The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-02-24
NOT EVEN CHEERED.
Cool Reception Given to the Trans
Vaal Raiders.

England Receives 4 hem without APPROX
al, But the Government Sends Them to
Their Homes-Conficting Stories Told
by the Men.
Plymouth, February 23.-The British
steamer Harlech Castle, from Port Natal,
arrived at 3.05 this morning, having on
board 305 troopers who took part in
Jamssons' raid into the Transyaal and
who were compelled to surrender to the
Beers. These men were turned over to
the English authorities by the Boer gov
ernment,s and the former ordered that
they be brought to England. The Off
GERS of the expedition, including DIR.
Jameson. are on the transport Victoria.
night. Among the men on the Harleoh
Castle six were sick.
Shortly before half past eleven tender
went alongside the Harlech Castle and
the troopers were all mustered on the
deck of the steamer, and their transfer
1t was thought that much enthusiasm
would be displayed on their arrival here,
as there is scarcely doubt, their raid,
illegal though it was, caused much popu-
lar admiration in England. The fact did
not bear out the expectations. There
was no crowd to witness the disemba rk-
ment from the tender and there was no
cheering. A majority of the troopers
were attired in the police uniform of the
British South Africa Com pany, but
number more wore nondescripu gar.
ments. They are o smart, hardy looking
lot Of men. Their ages range from 20
to 30 years. Many belong to the best
families in England.
A representative of the United Press
interviewed q number of the men. Their
stories of the fight which ended In their
surrender at Krugersdorp varied greatly.
Some stated that when they surrendered
to the Boer force their ammunition was
exhausted and others declared that there
was no lack of ammunition. One of the
complaints repeatedly made against the
Beers mode of warfare is that they will
not face their foe in the open, but prefer
hiding behind trees ana rocks and in
gullies, picking the ensmies off without
themselves being seen.
Ii they followed this method in attack
on DIR. Jamesons' force, and 1t has been
hard to understand how their loss could
have been as heavy as the troopers claim.
One Of the men said he had seen the
official Boer returns of their dead, and
this showed that 1872 were killed. In one
particular all the troopers were in
hearty agreement, and that was in de-
nunciation of the Uitlanders of John
nesburg who, they declared, induced them
to enter the Transvaal and then did not
care to arise a finger to help them,
though they, the foreign residents, had
had large and we'll armed body of men,
who, If they had been sent to Dr. Jane
sons aid, would have put an entirely
different face on the affair
The men were very bitter in their ex-
pressions againsaJ aJohannesburgers. Short
ly after the troopers landed, they were
supplied with railroad tickets at the ex-
pense Of the governments and all imme-
diately shipped to their homes Many
are Irishmen and Scotchmen. Some
have large interests in Mashona and and
expect to return to South Africa. when
quiet is restored there. A number of
the men said that the gold fields of
Mashonaland Company would give all
Of the party bonus of 100 pounds in
London N