The herald., 1896-01-22
J. S. BIick Is Again at His Home
in Pasadena
INTERESTING INFORMATION
About the State of Affairs in the Land
of the Beers
The Jameson Raid and the Causes Leading
Up to 1.-THE Pasadena Boys Are Max
ing Success in the Transvaai

Mr.. ]. S. Blick returned to Pasadena
from South Africa last evening, and a
HERALD correspondent interviewed him at
his residence immediately after his arrival.
Most of tho readers of The HERALD are
aware of the fact that the leading men in
the British South African Charter company
(MessEs. Burnham and Ingram) are MIR.
Blick's sons-iu-law, and as Mr.. Riick left
South Africa with them last November and
they parted company only recently in Lon
don, he has much information concerning
the country and the meaning of recent
events there. During his four months
sojourn in South Africa he saw much of
the country surrounding the recent scene
of hostilities, including Matabe.e land and
the TransvaaI. Mr.. Blcl1 left Bulawayo
on the 26th of November, and at that time
DIR. Jameson was not expecting any
| trouble at all soon, but evidently
his countrymen in the Transvaal con-
cluded that they were in need of his
help before month had rolled round. 1t
was not until the party, consisting Of
Messrs. Burnham and Ingram, with their
wives and Mr.. Blick, had reached Paris,
going by easy stages, that they received the
news of Jameson's raid The Beers had
not been allowing the British equal rights
with themselves, bill having been intro
duced to provide that only after fourteen
years residence in the country could an
Englishman have vote.
Mr.. Blick reports that the Pasadena boys
are all doing we'll. His sons. John and
Homer, have charge of one of the big farms
of the British company (6000 acres) on the
lnsezi river, where are located twenty
three kralls (native villages). They have q
contract for fencing this little patch with
barb wire, as well as two more farms, in
all some $4,000 acres. King Macomber
and Jud Blick are at Bulawayo looking
after some more property of the Charter
company. Vernon Lewis is at Pretoria,
engaged in newspaper work on the Times.
Mr.. Blick gives very interesting account
of the country and the improvements 60
ing on there, particularly in the possess
ions of King Kama, lying to the west and
north OF the Transvaal. Kama is q native
chief who has received some little educa-
ton, and he affords an example worthy of
emulation by his more civilized brethren
in the matter of standing firmly by his
convictions and no5 allowing himself TO be
induced to give up his principles. He is
strongly in favor OF temperance, and in
spite of all inducements held out will not
allow a single saloon to be established
along the several hundred miles of railroad
now running through his country. OF
course there are numerous stations along
the route, but it is very much easier to get
drink in Pasadena than in the country
of this African. In fact Mr.. Blicl1 says
Kama has enacted absolute prohib-
ton. The railroad now reaches some
three or four hundred miles into the interior
Among the many curiosties MIR. Blick has
brought back with him are Two beautiful
leopard skins, each measuring over seven
feet from tip to tip. A highly polished
walking stick, made from an elephant s
tusk, the head from the tusk of sea COW,
presented to DR.. f. L. Conger by John
Blick. A native Kaffir piano, little in
strument about six inches in diameter.
The headdress of the natives, made of os-
trich feathers, a very imposing affair that
looks like the head gear of drum major.
A lot of immense porcupine quilts, make
fine henholders. A beautiful inlaid pic
ture frame made by the Arabs, purchased
in Alexandria. Mr.. Blick says the boys
have the skins of four lions, measuring
over fourteen feet from tip to tip. King
Macomber and Jud Blick shot two each.
He says Burnham and Ingram left Africa
on six months leave of absence, but they
will probably return very soon now.