The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-26
C|)DPED N KIMBERLEY.
Two Distinguished New York
Young Women.
ON STARVATION RATI0NS
What Might BefaiI Them If
Kimberley Were Taken.
ON STARVATION RATIONS

and famine stricken city of Kimberley,
South Africa, in company with Cecil
Rhodes. the Diamond King" who is
worth $1OO,0OOOOO.
One of the young women is Amalia
Kussner, the most celebrated miniature
artist in the world, who has painted the
portraits of New York's noted society
leaders, the famous titled beauties abroad
and many of the crowned heads of
Europe
The other New York girl who is sur
rounded by the Beers and may become
their captive, is Nancy Huston Banks,
the novelist, essayist and magazine writ
er.
When Nancy Banks last dispatch, car
ried out by native runner came from
Kimberley about week ago, the town
had settled down into a state of desper-
ate siege.
Starvation rations had been ordered.
-Four slices of bread, three tablespoons
full of beans. three slices of bacon and one
cup of coffee were the daily allowance.
This is only one Of the odd fortunes of
war which has so suddenly befalten these
two favorites of New York society, &C
customed to the most agreeable luxuries
of life
These plucky young women just hap
pened to reach the war territory last
month at the outbreak of hostilities
Miss Kussner had an appointment to
| meet the Hon. Cecil Rhodes. the South
African multi-miIlionaire. at Cape Town
and paint his miniature. II never oc-
| CURED to her to turn back because war
was about to be declared, and finding
| that Mr.. Rhodes had gone on to Kimber-
! ley Miss Kussner and her friend cheer
! fully followed
Nancy Banks, who went to Kimberley
as a war correspondent arrived at Cape
! Town on the steamship Norman, from
| London, only two days before the out
| break of hostilities in the TransvaaI Miss
| Kussner was already in Cape Town. The
two young women are most devoted
| friends. They started at once for Kim
berley the great diamond mining town.
seven hundred miles north in the Kaflr
| county.
Their adventures began On the train
in which they went north from Cape
Town. On October II, when the war I'LL
! Jnelr
train on the frontier, but allowed it to
| proceed to Kimberley, as only non-com-
batants were supposed to be aboard.
When the resolute New York girls ar
| rived in Kimberley, the siege had al
| ready begun. Mr.. Rhodes was somewhat
| dismayed at the unexpected appearance
of the young Americans. AS the Beers
had closed all avenues of retreat there
was nothing to do but to welcome the Wis
itors, and Mr.. Rhodes promised Miss Kus
sner a daily sitting. The small garrison
of half a batillion Of the Royal North
Lancashire Regiment and two thousand
local militia troops were working night
and day throwing up intrenchments on
the outskirts of the town. Opposed to
them were 5000 Beers.
Schools and churches were being pre-
pared for hospitals. Miners from the
adjoining damon fields were being en-
listed and drilled in the streets. What
had a week before been a lively mining
camp like one Of our western towns was
transformed into a military post.
The New York young women were thus
thrown at once into the most exciting
scenes of war.
tive style in one of the last newspaper
letters sent out Of the beleagured town
how from their windows they could see
the forces Of the Beers gathering on the
surrounding hills and planting batteries.
Then came a still more exciting day.
when they saw the Beers make assaults
upon the town. to be driven back re-
peatedly by the British garrison and vol
unteers-
When these assaults failed new ter
ror threatned. The Beers began to train
their artillery upon the town and dropped
shells which burst in the streets and
among the houses.
Occasionally a shell would fall in the
diamond mines, where great quantities of
dynamite are stored, exploding these
magazines with the roar as of an earth
quake
Yet in circumstances which would have
Inspired most women with sickening
fear, these plucky New York women in
dulged in the pastime of picking UP frag-
ments of exploded shells in the streets
a mementoes.
An adventurous incident which Nancy
Banks reported in one of her dispatches
just received which she sent out by a ma
tive runner. gives a good idea of what
the two women are seeing and doing
They were, in company with Mr. Rhodes
among the intrenchments surrounding
the town. where the British batteries
were replying as best they could to the
rain Of shells from the enemy. One Of
these missels fell inside the intrench-
ments. killing no soldiers, but blowing to
! h1rp h--ae =,
one OF the volunteer COMPANIES.
Imagine these daring New York womer
rushing upon the scene and picking ur
as many pieces as they could carry away
But while Nancy Banks VAS gathering
interesting material for future magazine
articles Amalia Kussner did not allow
the state of war to interfere with n,
business which took her to Kimberley.
Every morning. according to a cabl,
dispatch a week ago. at a stated hour a
the hotel. Mr.. Rhodes called and had {
sitting for his portrait in miniature.
The little artist certainly has had al
exceptional opportunity OF seeing Ceci
Rhodes. called the Colossus Of South Al
RIGA in his most heroic moods Fo
when she was not painting she and Nan
cy Banks accompanied him as he mad
the rounds Of iatrenchueuts. encourag
p ing the soldiers and directing sorties :,
d drive back the Boer Dickets and recon
: noitering parties.
It IS reasonable 10 suppose that Mis-
Kussner's portrait Of Cecil Rhodes vii
q portray him in a truly Napoleonic aspec
> Nancy Banks viii doubtless also civ
: TO the world the best pen picture ye
p drawn Of this Dotentate % South Africa
the most mastery figure fin England