Oil city Afro-American., 1900-01-27
TEXAN TFLLS TALES
of Life tn the Diamond Fields OF
~ South Africa,
HE WAS IN THE NOTABLE RUSH
of 1869 and 1870 to Kimberley, and Wit
messed Some WOndrOuS Sights In
that Country.

Mr.. Henry T. Martin and wife,
citizens of McLennan county, own
diamonds which Mr.. Martin ex-
tracted from the soil on the site of
the city of Kimberly long before
there was a city at that place. Mr..
Martin speaks in highest terms OF
the British, and while he praises
the Beers for their gallantry, he
thinks that their treatment OF the
negro aborigines and their disre-
gard Of the rights of the foreign
ers makes it necessary for them to
be conquered and their right of
government diminished.
81 was in the rush to Kimberly
in 1869 and 1870" said Mn. Mar
tin, "and when | got there l found
that men had locatd claims, from
which they were taking out dia-
monds by the pint. Cecil Rhodes
was on the grounds when | reach
ed there, and, together with his
brothers, had already acquired
valuable claims and quite a guam
tity of sparklegs. did pretty we'll
and so did my friends, but the
country did not suit US, and we
soon quit it. l was born in Texas,
and with the money | earned in
Africa returned here and bought
land, and l do not regret the
change.
| "WhiIe | was in the region |
was impressed with the bigOtry
and the tyranny OF tie. Beers, ex-
ercised very largely toward the
savage tribes about them, whom
! they took no pains whatever to
conciliate, but, on the other hand,
enslayed. 1t is my opinion that
the original quarrel between
Great Britain and the OBers was
owing to the fact that the Beers
persisted in maintaining a syS-
| TEN of slavery and were buying
and selling negroes long after sla-
very had been wholly abolished
on the western hemisphere. 1t
should be remembered that Eng
land took upon herself to eXter-
inmate the slave trade on the en-
| tire continent Of Africa, and that
was the mission Of Lord Sir
Charles Gordon to the SOudan,
(which cost Lord Gordon his life,
and cost England much more
blood and treasure than has been
lost in southern Africa. In pros
Iecuting its mission of breaking up
the slave trade England operated
at both ends Of the continent and
had trouble with all other nations
land governments except the Uni
tied States.
II remember that when we
were in camp in the diamond
fields, and while we were gold
prospecting in South Africa, we
used to find Kaffirs who had been
lensIaved by the Beers and freed
/ by the British, and they were de-
voted to their British employers,
doing excellent service as miners,
and appearing to have no appreci-
)atiOn of the value of diamonds or
the precious metals.
I 1t was predicted by the Out
[ landers at that early day that
sooner or later BOer authority
would be broken, and that Great
Britain would exercise suzeranity
from the Cape to the equator. Ce-
Gil Rhodes, according to my recOl-
(lection of the man, dressed plain
| ly, avoided wine and saved his
money. | think that he is the
richest man now in the world. His
wealth consists of diamonds and
gold and diamond mines and gold
Imines, and he might, if it pleased
lhim to do so, live like a king in a
Icivilzed city and enjoy life on the
tmost liberal plane that can be i'm
tagined. On the other hand he has
(been living plainly, with head
Quarters, | think, at Kimberly,
travelling about on a mule, assist
I ing in making surveys and get
! ting ready for opening up that
continent to the highest civiliza-
ton.