boys together. The meeting
was most cordial,
WilHamsburg will soon be lighted by
gas.
Burglaries are epidemic in Woodbury
County.
An opera house is being erected at
Iowa Falls.
The grain elevator at Conroy is belog
enlarged.
The B., C. R. & N. will enlarge its
yards at Dows.
The barbers of Dows refuse to shave
on the Sabbath.
Another well of natural gas has been
struck at Letts.
W. F. StahJ has been Installed as post
master at Lisbon.
Street improvement is the order of the
day at Monticello.
Horse thieves are again operating In
Plymouth County.
A modern hotel will be built at Mo
Iutyre in the spring.
The city power house at Williamsburg
is nearlng completion.
Late potatoes are a failure in the north
ern part of the State.
The foundation is being put In for a
new church at Floris.
Fayette has a new school house In.
course of construction.
P. D. Finch has been commissioned
postmaster at Finchford.
The postoffice at Tunnel! has been dis
continued mail to Homer.
The new button factory at Burlington
has commenced operations.
V. W. Bailey of Dows has been indict*
ed on the charge of arson.
Tho. Northwestern Is pushing its ne*w
extensions across the State.
Alexander C. Walker has been commis
sioned postmaster at Farley.
Burglaries and petty crimes are becom
ing numerous over the State.
Indianola has voted to grant a fran
chise for a water works plant
The grand jury failed to Indict the
liquor dealers of Wright County.
Work on the water mains at Iowa
Falls Is delayed for lack of pipe.
Dubuque maintains a floating house to
be used as a quarantine station.
Morning Sun denies that there Is an
outbreak of diphtheria In that place.
The foundation for the new Catholic
Church at Tama is almost completed.
The crop product of Powesheik County
this year is estimated at 4,560,000 bush
els.
Potato fields in Greene County are
yielding as high as 250 bushels to the
acre.
The creamery at Vinccnt, owned by O.
G. Page., was destroyed by fire. Loss
$3,000.
The Council of Iowa City has been ask
ed to provide new quarters for the pub
lic library.
Audubon men have incorporated for the
purpose of mining copper and gold near
Mena, Ark.
Rev. J. L. Jones of Oarrington, S. D„
has been called to the Congregational
Church at Rockford-
A postoffice has been established at
Dresden, and Cyrus L. Richards com*
missioned postmaster.
Two plumbers at Keokuk were over
come by gas, but were rescued before
anything serious happened.
Fire at Tara destroyed several barns
two of which contained three horses and
three cowa, which perished.
The diphtheria scare at Oakville has
abated, uo new cases appearing and thosev
sick progressing to recovery.
Fifty coal miners employed at the
Eagle mines in Des Moines are out on
strike, demanding higher wages.
Johnson County will pay the bills inr
curred during the smallpox siege last
summer, amounting to about $1,100.
The Country Club, the largest social
organization at Marsballtown, will erect
a club building to cost about $3,000.
The Gibson Coal Company at Des
Moines has found another good vein of
coal four feet four inches in thickness.
E. Gadibury of Tama, a brakeman on
the Northern Iowa, fell off a car while
rounding a curve and seriously injured.
J. Q. Hull of Perry, a brakeman on
the Milwaukee, had his right arm crush
ed at Keystone while making a coupling.
Fire on E. Elllngston's farm at Mil
ford consumed a barn containing four
horses and a quantity of feed. Loss $1,
000.
Edward Ebery of Burlington- was care
lessly handling a revolver when It dis
charged, the bullet going through hif
hand.
F. J. Shannon of Fort Dodge struck
torpedo with a rock, when it explode^
striking him on the face and severing at
artery.
Wilmer C. Whitseer, an Iowa mant
has been appointed overseer at the ev
gineer depot of the War Department at
Iowa City.
Mrs. A. Woolson, an aged lady o*
State Center, while visiting at Marshall
town fell from a carriage, breaking h«}
right hip.
The succulent watermelon is a sourct
of revenue. George T. Davis sold $2,
500 worth from his patch, two miles eait
of Ames, this year.
John Bender, an old and prominent
citizen of Gilman, died very suddenly at
his home from hemorrhage, caused by the
bursting of a blood vessel.
Ha I'd In Moss, constable at Loveland,
was shot and probably mortally wound
ed by a horse thief and desperado for
whose arrest he held a warrant. The
shooting occurred at a grading camp near
Loveland. The desperado escaped in the
constable's wagon, compelling Joseph
Morgan, a deputy sheriff, son of Sheriff
Morgan, who had accompanied Mosa, to
take the reins to drive for him. After
a chase lasting the entire afternoon the
man's .capture was effected on the out-'
skirts of town. The fellow showed fight,
and the officers were compelled to shoot
him in the leg.
Nora Springs has failed to secure the
location of the much-desired creamery.
The farmers refuse to take stock.
P. O. Kallstrom, a prominent farmer
of Dale township, attempted suicide by
cutting his throat on account of family
troubles.
The provision store of Malum & Vi-.
gren at Des Moines was burglarized and
then burned to cover tracks. Total loss
about $500.
A skillful skin-grafting operation has
just taken place at Atlantic, which has
provided the little eon of Homer Everett
with a new scalp.
Injunction proceedings have been com
menced against a large number of Cedar
County saloonkeepers.
Dairy Commissioner Norton's report
shows a decrease in the number of
creameries operated in the State.
E. H. Gwin of Victor was seriously
injured when bottle containing a gal
lon of ammonia exploded In his hands.
About $500 worth of clothing was de
stroyed In the store of Borger & Bllven,
at Mivicatine, through the bursting of a
water^bipe over their ceiling.
The jyry in the case of the State of
Iowa against C. Fields for the murder of
Fred Bennett in a box car at Rome last
July brought in a verdict of guilty,
A traction engine pulling a threshing
machine crashed through a wagon bridge
uear Athelstan, killing one and severely
injuring two others. The dead man's
name is Idleman.
The Iowa State Implement Dealers'
Association will hold its next annual
meeting in Des Moines Jan. 3-5, when
the name will be changed to the Iowq
Implement and Vehicle Dealers' Assc?
elation.
The young son of Sam Hoffman, a
farmer living near Washington, was
found drowned in a large tank near his
home. A number of men were working
uear a* the time, but had no knowledge
$f the accident.-