The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-12
ANACONDA NEWS.
He SAVED A TRAVELLER.
Billy Reeder Power in South
Africa.
cREECHs, RUNS A HOTEL
Two Former Residents OF Butte Now
Located in Beira. the wickedest
Place in All of Wild
Africa.


The San Francisco Call, in it's Sunday
edition, publishes an account of Beira,
South Africa. The article is especially
interesting to Montana people because
two former Butte men appear in the
light of heroes in the story. One of
these two men is Roland Creech, for
anerly a deputy sheriff in Butte, and a
man who has gained quite reputation
in this state for daring. The other is
Creech's brother-in-law, BILLY" Reed
ed, also formerly Of Butte and likewise
well known.
The story, in part, is as follows:
"Beira is the fourth stop on the left
as you go up from Cape Town to Zanzi-
bar. 1t grew yesterday. To-day it is
the widest town in the world
Imagine, If you can, squad of Bret
Harte's Representatives from Poker Flat
or Roaring Camp knocking elbows with
reformed cannibals from Madagascar
Malays from Singapore, Parsees from
India, Jews from Moscow, Yankees
from Massachusetts, demireps from
Hamburg, half a dozen missionaries,
crooks from johannesburg, merchants
from Paris and Berlin, 500 Englshmen,
less than that many Chinese coolies and
pinch of Japanese in the shape of
Acknowledged tea girls imported by an
Arabian slave dealer.
Keep in mind then that all this figaro
is ruled by a quick tempered, dark
featured, sensitive Portuguese from Lis
bon, with the aid of a thousand little
soldiers, who will accept a bride or jab
sword into you with equal alacrity,
who hate a real white man just shade
more than they detest the real black,
and purposely limit their knowledge of
English to the one word-arrested.'
THE South African squatter has his
own reason for camping in a desert and
flirting with eternity in the shape CT
deadly. fever germs. The glitter of gold
is his 'lodestone. 1t. is that which has
turned the tide of emigration north
ward; Johannesburg and Kimberley no
longer afford opportunities to make
easy money and great confidence is put
in Cecil Rhodes promise of good times
and quick fortunes in Rhodesia.
These good times have thus far
given no sign of materializing, but that
vast unsettled portion of the populace
whom Mr.. kiplng calls the Gentlemen
Rovers Abroad, nevertheless continues
to mass on the outskirts of this country,
where grand rush may be made to
Mashonaland or Matabeleland when
gold Is discovered.
d I'm view of the fact that an expert
American engineer has just completed a
tramp over the whole territory, exam
lining all the geological formation care
fully, and pronounced the country quite
worthless from a mineral standpoint, it
Is almost pathetic to see the confiding
population decimated each day but as
constantly reinforced. If in the end it
is doomed to bitter disappointment Mr.
Rhodes will have much to answer for,
since not only are the f1oaters and ne'er-
do-wells5 flocking northward. but me-
chanics, tradesmen, professional men
and laborers are coming with their
families
Every publication of Rhodes paper,
the Cape Town Times, sets forth the
enticements of Rhodesia and causes
some unfortunate beggar to draw from
the bank his little savings, pack up and
go north, generally to Beira Not one
man in one hundred ever gets any fur
Their and not a few leave their bones to
bleach on the quicksands there The
unemployed man cannot stay there
long, for with bread at one shilling a
loaf money evaporates like smoke. and
Beira is bad place to be stranded in.
I had the good fortune when arrested
on recent visit there to elicit the SYM
ton as boxers and men of action some
what dampened Portuguese birthstone
and thereby easily obtained my release
This was pure luck however, for ordi-
narily a victim is heavily fined and, in
addition, sometimes carries away the
ugly scar of a short, blunt sword
In company wit$h Ralph Jewell, a
Californian, who had spent some years
in the Transvaal went to the Beach
hotel, took dinner and afterward, in
company with an Englishman, named
Harris. strolled up the main street to
cast an eye about for some means of
making a livelihood. While holding a
discussion on ways and means, for the
three of us possessed but single Kru-
ger sixpence. we were interrupted by
two gendarmes. Grabbing me by the
arms they pointed up the street and
jabbered that familiar word, Arrested
Don't make a move, stranger call
ed out a man who wore high cavalry
boots as he ran up to us. You'll
make the mistake of your life. Take
my word for it, there's only one law
here, and that's for the Portuguese An
Englishman or American has no protec-
ton. see you were just going to knock
these fellows down. If you do they'll
the tronk with them, for they say there's
a warrant out for the man with the
white Alpine straw
There was no alternative, and ours
ing the day / bought such a conspicu-
Gus hat, l marched to jail, accompa-
MED by my two friends, all wondering
for what l could be apprehended in this
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