Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-02-25
JAMESON'S RAID
The One Subject of CONVEX
satiOn in Great Britain.
Trooper 0'Dea Tells Of the March,
Fight and the Surrender.
Says White Flag Was Raised by Jameson Or
His Orders

tLODdon, Feb PA representative of
the United Press obtained, today, an in
terview with one of DR.. .Jameson's troop.
ers, who arrived at Plymouth, yesterday
morning. The man, whose name was
ODea, said that he spent eight months in
Matabeleland us Il member of the mounted
police. About the end Of December. he
was in a state Of convalescence from a
violent attack of fever, his temperature
having at one time been as high as l05.
He had been almost without food or
water for u week, ana was lying in his tent
in greatly debilitated condition, when
sergeant came to him and asked him if he
wanted to lose his place in the mounted
troop. O'Dea replied in the negative,
whereupon the sergeant ordered him to
appear IN parade with his comrades i'm
mcdiatcly, which he did.
Prior to the start Of Jameson and his
followers for the Transvaal, which took
place AT night, Q Dea did not hear DR.
Jameson read a letter, "a he is alleged to
have done, but says that he gathered tia,
the purpose Of the expedition was TO pro
teet the women and children of Johannes
burg. O'Dea belonged to the advance
troop. He did not see DIR. jameson after
the night of leaving Mafeking He sup
poses that Jameson rode in the middle of
the troops.
The men hurried forward riding 10
miles an hour, with rot more than five
hours rest in two days. They We're some
times able 20 get snatches Of sleep on
horseback. They had sufficient rations to
last them until the evening Of the second
day.
Fifty Beers met them and began a
desultory fire upon them, to which Jane
son 5 followers replied. They had several
Skirmishes with the Beers before reaching
krugersdorp, where the Beers succeeded
in enticing Jameson's forces from the
shelters of the hillocks, into the open
plains while they remained under cover
O'Dea expressed the belief that Jameson
himself hoistel the white flag, and if he
did not personally hoist 1t, the flag was
raised by his orders.
When the Jameson party surrendered,
O'Dea had 10 rounds Of ammunition and
many others had not exhausted their sup.
ply. After the surrender, he said, many
were fairly we'll treated. They were taken
to Pretoria, where they were corralled Cd
the Pretoria race course. They were al
II
pound of meat per day for each man.
At first he believed that all the officers
of the expedition and the non commission
ed officers with the rank and file were to he
shot. He afterward heard that the Nolks-
raad rejected the proposal to shoot them,
by "a majority Of two. Eventually the men
were taken TO Port Natal, where they were
free fr nm the moment they went on board
the Harech Castle
O'Dea said it was his intention to re-
turn to the service Of the British South
Africa Co. O'Dea gave his address as
1913 Center street, Boston. Like all other
who arrived in England on the
Harlech Castle, he received S22 before land |
ing, and expects to receive 800 in addi |
tion from the British South Africa Co.
Major Collins of the Lancaster regiment
brought to England by the steamer
Victoria, which also brought DR.. Jameson
and officers, says that Captain Heany, an
American, who left the Victoria at Port
Said, was informed that upon the arrival
of the steamer at Plymouth he would be
free to disembark but he declined 70 go
to England, saying that he preferred to
remain abroad.
Nobody on board the Victoria knew the
Devonport and Plymouth, today, but it
was expected that she would be met at
sea, tonight, when DR.. Jameson would be
taken off.
Henry Chandler Bowen. editor of the |
New York Independent died of heart