The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-10
A MAN OF MYSTERY.
BioSraphers Cannot Agree on Fact,
of Kitchener's Life.

of <itchener's Life.
Charles Midway. in Philadelphia North
American
NO attempt TO describe Lord Kitchener"
says the author of a recent biography of
the great soldier. appears to have been
pre-eminently successful" To the mere
layman. they certainly seem pre-eminently
unsuccessful. When one has been brought
UP in the fond belief that what is in print
is true, these biographies bring sheer con-
sternation.
Please remember that myself lay claim
to no especial knowledge of Lord Kitche-
ner. If 1 could get consistent accounts of
himself and his family 1 should be quite
satisfied, whether they were true or not.
But every new biography of him that is
published contains a lot of fresh facts,
which are quite inconsistent with previous
accounts.
For instance, on June "a an evening paper
published an article the great general,
stating that that day was his birthday.
There seems at first sight nothing improba-
bic in this statement. But, unfortunately,
no man is allowed more than one birthday
in the year, and little while before
other paper had said that he was born on
June 10 1850.
To decide the question you would natur-
ally refer to the standard books of refer
ence. who's Who says vaguely that
Lord Kitchener was born in 1880. and some
of the ''peerages'' follow this example.
Some, however. mention June and one July
as the month OF his birth. Two or three
years ago the Sketch gave his birthday
as June 10, and soon afterward published
an article supported by a convincing wealth
4 1.Nra
June 10. II seemed, then, that the only
| fact OF which one could be sure was that
he was born in 1850. Yet, on Sept. II. 1885,
m. A. p said that Lord Kitchener was
| born 'forty-Seven years ago"
! TO And out where he was born is even
more diffic9lt: The t'Bi1ou Biosr APP y.
that he first saw the light at Crotter
| House, County Kerry. The sketch re-
| ferS to his baptiSmal certificate and gives
| GunsbOrOugh Villa, BallybuniOn, as his
| birthplace. This statement recurs in many
/ other lives" An Irish paper, which might
be expected TO know the right spelling Of
an Irish name, speaks Of Crotta House.
And correspondent of M. A. p, who
says that he was born close to the Kitch-
eners abode, announces that Lord httch-
1ener was not born at '.Crotto" House. but
at another house about two miles away,
Finally, an American paper is responsible
for the statement that he was born in a
barrack.
The reason given for his having been
| born in Ireland is usually that his fathers
/ regiment was stationed there. AS his father
/ Is Yariously stated TO have been colonel of
several different regiments at that time,
! this method of accounting for his presence
| in Ireland might be hard TO cOnfute were
! 1t not for the fact that Colonel Kitchener
| had LETT the army nearly three years be-
| fore Lord Kitchener was born, AT least
/ that is what the official documents say.
| And, according to another authority, there
] is no place near CrOtto House where any
| regiment could have been stationed. The
| Thirteenth Light Dragons, the Twenty
/ ninth Regiment and the Ninth Foot are
some Of the regiments Of which Colonel
! Kitchener seems to have been in command
| simultaneously.
AS to his nationality, newspaper contro-
versy has ragged long and acrimOniously.
/ The Daily Chronicle the Pail Mall, M.
a. p" and many others have asserted
i that he is an Irishman. Admittedly he
was born in Ireland, but the truthful If
that COW born in a pig sly is not nee
! essarily a pig. Some have gone far as
| TO say that his ancestors were Irish, but
| this honor Lord Kitchener has disclaimed,
/ as an East Anglican. The 'Bijou Biog-
raphy' says that his fathers family
| came from Binstead, I'm Hampshire. The
| Times and other papers say that the fam
| lily belonged TO Cossington, in Leieeter-
| shire. The most general opinion is in
| favor of Lakenheath, in Suffolk.
His name, at any rate, is. it might be
supposed, matter easily TO be ascer-
Gained. Yet, for some reason who's
| Who has put his first Christian name,
| Horatio, in brackets And an American
paper persistently refers to him as "Ketch-
| ener.
/ There is a clear distinction in one mat
| ter between the American and English
students of the Kitchener problems
| Genealogies over here unite in saying that
| Horatio Herbert was the second son. But
| on the other side Lord Kitchener is nearly
always introduced in biographies as the
| eldest son OF Colonel Kitchener.
| By the way. il may be mentioned In
connection with Lord Kitchener's ances-
| try that at the time when he visited the
| city in triumph after the Egyptian cam
! paign Truth dug up beautiful little
| story. 1t was most interesting coinci-
| dence, We read, that exactly a hundred
| years before an ancestor of Lord Kitch-
ener. Captain r. Berry had received the
same honor on bringing back the news OF