The San Francisco call., 1896-07-03
MANY Californians Murdered by
the Treacherous Saw.
ages.
ALL MINING NOW SUSPENDED.
The Plague Attacked the Cattle and
All Baggage Has to Be Moved
on DonkeyS.

Those of this State, and there are many,
who contemplate going to the mining dis
tricts OF South Africa, had better consult
with those who have had recent expe-
rience in that part of the Dark Continent.
That country does not glitter with gold
and diamonds which may be obtained like
gathering pebbles from a beach. While
there is plenty of precious metal there it
is worth mans life to secure it.
Such, briefly, Is the statement of one OF
California's well-known citizens who is
now in that far-off land and who wishes
he was back in this State again.
Last October J. H. Tibbets, a mining
man of Amador County and of this City,
went to South Africa. 1t will be remem-
bered that Mr. Tibbets was once State
Senator. He recently wrote a letter to a
friend, well-known mining man on Pine
street, from Buluwayo, in Matabeleland.
In this letter he tells of several San
Francisco people who were slaughtered in
the native uprising and of his own escape
from a similar fate. The horror of the
situation, Mr.. Tibbets says, has never
been made known to the world, as the
English corporation, whose franchises
cover that section of the country, does not
WIFI 4lS OuSIneSS OduidSSOs
Besides the horrors of savage warfare
there are cattle plague, scarcity of food and
a general stagnation of mining interests.
His letter in part reads as follows:
We have had nothing but war since 1 arrived
here. The Matabele uprising is horrible, 300
TO 400 whites having been murdered in the
various districts. The outside world don't
know how serious it has been. The Charter
Company viii not let any papers go out, and it
doctors all of the news sent out by wire. Sew
eral Americans 1 met here have been muir
dered. a. R. Hammond, an old Pine-street
man, who has daughter in Los Angeles, was
murdered while coming from one of his mines,
thirty-fve miles from here.
Bob White and o. Palmer, both mining en-
gineers from California, were murdered on the
road. Old Tom Madocks of Nevada was one of
the first killed by the rebel natives. 1 was in
the Gwanda district at the time of the up
rising thirty miles from the rebel stronghold
We numbered forty whites. A Alaager uog fort)
was made. did not like it and did not go
into it. had four good horses and three good
men with me, and we stayed on the outside.
Ny people in BuIuwayo got uneasy about US
and sent dispatcher to us informing all to
move to Fort Tuli, eighty miles down the road.
We got there very quickly.
The next day 200 mounted men were sent to
our rescue from Buluwayo The commits
sloner feared the dlspatches ulo not get
through, but we had gone when the rescue
party arrived. The latter on its return had to
fight very hard, and in the scrimmage lost six
men and fifteen wounded 1 remained in Fort
Tuli six weeks. The forts are every six miles
apart along the principal roads. Several COM
panies are out, and fighting is going on every
day.
Just before the outbreak a cattle plague
came into the country and thousands of cattle
died.
Hundreds of wagons are on the road with
transports and no bullocks. Transport is now
coming in on donkeYs and mules Board has
increased rs per cent and drinks SO per cent.
The outside world does not know OF the stu
alton here. 1t is true the Charter Company
is doing its best to relieve the distress, but it
don't want any discouraging news sent
abroad. There will be no mining done here
for year.