The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-09-13
CAUSE OF THE BOBR War.
An American Miners Claims Dis
ruptcd South Africa.

The story Related by II. L. Brown.
Now i'm Washington. Who Contends
That the British Government Is
Indebted to Him for $1,000. 600.
An Interesting story relating To- the
cause Of the war between Great Britain
and the South African Republic was made
public last night 10y r. r. Brown, mine
owner, who arrived IN Washington, &C.
companied 10y James C.. stowe. sN-Eousdl
General at Cape Town. who was succeed
cd by Mr. Eigham. OF Kansas
Mr. Brown was i'm South africa during
the jameson raid. He is aI American
citizen and in 1891 was in the Occur
d Lion mining regions of Idaho. lie
went 70 South Africa and located val
Uable gold mine ON IN, EanI Under the
laws OF the South African Republic he was
compelled To- wait until III, land Office
there proclaimed the country uT,n for The
location of claims When this "Is done
ne had his representative stake of the
claim. President Kruger declared this
notification HIegaI and refused to- approve
of his certificate Of title. This resulted
in considerable trouble with the South
African Republic and today Mr. Brown is
pressing a claim for $5.J9HuU0 against the
British Government
The facts are that the government Of
the South African Republic required that
before a claim could DE staked of and
certified 10 Information Of the official
proclamation should reach the men on
the ground. 1t was several years ago
that the claim first originated. The land
office was open and the proclamation was
about To be read TO the representatives
assembled. The representatives, included
men interested in nearly an Of the big
mining companies OF South Africa. They
had couriers ready on horseback to take
the information to the claims where other
Representatives were ready to stake off
The claims Mr.. Brown determined not to
rely upon the c0uriers, and while he had
several ready just as soon as the procla-
nation was read by the Boer official he
photographed the information TO his rep
resentatives on the ground. and when the
Couriers on horseback arrived they found
the choice territory already claimed 10y
Browns men.
The legality OF communication by hello
graph was questioned by President
Kruger Brown went into the courts OF
the Government and they decided that his
claim was perfectly proper The case was
taken TO the High Court, which CORE
spends TO the Supreme Court of the
United States, and this court confirmed
the decisions of the lower courts The
Supreme Justice was named ketZ.
According 20 Mr.. Brown, Kruger had
already informed KCtZ il he decided the
case in favor OF Brown he would be re-
moved True to his warning Kruger re-
moved the Chief Justice and Brown ap-
pealed 10 the British Government This
was one Of the acts which brought on the
war with Great Britain. The war brought
the whole matter to "a standStil, but
Brown presented his claims TO the State
Department and he has now come 10
Washington with the intention of having
the American Government ask Great
Britain to recognize the judgment of the
Boer courts which has decided that
Brown was entitled 10 &LO010eJ because
Of Kruger's action In declaring the Ger
tifiCate 10 the lands Illegal
Owing TO the change Of government in
the Trausvaal il is said that Great Britain
is now responsible for the mines. and that
either the validity of the claim should be
recognized or that Brown should receive
the amount named by the BOeT courts in
their judgments in his behalf. He viii
call at the State Department tomorrow
to present arguments and will be repre-
scented by Attorney Thomas J. Mcagher
Of Philadelphia.