The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-12

ears of Dynamite Dick" he asked for
volunteers to form a rescuing party
? Several soldiers offered to accompany
him, and at night six of these men were
stationed in a ditch in order to cover
the retreat in case the expedition was
successful. Taking with him Vivian
Cogill, Boer boy seventeen years old,
Dynamite Dick" went in search of the
wounded men. They crept past the
first British picket without being dis
covered. Cautiously they proceeded
until they had gone by the inside picket
and could see the English soldiers lying
asleep in their blankets. While they
were making across an open stretch of
ground the moon came out from behind
a cloud, and the nearest picket chal-
lenged them. Then he fred His shot
went wide of the mark, and in an in
slant there was confusion in the camp.
Drawing the boy to the shelter of
some rocks, the scout awaited develop
ments. They had been compelled to
leave their rifles behind them, as il was
impossible to carry them while creeping
along the ground, and they made ready
to defend themselves with revolvers.
The noise and shouting confused the
outside pickets, who ran into camp TO
meet general fusilate. In a moment
there was a panic. Cries that the b.
ers We're making a night attack were
heard on every side. One of the Brit
ish soldiers in rushing by stepped on
the leg of young Cogill who shot him
with his revolver. The scout put the
dead soldiers helmet on the boys head
on Il ho
past them, and the six men hidden in
the trenches opened fire In half an
hour the camp was deserted, and the
Beers sent men to search for their
wounded soldiers The noise had
aroused one of these, and hts groans
brought the rescung party to his assis-
lance. The three men had lain on the
battlefield unattended for two days
and two nights. One of those wounded
was Aleck Brand, the son of former
president of the Free State, Another
was James Pratt a boy of sixteen, who
had been shot through the head. Both
these soldiers recovered but the third
died from his injuries. Neither the
scout nor his companion was injured,
and the British abandoned ground for
the possession of which they had sacri-
feed fifteen hundred lives.
Dynamite Dicks last exploit will
cause his name to be inscribed in Boer
history. When the Beers left Komati
Poort Dynamite Dick" retreated with
his comrades, but the thought OF the
stores valued at fifteen million dollars
that had to be abandoned to the Brit
ish bothered him. He saw another OPP
portunity for one Of his independent eX-
petitions. With three men he returned
to Komati Poort, where, for one bag of
flour each, he hired one hundred Kaffirs
to go with him to the railway cars,
where most of the stores had been al
lowed to remain ready for transporta-
ton, Using two carloads of kerosene
that they found there, they saturated
everything with oil. Then Dynamite
Dick applied the torch. While the |
party was busy at this costly fire some
British scouts fired on the men, killing |
two Of the Kaffirs. One of the British |
scouts was taken prisoner, and the four |
Beers retreated with their captive. |
They had not gone far when the SER
geant of the guard said that he had not
been able to dispose of Long Tom.
All the dynamiters exultation over
the disappointment of his foes was dis
spated by this news The scout had |
some sentiment concerning the famous
cannon. Alone he returned to Komati
Poort, this time taking with him some
dynamite which he used with such
good effect that Long Tom was shat
tered into hundred pieces But the
destruction of Long Tom put at least
temporary ending to Dynamite Dicks"
career. The British cut him off from
the retreating Boer army, and he had
to take refuge on neutral ground. His
arrest at Delagoa bay followed a few
days later.
Under date of September 30 the cor
of the London Standard
wrote of this little exploit as follows:
when / left Komati Poort. three days /
ago, smoke and flame were still squirt
ing from the heaps of wagons and
stores that the enemy had given up to
destruction. Whether this huge waste
of food and material was premeditated
by the Boer leaders is hard to say.
They had gone when that satanic agent,
known as Dynamite Dick, alias King,
an Irish-American, returned, poured
y |
many thousands of pounds worth of
stores and rolling stock. Having done
this, he fled across the frontier, and
with shameless insolence sought to
make terms for the safety of the rail-
way bridge over the Komati river
himself by deputy to the
British consul-general he demanded |
three thousand pounds, the price which
he said General Pole Carew had agreed
to pay If the bridge was saved. Mr. !
King is not so smart a man as he mag |
ines. He is now a prisoner on the Portu-
yuese war ship"
But the British correspondent was ;
mistaken. Dynamite Dick can be ,
seen walking the streets of Chicago any 8
lime this holiday season. There is ,
in his appearance that
makes the casual passer-by turn to look {
1t him, but he is not the fierce, blood ,
thirsty person one would picture when
'eading the almost incredible story of /
lS deeds on the battlefield. He is I
tbout five feet eight inches tall, and of 6
powerful build. He has a keen eye and 6
determined look in his face, which is r
;ingulary young even for twenty-seV- :
N years. He has light brown hair
hat falls in tight curls on the collar of +
lis coat. He has a small mouth and +
hin lips that denote terrible determi- ,