The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1902-03-26
His Strength Gradually
Diminished and lie Peace
fully Passed Away.
WAS A WONDERFUL MAN
Earl Grey and John Hays Hammond
Submit to Interviews About the
Death of Their Personal Friend
Say That He Was Misunderstood
and Underestimated by the World
Was an Empire Builder.
(By Associated Press.l

London, March 26.-The death of Cecil
Rhodes came as no great surprise to
those few who saw anything of him dur
ing his last visit TO London during the
winter. Whether II was due to his ex-
periences during the long siege of KIM
berley or the accumulated anxieties re-
garding the war In South Africa, with
an accompanying change Of public feel
ing in England toward him, there is no
doubt he was almost completely broken
down within the last two years.
Even his appearance changed His
once finely chiseled face had become
bloated and his always huge frame
filled out until he became so stout as to
make walking matter of difficulty. He
was frequently attacked with severe
heart troubles, during which he ex-
hausted the stoicism which marked his
extraordinary career. Nor did he allow
his bodily ailments to interfere with
business.
Among his associates in the city he
never mentioned them, nor did he permit
them to be mentioned to him. Up to the
last Mr. Rhodes kept firm grip on all
those vast South African interests Gre
ated and controlled by him.
Except that he was more irritable and
more dictatorial, there was no outward
change in his method of handling men.
Towards the social side of life, how
ever, he soured vsibly.
Shut Himself Up.
Once his days work at the offices of
the British Chartered company was
over, he shut himself up from the Curl
Gus In an isolated London hotel, where
he utterly denied himself to all except
few. Mr.. jameson was his constant
companion. Indeed, none of DR.. Jame-
sons indiscretions ever affected the
warm friendship existing between the
two men.
: They could be seen in the park in the
morning together, riding on horseback
never breaking out from a walk, the
cynosure of all eyes, yet severely unob-
servant of the hundreds of London's po-
litical and social leaders who had the
right to a bowling acquaintanceship.
More especially did Mr.. Rhodes shun
the present government leaders. He Bit
terly expressed his contempt Of British
army methods in South Africa and prob
ably never quite forgave Mr. Chamber
lain and Lord Miner for not consulting
him or endeavoring to utilize the power
of the uolitical machine which Mr..
Rhodes manipulated over South Africa.
With increasing irasciblity, which he
did not hesitate to vent on duke or
plebian who crossed his path, he grew
more and more restless as the end Of
his life drew nearer. He was never con-
tented to stay long in one place.
His closing days devolved into an un-
ceasing, purposeless quest for change
of scene.
Went From Place to Place.
During his recent trip TO Egypt this
was particularly noticeable. He rushed
from place to place, as IL with the only
object Of upsetting his own plans. Then
he suddenly returned to England.
Financially, Mr. Rhodes death is not
likely to have any very far-reaching eff
fects, as all his enterprises were sys-
temized so thoroughly as not to need the
master mind which was so necessary
to their inception.
owing to the very great success Of the
De Beer mines, the British Chartered
South African company and other South
African enterprises Mr.. Rhodes fortunes
had been steadily accommodating.
He lost money. over the war, but what
inroads that made must have been
trifing, compared with the many mill
lions he possessed. He never lost his
OPEN handed but somewhat reckless
methods OF handling money. Not long
ago he walked into the office Of one of
his confidential subordinates and threw
down bundle of notes, bonds, etc. say
ing:
"Invest these for me-" and went out
without waiting to have them looked at.
In specton revealed the fact that they
amounted to more than e1,000,O0O. How
they were invested Mr.. Rhodes never
knew or cared, for months later, as that
night he went off on one Of his wander
Ing tours and refused to allow himself
TO be bothered with the details of tho
Investment of his millions until he re-
turned to England.
Earl Grey's Opinion.
New York, March 26.-Earl Grey be-
fore sailing for England, gave out an in
terview concerning Cecil Rhodes the
earl having received eablegrams from
South Africa which led him to believe
that Mr.. Rhodes had but a few days TO
live.
Lord Grey knew the famous South
African leader intimately, having served
with him oil the board Of the British
South African company and the ntina-
cy grew when the earl was governor of
Rhodesia.
Lord Grey said: Cecil Rhodes ID the
only eHer,plar, perhaps, in our genera
tion of those idsalists, who In Lhe days
of Eliaabethan adventure made the An
glo-saxon the predominant partner in
the worlds firm. need not call up their
names and titles.
"Thcy were al aftcr their kind. both