The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-03-02

mond discoveries in the north, which soon
set the colonists in blaze of excitement.
Wood started off overland with a lot OF
youngsters who were hunting for wealth
and had no objection to mixing a little
adventure with the search" He says:
Il was among the very first Of the dia-
mond seekers to reach PANEL, on the
river at the diamond fields. ] knew moth
ing about diamonds 1 had never seen
any Of the stones in the rough, and ! had
seen precious few Of them cut and those
few had been in windows Of stores Of my
native country. l didn't know anything
about digging diamonds, and the men
who were with me knew just as much as
knew. Still we were determined to get
diamonds if they were to be dug. so we
prepared to dig up the earth and see if we
could find anything that sparkled.r
And dig they did. They found spar
klers too, in moderate quantities. Wood
pegged out a number Of claims. hut COM
plains that most Of the diamonds he duo
went to pay the tax to the governmental and
rent to the owners Of the land. With $50
other boomers he was finally driven out
OF Dutoltspan by an armed force raised by
the landowners.
Then he went to De Beers, now Kim.
berley, and pegged out more claims. After
awhile he opened the first big hotel in the
place and had money enough to start I'D
In good style. True to his nickname he
sent To the nearest United States consul
and got an American flag. This he put I'D
ON his hotel, and it was, he says, the first
American hag seen in that part of Africa.
Meantime Yankee Wood was waxing
In wealth. He had five diamond claims at
Dutoitspan and two at Kimberley. and the
profits from his hotel brought his income
up TO about ~, 600 month. Then he de-
cided totry farming and settled on tract
near MacLear, the gift OF native chief.
he spent about SO, providing buildings
and water supply for the farm and stocked
IL with imported sheep and cattle.
Hearing of expected trouble from the
natives, he says, II moved over to Kolx-
stad. bought four farms within fonr
miles Of kokstad, IL, 600 acres in ali. and
proceeded TO stock them in the Same 1vav
as had equipped the farm at MacIe ear I
also punt hotel at kokstad, a structure
about 100 feet long. With my five faro,s
and my big hotel, thought could 1vorr,
along pretty well on an Income Of some
thing like el2, 900 year without WORKING
any TOO hard, but the rebellion of which
had been informed at MacLear cane alone
The Red kafiirs swept down unon Ma.
Lear carried off the stock and burned tho
crops ard either damaged or DESTROYED the
ouliulngs. That was a loss, of course bnt
nothing to the rebellion at Kokstad ;,
Inc "riqua war came in 1877 and near.
~ ruined the Yankee adventure III,
came the Boer war and commercial cr,s,.
mat wiped out the remnants Of HE 60
tune. shouldoring his pack. he st,rtaa
hIoot Tor the newly discovered Coldfol1s ~
the Iransvaal At Pretoria ne found
lew old Kimberley friends, who loa,oS III,
iew pounds, with which he onenod 49,
commercial hotel and was soon on th.
nlsn road to prosperity again. A mott.
crude affair was this Commerci.l -
out lt made money for its enterrr;s;', ',
manager and when Johanneshuro -
'he center Of the mining canns 10 -. ~,
out Tor 5000 and moved TO thar p,o,,s s1.u
us To take charge of a new hotel ~.
ne imagined, he did not NEGLECT ,,i 10y
claims, and soon, in his own ,ro~i-
could look back TO the time ,vbo,, -, ~. nc
a rich man In Kimberley withon, ro ~as
Tor the fortune had lost" ''eie'
AT my hotel, >" he saws, 1T ch.-., n
sniiiihss per meal. There is a fair e.
u. ~. mat because supplies are very cbeor
.ne pest OF mutton selling for q cont,
pouh1' On the last Christmas that w..
u. johannesburg l had a big celebrat'cs
.. my motel On the outside put n ha~
uer ON which was painted on one sido ~,
su,sse,lary caricature of Uncle sam In ~ ~
,n.u1ie was stretch that meant fbe a..
',,ns'' ocean and on the other side a fIgnr,
tepresenting a fat Dutchman. with w
r p,. ana long hair. Uncle sam ana = ~
gI.oi'i'l''n were extending hands to cor,
S Ssai'. &, aeross the ocean Over Uncle San,
n"u the words, Hail, Columbian and ,l', a,i.
.nS in,1..chman, Long Live the Dutch Der p
.. nr Wood says he is going to the non.
s o'"ais,us IN Matabeleland as soon os W.
mas finished his American visit. Us ne