The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-06-17
CrOnje on Shipboard.
Capt. Webster. His Keeper, Tells of the
Voyage to ST. Helena.
New Orleans Tin1es-pemocrat.


New Orleans Times-Democrat.
Capt. J. w. Webster, who will pass into
history as the man who took Gen. Cronje
to st. Helena, Is having a weeks rest in
New Orleans while his big transport, the
Milwaukee, is getting ready for another
trip to South Africa with a cargo Of
horses. Capt Webster has one gift not
common among men Of action-the gift
Of descriptton-and, chatting over an aft
er-breakfast cigar yesterday morning he
told some interesting things about his
distinguished prisoner. Gen. Cronje is a
little, grizzled man." he said, who would
attract no attention in a crowd on &C
count of any striking feature. He Stops
a good deal, carries his head low down
between his shoulders and looks like a
plain. stolid farmer who has worked
hard all his life. His wife is a pathetic
old woman, about sixty 1 would say,
with ptnched, careWorn face. When
they came on board the Milwaukee they
were in a bad condition. They had been
for days in that terrible lager, without
proper food or means for cleanliness,
and one of the first things we did was
to give them fresh linen and comfortable
clothes.
I'm addition to the general" continued
Capt. Webster, I'VE carried a number of
captured officers, making a party of
about twenty in ALL and 1 treated them
exactly like saloon passengers. They
took their meals together at one long
table in the forward cabin, and at an
other table Of about the same size I
seated Col Leefe and the officers of the
Imperial Guard, who formed the mill
tary escort. The strictest etiquette was
observed and things passed off very
smoothly. We were well provisioned on
the Milwaukee. and the fare at the two
tables compared very favorably with
that of any good hotel. 1 could see that
our formal dinners Of a dozen or so
courses astonished Our prisoners, and one
day Gen. CronJe asked me, through the
interpreter, how we managed to obtain
so many delicacies. I told him there
was nothing phenomenal about our lar
der, and he opened his eyes wide The
story had been industriously circulated
throughout the Boer army that our ships
were short Of food and coaI-one of tina
many lies told to hearten I'D the burghers
was revelation to our charges But
less than half of the 400 and odd prison
ers we carried were Beers The rest
were soldiers of fortune from here, there
and everywhere. Swedes predominating.
am sorry to say that four of them
were Engltshmen, and one of the four
was an ex-colonel of the Hussars He
had been cashiered from the British
army and gone down to hide himself in
1TanSV9ai 10 hoH n
MS old name with his old uniform and
called himself Schmidt, but there was no
question about his identity, and the Off
GERS OF the escort treated him with un-
disguised contempt. 1 passed him one
day when he had momentarily forgotten
himself and was humming a British mess
room song. When he caught my eye he
stopped abruptly, turned scarlet and
walked away.
The most disagreeable of the foreign
mercenaries among the officers was Col.
ohleIS, VINO had been in the Austrian
engineer corps. Shiels was the fellow.
who, as you may have read, came near
escaping by digging a tunnel under his
tent shortly before we sailed He came
aboard rugged out in a superb spick and
span uniform, all made in London. and
II was easy to see that he considered
himself better than his companions and
expected some special consideration "a
a cosmopolitan officer and gentleman.
His manner was naughty and supercil-
louS. On our second day out he stopped
me rather Familiarity and said in excel
lent English that he desired to prefer
small request. 1 becl1oned to the in
terpreter. Ascertain what this gentle
man wishes said, and inform him
positively that he can communicate with
me only through you. Shiels was boiling
XUiri hut tolll
grufi1y and still in English that he want.
ed Il separate bathroom He exDIained
that he did not care TO make his toilet
with those Beers. Translate what he
says [ ordered, and the Interpreter
gravely repeated the request Tell th,,
gentleman said l. that [ do not see
why he should receive any better treat
ment than his employers If he IS not
suited he may go aft, with the private
soldiers. Shiels did not wait to have
my reply translated, but rushed off
furious. That put a stop to any further
overturea from him.
ITO return to Cronje," Capt Webster
went on, II was rather nonplussed to
know what to do for the old gentle
mans diversion. He and his wife WOULD
sit silent, side by side, for hours. hold
ing each others hand, and occasionally
he would read a little in the Bible; but I
was anxious to brighten him up a bit
Luckily 1 happened to think OF q graph
ophone l had purchased during my last
visit to New Orleans. / rugged it up in
MY cabin, pun In a Sousa' band cylinder
playing the Presidents March, and then
sent an invitation to Gen and Mrs
! Cronje and one of the Boer officers wi C.
was also accompanied by his wife They
came in, and, while making a pretext Ct
exhibiting some photographs I started
the machine to going. At the first notes
the whole party looked intensely amazed,
but Of course, they soon located the
source Of the sound I heard you had a
! talking box that talked like a man. said
Cronje, through the interpreter, is tina.
i'll? Yes, general, I replied; and when
the cylinder stopped I slipped on another
Moody and Sankey's hymn, The Ninety
and Nine. which l had been told tho3
sang in their own language.
''The effect was startling. They rec
Ognized the tune at once, and Mrs Cron-
/ Je burst suddenly into tears, while the
other woman lifted quavering voice
and began to sing the words in Boer
! Dutch. Her husband turned away and
wiped his eyes, and 1 could see by the
! spasmodic clasping and unclasping of his
| hands that Gen. Cronje himself was
deeply affected. To relieve the tension,
1 put in a record with a lively banjo
! solo, and in a moment the old gentleman
! began to smile and beat time with his
| feet and head, his gray beard wagging
to the melody. 1t was funny to see him
! When the music had ceased a black
I Kaf