The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-01
HOME ONCE MORE.
Remarkable Wander.
ings of a Worces-
ter Man.
VISITS AFRICA AND old WORLD.
Karl Jannson's Strange
Story and Still More
Wonderful Travels.
VISITS AFRICA AND OLD WORLD.

Karl Jannson, who lives at 40 Kend
all street, and was once in the employ
of the Washburn & Moen Company
has had enough of unintentional trav.
cling.
Mr.. Jannson, it will be remembered
disappeared from Worcester last Aug.
ust, leaving his wife and his work
without giving a clew to his where.
abouts. In September Mrs. Jannsor
heard from him in South Africa, telling
that he had left during a fit of nervous
prostration, but gave only a few de.
tails
Thursday evening he returned tc
Worcester and was seen last night by
Spy man at his home on Kendall
street. Mr.. Jannson is strong and ro-
oust, bronzed by his life in Africa, and
thoroughly glad to be home again. The
story of his trip would make an inter-
esting volume for Mr.. Jannson knows
how to tell it we'll
He remembers only little of how he
left Worcester. All that part of the
trip has been a blank to him until late
ly. but is slowly coming back to him.
he remembers having been sick for
some time with nervous prostration
fand being troubled with nose bleeds.
For months he had not slept for an
hour at time, and was all broken
down physically.
z on the day he disappeared, he re-
members deciding to spend two days
holiday in Gloucester, and went to the
tlrst National Bank, where his money
was placed, and drew $3.50. His nose
began to bleed when he came from the
oank, and after stopping a while until
had become less, he went
Town Front street and bought a cheap
PAIR or trousers and a cheap valise, in
which he meant to put the fish he
would catch at Gloucester. When he
got to the depot he found the train
gone, so decided to take a car to South
cunningham, and the train the rest of
he way to Boston.
BY some mistake, however, he found
himself out near Hope cemetery, and
Has some time in getting back to the
depot. He caught train this time and
vent on to South birmingham, where
lis nose began to trouble him again,
ina went on to Boston by a later train.
He doesn't remember what time OF
the day it was when he arrived in Bos-
ton, but he could not find the boat, and
finally got on a train at the Providence
depot, thinking to go to Fall River
and take boat for New York He got
off at some small station in Massachu.
sets and bought some new collars and
shirt, as his nose had been bleeding al
the time, and staid there till the next
train. He remembers getting to New
York. but what happened there is al
a blank. He can barely remember thai
the ma "a Npae q oh h
steward who saw something wrong
with him. He told the steward that he
was going to Johannesburg, South AT,
RIGA, and after being searched, wa:
found to have ticket for that place
though he doesn't know where it came
from.
The steward told him that Johannes.
burg was a -forsaken country, ant
whoever went there was glad to sci
home. This set him to thinking, anC
gradually his condition began to dswI
upon him. Had he no friends or rela,
lives? He could not remember for g
while any details, but after time he
began to see Catherine street, Worces.
ter, and seemed to be worried over Tie
wet grass. He cannot explain his con-
dition, but thinks he had not fully re-
covered.
Arriving at Cape Town, he went or
to Johannesburg, through most des-
nlate country. burned a coppery brown
and with but sparse vegetation. AT
Johannesburg he could get no work
without testimonials, and of course he
had none His clothes were against
him, too, for he had worn them fol
seven weeks. Being unsuccessful In
johannesburg, he went by train t. VIC
toria and then across country to Mach
addensdorf, the seat of the gold mining
region. All his money was gone ano
he had but little chance for getting
work
BY singular good fortune, the man
ager to whom he applied happened tc
be an American, and Mr.. Jannson was
given temporary employment at 10 shil-
lings a day for three weeks doing as
saying work in the absence of the reg
ular man. When his time was up the
manager put him in charge of the cleo
trio work 1t was new to him, but by
application to his work and study from
books loaned him by the manager, ne
was able to keep up very well. Fol
this work he got 35 pounds sterling q
month. a free room, a horse when he
needed it and Kaffir boy to wait on
him.
Mr. Jannson has good word to say
~CN-N
about 30 shillings month with food
and are intelligent and honest After
working here for nine months and hav-
ing his salary raised and a promise of
promotion to the central office at Jo-
hannesburg, he began to plan to get
back home. 1t was a disagreeable
country, he said, with no schools. There
were two churches, but no services
We're held. A very poor quality OF
table board cost $40 a month, a little
bottle of whisky sold for 10 shillings
bottle of beer for 4 shillings and a
common ham sandwich for 2 shillings
6 pence. In Johannesburg there was a
post office and bank and two so-called
hotels. 1t was hard to say which was
the worst of the two.
Hiring Kaffir to carry his two
valises, weighing about 100 pounds to-
gether, he started off on a two days
walk to the nearest railway station
Ne1Iq Sprl1it In thp Transvnnl rtbe