The Portland daily press., 1896-01-06

SOON5
in the same lines. X
Wonderful things have been going ON in
the colonial Office in London. Officials
and clerks are up night and day till they
are worn out. Reporters are allowed to
lounge about the room and have received
permission to smoke while waiting-an
unparalleled innovation in that solemn
bureau where no one ever smoked before
tonight.
. A new story is given out in the office
tonight. 1t throws a new light on the
Jameson case, showing that his men
fought in two engagements on empty
stomachs. Jameson having been guilty Of
the almost incredible folly of providing
wagons loads of ammunition, but no
| food supplies at all. The popular heroic
doctor Jim. of Africa. stands stripped of
| plumes as we'll as beaten as the future
war governor of the Transvaal This last
despatch is also important, as showing
that at least a small force did GO out
from Johannesburg to assist Jameson,
who expected however, the whole city
| to rise in revolution.
| The figure of Cecil Rhodes, the Napo-
leon of Cape Colony, looms up before
every British mind as the man behind
Jameson's tragic escapade. Most people
believe that Rhodes entertains dreams
of a vast British empire extending from
| Cape COLONY to the Sahara. They fancy
of the UteIanders and using Jemeson and
the forces of the South Africa Company
! to capture the TranSvaal. 1t is evident
that the officers of the South Africa Com
pany in London are ignorant of this al
legged plot, but all London believes the
| sympathizes with the project, and be-
! lieves that the dreadful news hidden un-
der yesterday IS silence is the result of a
miscarriage of the scheme. Some one
must have blundered or Jameson was
too premature. On what other theory
can the people account for the report that
Sir John Middleton was on his way
down from Mata beland with an armed
force of mounted men except that the
South Africa Company was expecting to
assist Jameson? This seems to be q con-
spiracy reaching from the Cape of Good
Hope to Buluwayo, in Central Africa-a
conspiracy whose parts failed to work In
unison, but whose dread feature is yet to
come.
DIR. jim WAS POPULAR.
Every up-to-date reader knows the pop
ularity of Jameson. All English Africa
knows and loves Doctor Jim," as he is
called. A hearty, dare devil, gallant fell
low; able. heroic and brilliant. he is the
peoplet idol, and has moved them like
duOGu6I - fAIOtsSuu VI Dllo lItu
of old More than that, all British A fri
| ca rsympathiZes with Cecil Rhodes's vast
ambition, and the blow that fell when
Joe Chamberlain repudiated Jane son
and deserted him, was a knife strok at
their hearts. 1t will not be strange if
another revolution follows this i'll the
Transvaal; one that will separate the
great Cape Colony from the British En-
pre and set it up as an independent Eng
| speaking Republic We cannot tell,
we know nothing, but we can scarcely
exagerate the anger and disappointment
of the people of Cape Colony.
| Ashantce negroes or Zulu bushmen. The
| Beers are the most terrible fighting men
on the earth. They are stalwart, healthy
! out t-of-door folks, accu stoned to carrying
| guns from babyhood, and a Thousand of
| them make better fight than a million
| bushmen. Slow to anger, retlcent and
self-possessed, they are very devils when
| at last aroused.
Jameson and Middleton both gathered
and dare-devils ahoat in South Africa
and there is intense anxietykin the best
! households of Great Britain, for every
| one knows now that these brilliant Bri-
tons met, not negroes, bnt fierce, fearless,
giant Beers, and for once the tables are
! turned, and the equally brave aristocrat
/ and Sensation Hseekers of old England
| &Illlly ehliu sAlOiAOly oWCsAu ONOhSS.
F, A peculiar sign Of the times wasswit-
messed at the Empire theatre On Friday
! night when the drama, "Cheer, Boys,
Cheer" was produced. Part Of the scenes
are laid in the African mines, and the
climax reproduces the last stand of a
magnificent hero Actor Wilson, who
was in the Matabels war, sang God Save
| the Queen,'' while a little band of sava-
gss was slaughte2ing his fellows. When
this scene was reached on the night be-
fore last, the audisnce made demonstra-
tion of such character that the govern
ment determined to stop repetition of
it, but early in the play last night there
. was an anti-government disturbance sc
pronounced that police platoons marched
In, singled out six or eight of the leaders
and expelled them from the theatre.
Quiet was restored, the play went on and
the scene of Wilson's glorious death
proved too much for the audience The
earliar disturbance took the form o1
cheers for Jameson, but now the audi
ence rose to its feet oheered Jameson and
yelled and finally broke into cries soi
"Down with Chamberlain ~ ''Cham ber
lain the traitor p There was no stopping
then, and there was DO attempt TO stoI
them. At last leading actor toastec
the Queen, and she got salyss Of cheers
that shook the theatre.