The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-06

came ne must bring 1,5O0 men with him,
ana the extra 1900 guns on which they
counted This he promised to do, and
asked in return that they should write
him a letter inviting him to cross the
border, which he could show later as his
justification for his action"
"A letter was given Dr. jameson. the
same that has been published, setting
forth the condition of things that were
expected would exist when he was called.
namely, the defense of unarned n1en. and
OF women and children. This letter was
without date purposey. 1t was given to
DR.. Jameson, six weeks before he started
his raid. In the meanwhile the reform
committee was receiving arms and am
munition and making their preparations
for an uprising. They expected the sup
port of 10000 inhabitants of the Transvaal
as soon as the revolution was well under
way and their ally with his 15OO mount
ed police had Joined them to give strength
to the wavering which occurred in their
plans, and DIR. Jameson was ordered not
TO move until he received further instruc-
tons.
This was on the 26th of December, Just
two days before the raid. On the 9th of
December telegram was received in Jo-
hannesburg by Jameson's brother to the
following effect:
Or. Jameson says he cannot give ex-
tension of refusal for fiotation for Deem
II.
This telegram was the first intimatlon
the reform committee received that DR..
Jameson had some idea of taking the Bit
between his teeth, of dragging the reins
out of their hands, and boiling. Such a
contingency had not occurred to them.
Ihey knew he was perfectly well ac-
qua1nted with their helpless condition:
they knew that he had been strictly en-
joined not to appear on the scene unsil
Hammond gave him the signal And ut
once, in the greatest possible alarm at
the possible failure of their long-matured
plans, they sent two messengers post
haste to warn him not to move from where
ne was. Maj. Heany, an American, a
graduate of West Point, and a soldier
who has seen service in the Portuguese
and kaftir wars was dispatched by Ham,
mond on special train, and Edward Hol-
den was sent to Mafeking ON horseback.
So well did Holden understand the neces-
sity of reaching Jameson in time to head
him off that he made the $50 miles be-
tween johannesburg and Mafeking in sew.
enteen hours, changing his saddle to five
dlnerent horses. He arrived outside the
jameson headquarters at O'Clock on Sat
urday morning, Dec. Is, where he was met
by his friend, Lieut.. Grenfell of the
guards, who conducted him to Jameson,
to whom he delivered Hammond's mes.
sage. Heany and his special train arrived
later on the 2Sth, and he handed Jameson
| his message. On the day previous the
| following telegram had arrived from Ham
mond: Wire just received. Experts re-
| port decidedly adverse. 1 absolutely con-
| denim further developments at present
This was on Saturday morning, so be-
| fore Jameson left Mafeking, and long be-
fore he had crossed the border of the
| Transvaal, and long before he had been
| ordered back by commissioner of the
| Transvaal republic, and later by the rep
| resentative of the high commissioner for
! Great Britain, he had received two special
messengers from his friends, telling him
he was not wanted and a telegram from
the man who was to give him the signal
to start, begging him to stay where he
was.
''In spite of this, on Sunday, Sept. %,
! DR.. Jameson started on his ride to johann
nesburg against the wishes of Cecil
! Rhodes, and against the entreaties of the
reform committee, and instead of bringing
with him the 1900 men and the 1850 extra
rifles agreed upon, he came with only 50i
men and carried no extra arms.
1.-The first intimation that the people Of
Johannesburg received that Jameson had
! started was when they read of his hav-
! ing done so in the newspapers which came
out on Monday afternoon, twenty-four
hours after he had left Matching
1.-The reform committee had but 1000
| arms and no organization perfected,
| while the government had 5000 fighting
burghers under arms 1t was estimated
| that they could have held out about
| twenty minutes.
This, then, was the position in which
| Dr. Jameson had placed his friends and
| fellow-revolutionist They were without
| arms to make a stand and owing to his
act the fact that they had meant to do
| so was no longer a secret, their purpose
was exposed, and as would-be revolution
| lists, they were justly at the mercy of the
-Boer government. On Tuesday night l, 400
| more rifles were smuggled hurrledly
across the border, but in the confusion
| which had continued from the moment
| ii was known that Jameson had precipi-
| tated the revolt many of these were lost,
| and may more were distributed to the
wrong people, and at least 500 fell into the
hands of the Beers themselves. Those
| men who did not know how to handle
| gun were armed with what rifles there
were and sent out into the streets TO
act as policemen, to protect the town
| from the Beers without, and from rioting
Within the Boer police having entirely
withdrawn from Johannesburg"
| A letter written by DR.. Jameson asking
for 200 men to cheer up his troopers and
help the cause, reached Mr. Rhodes three
months after the raid the messenger hav-
ing been arrested
MANY different reasons are given TO ex-
plain why Jameson started when he did,
against orders, knowing the helpless con-
| dition Of johannesburg, and with such an
inadequate force, but the reason that
probably Is nearest the truth is suggested
| by a remark he made just before he rode
out of Mafeking. Those men are funk
ing it, he said. I'm going to stir them
up.
None of the men whose plans he wreck
ed assigns any motive to him other than
the love Of a fight, the desire to be IN
the center of whatever is going forward,
and the increased reputation that would
have come to him. They describe him as
a man who has no care for money. They
say he could have made himself rich IN
Mashonaland had he wished TO do so, ana
that in the daily routine of life he is un-
selffshness itself, but that in this case
he failed because he undervalued MS
friends and overvalued his own strength.
The men whom he considered were funk
ing it. were in much greater danger .or
months than was jameson during the
three days Of his ride. Their offer to go to
Jail as hostages for his safe conduct out
of the country he had entered against
their entreaties required much more cour-