The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-08-08
FLORA SHAW'S CAREER
HISTORY OF A WOMAN WHO PLAYED
A PART IN THE JAMESON RAID.
While Employed as Correspondent
She Was Cecil RhOdes's Main AdVis-
er-TOO Shrewd for Lawyers.
London Letter.

Rhodes and the secret conniVance OF the
British colonial secretary, Joseph Chamber
lain. Parliament ordered an inquiry into
that charge. Rhodes was convicted of COM
plicity, but Chamberlain was cleared Flora
Shaw. a clever woman journalist on the
staff of the London Times, was in close
communication with both Rhodes and
Chamberlain. She was a witness before the
parliamentary committee. Her evidence let
Chamberlain out.
The French misogynist whose axiom was,
in all insoluble mysteries, "Cherchez la
femme" might claim that the history of
the Jameson raid conspiracy furnishes
fresh proof of his insight into the main
springs of human action, But he would
be making an unjustifabIe assumption. 1t
is true that Miss Flora Shaw was the hub
around which that plot revolved, but neith-
er passion nor sentiment had anything to
do with her influence in it. She took the
central part, not because she was a woman,
but because she was the cleverest most
useful ana adaptable intriguer in the band.
On the witness stand she displayed her gifts
to admiration of all believers. She had a
mass of compromising cables, dispatched by
her to Rhodes and received by her from
him and his ieutenants, to disentangle her
self from. The task seemed hopeless, but
she acquitted herself of it with flying col
ors. She was the deftest and most plausi-
BILE the most reticent and yet the most
seemingly frank and ingenious witness that
took the stand.
WHO FLORA SHAW is.
Miss Shaw is the daughter of Irish
parents, and is q niece of Sir Eyre Massey
Shaw for many years the captain of the
London fire brigade When quite a girl she
took a place as travelling companion to an
English lady of title. While thus engaged
she began to write letters on colonial topics
to some of the London papers and ultl-
mately got employment from the London
Times. For the past nine years she mas
filled the position of chief writer FOR the
Times on colonial questions. Seven years
ago she was sent ON a rowing commission
round the world Tor the paper, Her letters
attracted widespread attention, tney 0s-
played SO much insight ana kno"leuSe;1
1t was during this trip that she met MT.
Rhodes at Cape Town. He at once reco9-
nized her ability, and appreciated th9 Iact
that 1t was worth while making her
supporter Of his imperlaltstlc designs ne
has ever since consulted Miss Shaw on every
move on the political board IN cape Colony
in which British sentiment haq 10 pc con
sideTed Had he taken her ADVICE on the
conditions of the raid 1t might not nave
ruined his career and indefinitely postponed
j
life has been devoted. ,,,.o
Her appearance is extremely lady-Hke,
even stylish and she mas Inc not faI7r et are
regular her nose straight ana well Ioiileus
her mouth flexible, and her chih IuH Oh
resolution .4 ,.4,.oo
tive feature They are sympathetic, deep
gray eyes. tending almost TO brown SINH
ing with clear and quick intelligence. but
She is so thoroughly business-like in her
manner she intrudeS her sex so niue anu
takes so Independent ana yet natural
stand that YOU forget she IS a woman WilSlL
YOU hear her talk. Her voice IS low ana
penetrating her manner decisive, neI
grasp of the questions put 70 her sure anu
Instantaneous her capacity for eXpalmns
away awkward circumstances qulte cdPt-
waiting III it's suave and candid perIeCtiion.
Her age might be anythins between In Itsrt{
and thirty-eight though rumof pu!S ~
higher still She is above the middle
height. slight and graceful of figure, ana
she wore veil which she never raiSeo
when before the committee. -,
When she was discussing one day with
the other members Of the Rhodes group
the hest date for the ''rising" in Johannes
burg She suggested Dec. 16, showing an
eve to dramatic fitness, as 1t was on tlids
date in 1880 that the Boers NAG oG 5Ta leu
their Independence of British RUE 10 Her
Initiative, too was due the preparation OF
that thrilling letter supposed 70 tIldtidCe
from the people OF Johannesputg { tb h ne
fcru leaders, which appealed to the hu-
M ity of the British schemers VINO were
plot,in a rape of territory on the SFoulli
Of the jeopardy in which tAe women nm M y
composition, of course was never seen ny
the reform leaders, but was kept IN a
pigeon hole in Mr. RhOdess ONCE at cape
Town for a, month until the proper Tune 10
launch it arrived But Flora SHAW ana not
underestimate its Importance, Tor until II
was exposed it exercised a powerful effect
on public opinion in this country. Had the
raid succeeded the imposture would never
have been revealed.
HER DIPLOMATIC SKILL.
strikingly shown in her dealings with the
Colonial Office in London as Mr.. Rhodes
uncredited but at the same time most eff
fective agent. She has for years been a
constant caller at the Colonial Office
Three times week at least she saw the
chiefs of the department. She conferred
with Joseph Chamberlain and the under
secretaries on every fresh development at
the Cape and at Pretoria. She brought
them advance information cabled by the
Times'S news correspondents, and the gov
eminent aVailed itself of her information.
She assumed, and deSerVedIy assumed, the
position of a specialist on South African al
fairs. She was not trusted merely by Mr..
Cham berlain and the permanent heads Of
the department, but by Lord Ripon, the
preceding colonial secretary under Mr..
Gladstone. She knew too much in fact, of
the aims and policy of both parties to per-
nit Sir William Harcourt handling her
roughly before the committee. She too
astute, however to let any inkling of this
secret leak out in her examination, but
that she welded it was abundantly clear by
the whole trend of the inquiry
TO a person of less resources her expert
ence on the witness stand might have been
fraught with serious consequences to her
reputation for veracity. She was first ex-
amned on May 25. She then said she had
received only three cables from Mr.
Rhodes. These she did not produce. but she
was again put forward for examination and
meanwhile the cable Office files had been
searched and five cables discovered-in the
Miss Shaw to Mr.. Rhodes. The two the
existence of which she had forgotten, had
turned out to be the only really important
ones of the lot. But she was not in the
slightest degree nonplussed by the diseov-
cry. She was awfuily sorry that they had
slipped her memory and with few plausi-
Bile sentences she disposed of this rather
ugly lapse.
The first Of these cables was from Rhodes
and was directed to inform Chamberlain
l shall get through all right if he supports
me" This was after jameson had started
and after the failure of the raid was APP
pretended. The other was: Unless you
can make Chamberlain direct high COM
missioner go at once to johannesburg the
whole situation will be lost.
These cables pointed directly TO an under
standing on Chamberlain's part as to the
raid, and a knowledge on the part Of Mr.
intermediary between them They looked
very compromising on the face of them
But Miss Shaw was equal TO the situation
Did she convey these appeals to Mr.. Cham
berlain? No, she didn't. She testified that
she took no notice Of these most important
cables from Mr.. Rhodes with whom up 10
that point she had been acting in the clos
est concert 1t was ineXplicable, but she
to Mr. Chamberlain. The fact remains that
MIR Chamberlain did all he could to support