The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-02-24
JAMESON And HIS MEN
Close Prisoners on Board a
Transport -0ne of the
IL Troopers Talks.
III Cable to the United Press.

LONDON. Feb a. 1S96-The Globe
furnishes despatch from the Exchange
Telegraph Company saying that DIR.
Jameson and his officers who were
brought to Devonport by the troopship
Victoria, have been arrested. Captain
Heany, the American officer under jane
son, who started from South Africa with
the others on board the Victoria, was
released from custody at Port Said
a representative Of the United States
Press obtained today an interview with
one of DR.. Jameson's troopers. who ar
rived at Plymouth from Port Natal yes
terday morning. The man, whose name
was O'Dea, said that he had spent eight
months in Matabeleland as a member of
the mounted police. About the end OF
the month of December he was in a
state of convalescence from violent at
tack of fever, his temperature having at
one time been as high as 105 He had
been almost without food or water for a
week and was lying in his tent in
greatly debilitated condition, when a SER
geant came to him and asked him if he
wanted to lose his place in the mounted
troops. O'Dea replied in the negative,
Whereupon the sergeant ordered him to
appear on parade with his comrades i'm
mediately which he did Prior to the
start of Jameson and his followers for
the Transvaal, which took place at night,
O'Dea did not hear DIR. Jameson read
a letter, as he is alleged to have read
one, but says he gathered that the pur-
pose of the expedition was to protect
the women and children of johannesburg.
O'Dea belonged to advanced troop.
He did not see DR.. Jameson after the
night of their leaving Mafelzing, nor has
he seen him to this day. He suppeses
that Jameson rode in the middle of the
troops. The men hurried forward, rid
ing at the rate of ten miles an hour, with
not more than five hours rest in two
days. They were sometimes able to get
snatches of sleep on horseback. They
had sufficient rations to last them until
the evening of the second day. A party
of fifty Beers met them and began
desultory fire upon them, to which Jame-
| sons followers replied. They had sew
eral sllirmishes with Beers before reach
ing Krugersdorp, where the Beers sue
eeeded in enticing Jamesons forces from
the sheltered hillocks into. the open veldt,
while they themselves remained under
ODea expressed his belief that DR.
| Jameson himself hoisted the white 1ag
| Anyway if he did not personally hoist it.
the flag was raised by his order When
! still had ten rounds OF ammunition and
| many OF the others had not exhausted
their supply. After the surrender he
said, the men were fairly well treated.
! They were taken to Pretoria, where
they We're corraled on the Pretoria race
| course. They were allowed a loaf of
| a day for each man. At first he be
| lieyed that all of the officers of the ex-
| pedition and the non-commissioned Off
| GERS with the rank and file. We're to be
| shot. He heard afterwards that the
| Volksraad hade rejected proposal to
shoot them by majority Of two,
| Natal, where they were free from the
moment they went on board the Har-
| lech Castle.
/ O'Dea said it was his intention to visit
| Boston, Mass, and later to return to the
/ service of the British South Africa Com
| pany. In the course of his conversation
| he alluded to several of his comrades,
| mentioning Cawston of New York, and
| Morgan of Montana.
! DEVONPORT, England Feb "a, 1885,
Dr; Jameson and his eompanioons are are
| toria and the greatest secrecy is being
! observed in regard to what disposition
ofTfcial will give the slightest informa-
ton concerning them. The Lancaster
Regiment which was brought here by
the Victoria, was. landed this morning.
| The officers of the regiment say that
! DR.. Jameson and MS companions are all
in the second-class cabin During the
voyage they were allowed to see the
officers of the Lancaster Regiment but
! only in their own quarters. The Off
GERS were unable to say whether Jane
son and his fellow prisoners would be
/ landed here or in London. Dr.. Jameson
is in charge of Major Mccarthy of the
Lancaster Regiment. There are no civil
/ officers on board the Victoria
/ A swarm of reporters who have been
/ watching for the Victoria for two days
| and nights without sleep are running back
/ and forth between Devonport and the
4 docks. but not a scrap of information
beyond what has already been told is
/ obtainable.