The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-03
CAREER OF DIR. JAMESON.
HIS Trnnsvaal Invasion fn Keeping <
with His Past Record.

with His Past Record.
OF all the men who have gained fame in
Africa none is more picturesque than 'Dr
JIM Jameson, Governor-general of Ma
shonaland. The news that with seven hun
dred men, six Maxim guns and other arti.-
lery pieces he invaded the Transvaal ter
ritory is not astonishing, and it is in keeping
that the telegraph wires should have been
cut in order to make 1T impossible for orders
from the colonial office to reach him. DR..
Jameson was born and bred in Scotland
He was educated as physician. That won-
derful "uncrowned King of South Africa %
Cecil Rhodes, saw the stuff of which Dr.
Jameson was made, and offered him the
opportunity of playing part in the opening
Of new country. He embraced it gladly.
The fGt luxurious and cunning Lobengula,
King of the Matabele nation, bitterly op-
posed granting the concession to the cnar-
tered company, and building operations
were in danger of destruction. The first
emissary sent to him, Thompson, saw Lo-
cession. The emiSsary was glad TO escape
with his life. DR.. Jameson, alone and ur-
armed, then started for Lobengula's court
Few dared hope that he would return. None
dared dream that he could succeed. The at
tempt showed the mettle of the man; He
kings, who ruled 100000 Zulu warriors. The
fame of DR.. Jameson's medical skill stood
him in good stead on his journey to the
King, but menaced him with additional dam
ger after he arrived there. For the King
suffering from a malady which his
medicine men could not check and which
threatened to kill him at any moment. Ii
DR.. Jameson failed to cure he knew he
would be killed. But science conquered, and
Lobengula granted the concession and the
permission for the pioneer force to pass
through Mashonaland.
DR.. Jameson next explored and established
and which gained him supreme command of
the South African Company, but not to be
compares comps with that journey to the great
country In South Africa. 1t was a two
months journey, practically, In fact through
marshy country, with compass alone to
Jameson pushed on. He and his small band
lived on fruits. 1t rained for eleven days.
Fourteen days were passed in the gloom of
men were stricken with fever, yet they
pushed on and accomplished the mission.
Sin, Since that time me the Doctor has controlled
every crisis. He had much trouble with
King Lobengula. He warred against the
savage soldiers In 1888 with remarkable sue
cess. The natives attacked the Mashones
DR.. Jameson gave warning. He was told
that Lobengula could not control his young
control and 1 will deal with the Others"
was DR.. Jameson's message. He ordered an
invasion of Matabeleland. and it resulted in
Beers are wonderful fighters. In the last
war with England. about fifteen years ago,
iIs their marksmanshp was the talk of the
hill, occupied by Sir George Colley and four
hundred men. They ran on the British in q.
panic, killing Sir George, six other officers
and ninety men, wounding and capturing
| fifty others. The Boer loss was one killed
and five wounded. On another occasion six
| ty-three Beers killed 25S British soldiers
| with loss to themselves of only five or six
The Transvaal and other European settle
| ments in South Africa have had stormy
to such men Vas. as Dr. jameson that nu ciyl;za Is 1ae
| ton has made the progress it has. The
Kaffirs are the great warlike native race
beles are branches Of this race, but the
! term Kaffir is usually applied to the parent
| stem. One rare.y speaks Of the Zulus and
| Matabeles as Kaffirs. The history of the
| Kaffirs affords in some particulars a par
| allel to that Of any warlike Indian tribe in
| this country. the Creeks or the Siouxs for
fertile and healthy lands in South lis Africa dca
| they have been gradually crowded back or
| subdued by the British and Dutch colonsts
At times they have made vigorous resist
| ance and have inflicted great losses on the
| invading settlers. About the time that Eu-
| rope was busy with the great Napoleonic
| wars they killed men, women and children,
| and laid waste the unprotected settlements
| 1t required all the British forces In South
| Africa to overcome them.
One of the most formidable inroads of
| the Kaffirs was about sixty years ago. when
| they burst across the frontier with 10000
| fighting men and slaughtered great num-
| bers OF people. 1t required nine months of
| hand-to-hand fighting to subdue them That
| war was comparable in fierceness 10 the
| fight between the English settlers and the
| Maoris in New Zealand. Fifteen wears
| later there was another big war, and there
| was yet another, though not quite so ex-
| fensive. in 1877. The kafirs differ from
| the North American Indians in that defeat
| in their case does not mean decay. Under
| British and Dutch rule they arc increasing
| in numbers and undergoing the same civil
| izing process as the blacks in this country
| They are almost the only iaborers in the
| diamond fields Mentally and morally the
| Kaffirs are far superior TO the other negro
| tribes The further south they live-that is
| the cooler the climate grows-the higher
| are their qualities. The best of the Kaflr
| tribes have light and clear brown com
| plexions, and they average nearly six feet
/ in height. They are slim. wei; proper
| tfoned muscular. But the women, owing
| to excessive work. are inferior in all re-
! spects to the men. except In one or two