The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-09-06

strike one as a very successful per-
Torrance, as 1t does not sound sincere;
1t shows on its face that 1T was written
for publication, and it has none OF the
simplicity, which, as a fact, in the
conversation of the men is their most
convincing argument. It described the
critical state of affairs in Johannes
burg, and asked jameson, SHOULD
disturbance arise" to come to the aid
of that city, and expressed fears as to
the safety of the ''unarmed men, wo-
men and children of our race" who
were there in the event of a conflict.
1t was of this line that jameson made
use of when he told his men they were
going to protect women and children
and which the poet laureate embodied
in his absurd verses.
AS this letter was handed to Jane
son by the signers six weeks before he
made his raid, the idea of the girls of
the gold reef city crying hurry up,
for pity during that length of time,
and his not needing them, hits the
humorous side.
During the six weeks which inter
vened between the delivery Of this
letter and the raid, the reform commit
tee continued active by preparing for
defence. It's plan was to declare itself
on the 9Th of January. By that time
it hoped to have 5000 rifles, a sufficient
number of Maxim guns, and one mil
lion cartridges hidden away within the
limits of Johannesburg and in the sur
rounding mines; it also counted, with
reason, on having
CONTROL OF THE FORTS
which covered the city, and which
were at that time guarded by few
Boer soldiers, who could have been
driven out by assault. The committee
relied confidently on the Immediate ser
vices of at least 10000 of the inhabi-
tants of johannesburg and on the help
of many who would join them when
they saw that it was safe to do So
With these men fully armed, with the
town provisioned for a two months
siege, they felt they would be in a posi-
ton by the 9Th of January to send
their ultimatum to the government at
Pretoria The conditions of this ulti-
matum were to be that unless the
Beers gave them the reforms for which
they had petitfoned without success,
they would, at the end Of three days,
set UP a provisional government and
defend Johannesburg against all COM
ers.
It was then, at this point, when the
minds of half the people in the country
would be Wavering as to whether il
was better to join the reforners or
to uphold the old regime that DR..
Jameson was to have come in with his
1900 police, like a flying wedge" and
bring the wavering ones, both Ultland-
ers and Beers from ranches, farms and
villages, and deliver this triumphant
addition to his own we'll organized
force into the hands of the provisional
government at johannesburg This was
what was to have happened. what
did haDDen was this:
on the 25tn of December one Of the
reform committee was sent in great
haste to the cape to arrange some final
details and to hurry up The arms,
which were slow in coming, and with
out which the revolution was as for
midable in appearance, but absolutely
impotent in act, as an empty dynamite
can. When at the cape this member
DISCOVERED A HITCH
in their plans and SO informed the re-
form committee, and this caused
Samuel L. Jameson at Johannesburg
to send the following telegram to his
brother at Mafeking:
1T is absolutely necessary to post
pone hotation through unforeseen cir
cumstances here altogether unexpected.
You must not move until you have re-
ceived instructions to.
This was on the 26th of December,
lust two days before the raid. On the
9th of December telegram was re-
ceived in Johannesburg by Jameson's
brother to the following effect:
Or. Jameson says he cannot give
extension of refusal for f1otation for
December, as Transvaal Beers are OPP
position
This telegram was the first intirna-
ton the reform committee received
that DR.. Jameson had some idea of
taking the bit between his teeth. And
at once, in the greatest possible alarm
at the possible miscarriage of their
long matured plans, they sent two mes
sengers post haste to warn him not 10
move from where ne was. Major
Heany, an American graduate OF west
Point, and a soldier who has seen ser
vice in the Portuguese and Kafir wars.
was dispatched by Hammond on a
special train and Edward Holden was
sent to Mafeking on horseback. 50
well did Holden know the necessity OF
reaching jameson in time to head him
off. that he made the $50 miles between
johannesburg and Mafehng in seven
teen hours changing his saddle to nVe
different horses. He arrived outside
the Jameson headquarters at O'Clock
on Saturday morning, the 2Sth of De-
cember. where he was met by his friend
Lieutenant Grenell, of the guards, who
conducted him to Jameson, to whom
he delivered
HANfMOND'S MESSAGE.
Henry and his special train arrived
late on the 2Sth, and he handed Jane
son his message on the day previous
to the one the telegram had arrived
for Hammond: Wire just received.
experts report decidedly adverse 1 alb
solutely condemn further developments
at present"
This was on Saturday mourning, SO
before Jameson left Mafeking and tong
before he had crossed the border of the
Transvaal. and long before he had been
ordered back by a commissioners Of the
Transvaal republic, and later by the
report of the high commissioner OF
Great Britain, he had received two spe-
cial messengers from his friends, tell
ing him he was not wanted, and q tele-
gram 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, Sepfem-
Der %, DR.. Jameson started on his ride
to johannesburg against the wishes OF
Cecil Rhodes, and against the entreat-
les of the reform committee, and in
stead OF bringing with him the 1900
men and the 1,500 rifles agreed upon,
he came with only 504 men and carried
no extra arms. The first intimatiom
that the people of johannesburg re-
ceived of Jameson having started was
when they read of his having done so
in the newspapers, which came our oTl
Monday afternoon, twentyfouT hours
after he had left Mafeking. The gov
eCnEnent at Pretoria had, of course,
heard of it at the same time, and at
once semi g. deputation down to johann