The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-09-06
JOHN h. HAMMOND DEFENDED
Charges Of COTardiCe Against Him and
His Colleagues UnmeriteA
ILL-STARRED TRANSYAAL INVASION.
Another side Of tho story Hitherto I'm
published, Putting Many Things ina
New Light and Adjusting the
Blame More Evenly.

officers wcr0 found guilty Of infringing
the Foreign Enlistment act, and sent 10
Holloway Prison, Mr. John Hays liam
mOnd. the American engineer, VINO was
most active member OF the Reform Com
rnittce in johannesburg at the time OF the
raid. was staying In London az the savoy
Hotel / happendcd 10 hear this, ana re-
mcmhcring that MIR. Hammond had been
one Of those who invited jameson 10 en-
ter Johannesburg, and who had then leit
him 90 nrnt mis- way there unsupported,
fdid that II had 10 choose, Woull iotler
he In Holloway with jameson IMAM l'i
che Savoy with Hammond.
This remark was carried 20 Mr. Ham
mCnd by "a mutual friend. q clasSmate
OF HammOnd's az Yale. who asked me 10
keep my opinion I'm ahcyanQ< until nad
heard Hammonds side of the story. me
same mutual friend then invited me 10
dine with Hammond and himself. and Tor
the first time ! heard the story OF the
jameson raid told in a manner which cam
WINGED lie that the charges OF cowardicc
laid against the Reform Committee were
nnmcritcd. The story has never been made
public, bat it IS full Of interest quitting
many things On a new light. adjusting
the blame moro evenly. ana, In my nlnd NJ
least removing the charge 81 lack OF faith
under which the members OF the Hcform
Committee and the people OF Johannesburg
have been resting in silence. That they
have been silent for so long Is lccause
they did not wish anything 10 appear Tn
PRINT while Or. jameson was awaiting trial
which might deprive him of the popular
sympathy he enjoyed during That PERIOD,
ana which. they hoped. might help 10 les
sen the severity OF his sentence. Ihat
sentence has now been passed, without
much regard having been shown for the
point OF view OF the populace. and llr.
jameson 50 paying for his adventure Ike
q man. And I'm time. having PAD Tor 10
I'm fun. he will come out again, as plctur-
esque n figure and. with great mass or
the British public. as popular nero as
no was when he won Matebelclani ana
administered that trcubl0us territory M the
interests Of tho Chartered Company. anu
later made his ill-cOnsidcret and ill-Starrcd
invasion OF the Transvaal
a WORSE JAIL THAN HOLLOWAY.
As no has had his turn, 10 seems only
richt now that he should give place in the
public eve to those who have suffered AS
well rs himself. ana through his action,
whose plans ne spoiled and whose nur-
poses his conduct entirely misropresonted
10 the world. For these other mon OF the
Reform Committee have lain. owing 10
him. IN n far worse jail than Holloway.
and some stll lie there some have been
sentenced 10 death. while others have been
fined fortunes. and. more than all else be-
sides. thcv have had 70 bear the Odium or
having been believed both I'm tho United
States and in England 10 have shown the
white feather I'm deserving ccmrdde, ana
OF falling 20 keep the promises OF help
they had ncld ont 10 him.
am not holding n brief for Mr.. Ham
n0nd or for his friends. who are business
men as well ms rcfOrmcrs, ana quite anle
10 take care of themselves. But Whlle they
have not the least desire to pose as tight
ing men they have a most natural dislike
10 beinr pointed ont az towards. And they
have given me their side OF the story. and
Hammond has asked me TO tell II. because
he fears that his friends on this side or the
water tho Sc who petitiOned Secretary Oh
frt lsti
Iraetoria Jail. misunderstood his part IN
the matter as,l did, when j said in my ig-
rorance that / thought Of The two jane
son was the one deserving OF tho greater
consideration.
ON the other hand. do not want 10 put
Hammond or his friends IN the iiEht OF
turning on man whe he IS doWn- or
making n scapegoat Of DR.. Jameson az n
time when 70 Is impossible for him TO give
reply. although the answer TO that Is an
obvious one. Or. jameson could have
cleared lem from all responsibility for his
act before going TO Jail, and he did not.
lie could have said then that he entered
the Transvaal not only at his own FISK
but against their expressed wishes and en-
treaties. and. though they wrote 10 MN
before he went to Jail and pointed out 10
him that they were lying under a heavy
burden Of blame which he could remove ii
he wished he did not answer their letters.
NV authority for what | am now relating
does not come only from members Of the
Reform Committee, but from irlcndS or
pr. Jameson's also; those VINO rode AT
his side when he made his armed INVASION
Of The Transvaal and those who knew him
in Lopdon and who visit him now that he
IS in prison. l have also had access 10
the green book OF the South African Re-
public. and 10 the blue book OF the Cape
Colony: l was present bOth at the pre-
liminary proceedings against Or. Jameson
and his officers at the BOw-Srreet Police
Court aud az the formal trial before the
Lord chief Justice; have seen the cipher
dispatches the daily papers published az
johannesburg AT the time OF the raid. and
i have been told the story again and again
from every point Cf view. and heard Il
told TO others by the men who were the
leaders I'm the revolution.
FOR CERTAIN REFORMS.
The Reform Committee OF johannesburg
was organized with the object Of obtaining
certain reforms for abuses which had
grown so serious that the position or tho
Uitlanders I'm the Iransvaal had become
unbcarable. There Is an objection which X
instantly raised whenever the condition Of
the Iitlanders as described as | have just
stated H. and IL IS this: IF the Jitland-
ers did not like the laws Of the Transvaal
why didn't they leave II and go somewhere
else the world is large enough fer every
body? why did they instead plot 20 upset
the Government Of the Beers who had
sheltered them. and who only asked 10
he left 20 breed their cattle and 20 farm
their ranches in peace The answer 10
that very fair question ia that the laws 10
which the Reform Committee objected did
not exist when majority Of its members
had entered the Transvaal eight years
before.
At the time the revenue Of the country
was barely able 10 support II, and emf
grants were warmly welcomed. The law
as u then stood was that a Titlander
could obtain fun rights OF citizenship after
y residence OF FIVE wears and Withfhls UNI