Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-04-08
OUT WITH DR.. "JIM."
Capt. Thatcher's Story Of
Jameson's TransvaaI Raid.
Every Man in the Expedition Knew
Just What Was Intended.
Says Tha. Or. lin" Is the Grandes! Man
He Has Ever Met.

New York. April I.-Following is the
full text of Capt. Thatcher's stirring
story of the Jameson raid, as related
in his interview in the Cape Times"
short extracts from which have been
sent TO this country by cable. Although
d parison of jameson. Capt. Thatcher
does full justice to the martial qualities
Of the Boers. His narrative of his es-
cape in the Suise of a correspondent of
the Times" is one of the best bits Of
adventure of modem times, and reads
like chapter of Dumas or Stanley
Weyman The captains story is as
follows:
II was with Jameson's column from
the start TO the surrender at Doornkop."
he said. Il have just escaped and got
here. On Sunday afternoon the column
started. Having heard OF the move, 1
joined them as they We're crossing the
border on Monday afternoon. l was
up i'll Malmani district looking after
some gold properties. which are now all
confiscated The column was riding
along about 600 strong. There were al
so about 100 kaffirs leading horses.
three mule wagons. eight MaXims. and
three Whitworth guns. l was attached
TO Sir John Willoughby as volunteer
decamp. All Monday and Mon
day night we cantered along and over
the weld, hardly stopping to eat or
sleep. though we had plenty of stores"
stop moment; did you hear Jane
sons speech and were you under the
impression that the column was going
to fight some Kaffir chief"
Ridiculous rubbish. l knew per-
fp,,tIN Ve1l what we Wpre going To do
and SO did every other man in the
column. Jameson's speech was before
ioined--quite at the beginning. l was
told all about it and l know that he
explained things thoroughly, and told
any one whose hearts were not with
the movement to so back. We counted
on Johannesburg moving out to sup
port us, but we expected no other help
from mortal man.
Did the column realize that it had
thrown everything official up. and was
going in on its own account under no
authority"
Absolutely. We continued on Tues
day without pause 1t was very hot
in the day. and bitter cold on the weld
at night.
when was the first shot fired?"
o'clock on Wednesday morning. when
we We're about 20 miles from Krugers-
dorp We were riding on in bright
moonlight when first fired on. Hither-
to it had been level. rolling weld. but
here we're some rather high hills. and
from these we were fired on
You are certain that the Beers fired
the first shot?"
Certainly. 1t was from about GOO
yards range. The hill position was a
good one. as were all the positions
they chose We at once replied by
bringing the Maxims into action. Af-
ter an hour and a half pretty steady
firing. we silenced them. and they
cleared When the firing was on bull
let's We're whistling all around us. but
nobody was hit. | suppose the moon
light and the spattering of the Maxims
spoit their practice. We went past
the position they had vacated. and
about five miles farther on. and then
laaSered for the night. But we only
stopped about two hours. and very few
OF us got any sleep. 1t was a choice
between sleeping and eating, and most
of us were ravenous.
We started again just after day
break. and pushed on hard. About
noon we came to a store only about six
miles from Krugersdorp. Here we fed
and then marched straight on the town.
The first sight of the houses seemed to
bring Johannesburg very near to us.
AS we came within range of the town
we were fired on from all sides. but
Jameson gave strict orders that the
guns should not play on the town at all
for fear of injuring the non-combat-
ants. There was one house. mine
building. lying some distance away
from the others. which was held by a
strong force OF the enemy. We put q
shell into the gable and knocked it to
pieces. The men holding it crept away.
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