The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-05-17
The ENJOYS Have Planned 10 Remain In
This Country Three Months.
THEIR MISSION IS NOT TO ANY PARTY
Mr. Vessels Explains That They Come 10 Amer.
can Citizens as Whole Cause Will Plead
Itself Without Orator..


envoys who arrived here Tuesday on
the Maasdam spent yesterday morning
in ,neir rooms in the Hotel Manhattan,
reading and answering a big pile OF
letters and kilograms which they found
awaiting them. In addition 10 the
messages of welcome there were found
invitations from committees OF Boer
sympathizers in over so cities. all the
way from Bangor TO San Francisco.
There were invitations to dinners,
receptions, and all sorts of social ar
fairs. from private persons in this city,
which IL was said would keep the en-
yoys here a fortnight III they could be
accepted. Even Mrs. Fischer, the wife
of Envoy Fischer, was not forgotten.
Sne did not get so many kilograms or
oiIers of the freedom of cities. but just
as she arose from the breakfast table
"A florists boy came staggering I'm with
"a huge bunch of red and white roses as
big as bushel basket
Envoy Fischer I'm the Kings Eng
Iish. Envoy Vessels. i'm his deep-toned
accent and Envoy Wolmarans in pure
Dutch all expressed their qualification
at the reception they had received. Mr..
Fischer said that the reception TO the
envoys had been just what they had
hoped for and that IL was TO him
matter OF great personal qualification.
Envoy Wolmarans said something ia
Dutch. and one OF the reception COM
mittee. who happened TO be near trans
lated the cultural phrases into "a
beautiful expression OF popular sym
pathy." Mr.. Vessels, who IL 8 feet
deep-voiced. and not inclined TO talk
much, listened gravely TO what his coll
league had said and remarked that
that was what he thought too.
YESTERDAYS PROGRAM.
The envoy's program with the excep-
ton Of drive in the park yesterday
afternoon, was to spend the time In
resting, looking over private mail. re-
cedving callers and planning an itinerary
With over &C. invitations from all parts
of the country this latter task is not al
together an easy one. Among the ci-
ties in which committees have already
planned TO receive the ENJOYS are Bos-
ton, Chicago, San Francisco ST. Louis.
st. Paul. Kansas City, and a host OF
smaller cities ranging all the way from
Waterbury, Conn. to Davenport Ia.
George Van Siclen of the citizens COM
mittee came up TO the hotel about
O'Clock and at once closeted himself
with Secretary de Bruyn. and began TO
tell him about the various places from
which invitations had been received
and the advisability OF visiting them.
Mr.. Van Siclen said that he expected
that the Boer ENJOYS would remain in
the country about two or three months
and that their itinerary would depend
ON the invitations which might Yet
come in and upon Vhe time they set for
going home.
I'VE do not want 10 stay here longer
than we have TO to complete our work."
said Envoy Fischer. "Our people are
in trouble and we don't like to be away
from them
NOT TO ANY PARTY.
What we want most distinctly un-
derstood,' said Il. Louter Vessels.
brother Of Envoy Vessels and special
commissioner here of the Orange Free
State. lis that we come to no political
party. no clique or faction of any kind
or description We come tn the Ameri-
can citizens as a body with the simple
truth. We don't want oratory nor col
or. We think our cause will plead for
itself most strongly when we tell. you
the plain bare facts"
Mr. Vessels spoke more today OF
what Mr.. Fischer yesterday termed the
systematic spread of lies about the
Boer cause. He said:
1T is not true that the Free Staters
have begun to desert the cause
The statement that President Steyn
has been forced to drive them to battle
with horsewhips ds on the face of III
preposterous President Steyn is not
that kind Of man. In the first place
in the second. the Free Staters are nor
the sort Of people TO endure that sort OF
treatment"
PUBLIC RECEPTION.
The first public reception OF the Boer
ENJOYS Will occur today at o'clock
In the afternoon at City Hall, when
the freedom of the city will be pre-
sented to them.
Ii is the desire of the ENJOYS To pro-
ceed 10 Washington as soon as possl-
bic. What action they will take when
they reach there they will not yet say
farther than stating that they wish,
first of all. before accepting invita-
tions from committees i'm the various
cities, TO visit President Mckinley II.
Louter Vessels stated yesterday
that the envoys had had assurances OF
pleasant reception. A committee OF
four or five members from the large
citizens committee in Washington is
expected here Friday morning TO meet
the ENJOYS and accompany them 10
the capital. a suite of rooms has AL
ready been engaged for them at the
Arlington Hotel and they will proba-
bly, leave for Washington on Friday
night.
The Boer envoys brought with them
letter which. now that Gen. Joubert
is dead. possesses singular interest.
IL was written by Joubert himself from
the commandant's Headquarters I'm
Pretoria. and Is dated March H. 1900.
The letter Il of four pages and was
addressed to George w. Van SIclen
OF this city.
"The letter Is in Dutch" said Mr..
Van Siclen. "and Is. in the light of
later events. singularly pathetic. IL
vas a personal letter but u is of such
interest NJ the present moment that
shall translate IL and give " to the
newspapers Joubert was a man OF a
lifetime. He was giant I'm build-his
chest measured "a inches--but his man
ner was as gentle as child. lie did
not seem like most men nowadays.
There was something impressive about
him saaina ~ hing of Lhe ~ liarch =.