The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-02-08
PAUPER TELLS
AN ODD TALE.
Says Hs Once Owned Present
Site Of johannesburg.
NOW LIVES IN 4 P0ORH0uSE.
authorities Locking Up Ills Title While
Hs Creams Of thu Past 10
I Wohhsus..
ROW LIVES IN A pOuRHoUsE.

who .onco owned the site OF Johannes
burg and stin claims the great mining
ely as rishtfully his property. \ few
years ago he bought for s175o the land
upon which johannesburg now stands.
The property is valued now at $50 ooo, 900.
Ills claim has been presented Y the Bril-
tish government, and referred by Mr..
Chsmberlsin TO the High Commissioner
for South Africa
Pratt's life has been crowded With
strange adventures In many strange
lands. lie Was horn in a village IN Sussex
in 1882. and was the son OF lawyer of
property and standing. Young Pratts
adventures began when he was "a years
old.
He was scat TO the naval college In
Finchley, where he was lifted out as
cadet and sent on "a cruise 10 the eastern
seas on a ship commanded by Sir Henry
Cote. His ship did activ. work i'm hght-
lag the Malay pirates, a,ic tnr younsster
found plenty OF excitenis Nt he age
OF u Pratt was promoted 40 DE a lieu
tenant, and as such served ~, tne Crime
an war.
1t wss while on leave OF absence that he
made his frst acquaintance with South
leave la is52 his ship stopped at Cape
Town, ana he learned that war was on
with the kaffirk. lie at once volunteered
and served with Sir Robert Tskeman's
leyies against the natives until the war
closed.
by the time he had got through with
the kaffir war IL was time for him 10 re-
join his ship. and he hurried to 40 so.
all the more anxiousiy a. the crfmean
war had started. Pratt was with the
naval brigade at the taking OF Sebssto-
pol and was badly woundeo I'm the AS
stult. His left leg was shattered, his right
arm broken. one finger shot away. and he
had n severe scalp wound.
he was sent TO England as soon az he
was able 20 travel, and his native air
and good nursing soon restored him to
his former self. Then came the Indian
mutiny. and off went Pratt again to fight
for queen ana country. He commanded
the Calcutta naval brigade. which was
known ~ ''Pratt's Own" Al Cswnpore.
Lucknow. Delhi, and other plsces he
fought with valor. and received medals
and other marks OF appreciation from the
government.
BUYS SITE OF JOHANNESBURG
After the muthy was over. Pratt. for
the first time in his life. thought of giving
up fighting for q. little while and settling
down to civil hfe He was made a resi-
dent magistrate for one OF the districts
OF the Bombay presidency. and, resting
from be tile. turned his attention TO love.
lie married niece OF Sir william ebay
ter. and Tor Ave years the current OF their
marriage life ran smoothly.
Then Magistrate Pratt sent his wife 90
England with their two little girls, that
the children might be placed at school
there and the mother might have the
benefit of English afr to recuperate from
the effects OF the heat Of India The
mother and daughters sailed on the Ma
deira for England. The ship was lost or
the Cape OF Good Hope, and every soul
OF board psriehed.
New one calamity after another fell
upon the ex-naval officer. Deaths OF
friends and relatives and financial losses
crowded uron him thick and fast. until
finally he received a sunstroka and was
invslided home to England. By the time
Cape Town was reached Pratts condi-
tion VAS SO serious that he was landed
there and placed Ia hospital. For three
years ne remained there a raving mad
man.
When he recovered his reason and wrote
TO Bombay and 10 England he found that
he had officially been declared dead. The
old East Indian company had given up It's
charge OF governing India soon after the
mutiny. and the new government Of the
country knew only that Pratt, had been
sent TO England as an invalid and was
reported to have died on the way.
Pratt objected strongly, as he had made
up hts mind 20 try his luck In South AZ
rica. The government of Cape Colony
gave Pratt a position as coast surveyor.
and he began TO prosper again. Becom-
ing acquainted with geologist who was
prospecting In the Transvaal for Presi-
dent Kruger, Pratt decided TO go to that
country and see II he could pick up a
fortune or two.
lie succeeded fairly well and finally de-
cided 10 settle down as farmer and
stock raiser. He hadB saved enough
money 70 start on, and for 81. 100 bought
5000 acres or land. On that land now Is
built the city of johannesburg.
BRITISH AUTHORITIES INCREASE
Pratt could not keep away from fsht-
ing. and had been established as u farmer
and stock raiser only . short time when
he Joined the volunteers under Lord
Chelmsford and went TO fight the Zulus.
Fighting the zulus and getting the vast
farm In order were Pratts alternate bust
nesses for some time Then came the war
OF 1880 between England and "a South
African Republic.
The owner OF Johannesburg raised a
corps OF go men and marched aRsinst the
Boefr. After peace came Pratt was n
marked man. but President kruger offer
ed 70 forgive him the past n he would
take services under the Boer government
and forswrsr his English allegiance. Pratt
refused. Thereupcn he was banished from
the country and his lands conhscated.
When he returned to England in 1881
Pratt made another attempt 10 convince
the military and naval authorities thar
he was still alive. and not dead, as had
officially bean declared.
Ills money was all gone. and he was too
old now 10 expect TO make another for
tune. hut he thought by establishing IFS
identity he might set q pension. While
trying To accomplish that ne was strick-
ru with paralysis aud was sent es
psuper ~ the Gulltord poorhoYse.
Prstts rema rka Ole story has been verl-
Ned TO the satisfaction of lsrse number
a, psopis. and the Hieh Commissioner for
South Africa IL making an investigation
with the view OF ESTABLISHING fhe facts IN
regard 20 the pauper's ownership Of the
site Of Johannesburg.
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Domestic-''There's q gentleman wants
90 see you on business" Matter-''NNell
= M him 70 take n chair fDofnss stlc--"re's