The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-12
SATANIC AGENT OF THE BOER
THE EXPLOITS or DYNAMITE
DICK.
He DeraiIed British Trains, Burnt
Bridges and Stampeded the British.

Dynamite Dick" referred to by tbs
correspondents of English newspapers
as the Satanic agent of 1.-THE Beers,
has come to Chicago to spend the win
ter. He arrived a month ago with the
returning members of the lrish-Ameri-
can hospital corps, and he has beer
living a retired life since then. There
have been reasons why the man, who
has the reputation of having killed
more British soldiers than any other
one person who has been fighting on the
Boer side, should seek a season of quiet.
Ills military career came to prema-
ture close after one of the most daring
feats in the spectacular history of the
South African war, and the English
have offered reward of fifteen hum
dred dollars for his head
Dynamite Dick" ended his service by
destroying fifteen million dollars worth
of stores at Komati Poort last Sep
TENDER. After he had safely made his
escape he discovered that Long Tom,
the famous cannon that from BulWana
Tor weeks belched fire and shell upon
Ladysmith had not been demolished
He returned to fix this great gun SO
that it would not be of any service to
the enemy, and he became separated
from the Boer command. That is why
he had to flee across the frontier into
Portuguese territory, and finally come
to the United States, much against his
will When he made his way to Della
goa bay he was arrested on complaint
OF the British consul al that place, who
sWore that no Englishman could feel
safe In the same town with Dynamite
Dick" The consul had forty Portu-
guese policemen and sixty British ma
rines to guard him, but nevertheless,
Dynamite Dick was locked up until
the first vessel should sail from port
Then the dangerous scout was escorted
on shipboard with much pomp and GER
emony There was company of infan-
try at his right, cavalry guard at his
left, and Maxim gun back of him.
The British consul did not go down to
the wharf to say good-by.
Dynamite Dicks military career
extends over period of only one year,
but it is probably the most eventful on
record in the history of any war; Pre-
vious to his enlistment in the Boer
army, Dynamite Dick was known as
j. n King an irish American, who had
been in the Transvaal for five years.
King was born in Pennsylvania. He
was educated as civil engineer. He
was sent first to Mount st. Mary's col
lege at Emmitsburg, Md, and later at
tended college at Georgetown, D. C. IT
is said that he was always a boy of
reckless daring, and that the neighbors
were accustomed to prophesy that he
h hon Anfc l.,
because his wonderful talent for organ
ization made him a ringleader in all
sorts of mischief. He was only twenty
two when he left home to go to the
Transvaal in search of fortune and ad-
venture. If he had been as successful
in one line as in the other, he would be
a millionaire. First he obtained en-
ployment in the construction work on
the government railroads, later aban-
doning the part of engineering work for
contract mining.
When the war broke out, Kings sym
pathies were with the Beers, and with
fifteen other young fellows he enlisted
as General Joubert's bodyguard. OF
this number he is the only survivor to-
day, the last of these volunteers having
fallen at his side at Peters Heights in
the retreat from Ladysmith. After the
first months service King was assigned
to General Botha's staff as scout. He
earned his title of Dynamite Dick"
early in the campaign.
King, with six Americans and two
hundred Beers was detailed to wreck |
the train carrying a British relief expe- |
dition to Ladysmith. A little bridge |
not far from Colenso was selected as |
the place for the first big dynamite ex-
pertinent of the war. With forty |
pounds of dynamite Dick laid the trap
most cleverly, his knowledge of engl-
neering aided him to estimate the prob
able damage that would be done and to
minimize the loss of life. The Beers
were placed on guard at a good distance
from the bridge, and two electric wires
were arranged for the explosion of the
big charge. The train came in sight
about three o'clock in the afternoon.
AT a signal from scout, King exploded
the dynamite. The train was wrecked |
and fifteen persons were killed The
Beers rushed from ambush and the
British hoisted a white flag One hum
dred and seventy prisoners We're taken
Among them was Winston Churchill.
After that day King seldom heard his
own name. He was Dynamite Dick
for all time in South Africa. The fame
of his daring deed spread everywhere i
but it was looked upon by the young
engineer as quite an ordinary incident.
But it was only the beginning of his eX-
poits. The contempt for danger that
he had shown in various ways now be-
came his chief Characteristic. If there ]
was a perilous mission, it was the II
American scout to whom it was in
trusted. He passed under showers of
bullets and escaped unframed. Time
and again he crept past the enemy's +;
pickets and wandered a will within the
British lines. There was not a week
that did not add to the long list of the
almost impossible feats that he accom- {
plished. Soon it became rumored that |
he had some mysterious power of find !
ing out the plans of his foes, and the I
feared him as they would /
an emissary of the evil one. 4
At night the sentries would hear a +
sound utter a challenge, and Instantly |
A man would dash by on one of the t
feetest horses. laughing in the face of {
Tommy Atkins and haunting him with /
his poor craftsmanship The man.
with long curly hair that fell on his 7
shoulders, was often hatless and his