Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1903-11-12
A GALLANT BOER Solder
Adolph Schiel was the Ruler of
Thousands of Blacks.
NOTORIOUS AND FAMOUS
Rossbach, His Beautiful Home
Adored by the Makatese-reared
by the InsoIent magato Clans
His Six Sons Were His Escort.

His Six Sons Were His Escort.
Born In 1S5S-from college TO mill
tary service in the ranks Of the famous
BLACK Hussars' at Brunswick, then
to Africa; hunter, explorer, and fill
buster. farmer, frontiersman. and Boer
Government official; once again sol
der as officer Of the State Artillery at
johannesburg, Elandsgate; prisoner
Of war at st. Helena, finally author
and lecturer, until he died recently at
the pretty village of Reichenhall, in
the Bavarian Alps-such is in half a
dozen lines the romantic story OF the
career Of a gallant soldier of fortune.
and my old friend-Capt. Adolf Schiel
His name has been both notorious
and famOus-take ii as you like-on
the Zululand- Transvaal frontier since
the later sos. With a band Of daring
Boer filibusters he participated with
considerable success in the inter-tribal
wars between Dinizulu CetewayO's
son. and the pretender Usibequ, whose
side he took with such effects as to de-
serve the distinction for a period OF
having a reward placed on his head
BY the Imperial authorities, who right
ly objected to white men assisting ma
tiyes in their own quarrels.
His beautiful home, which he named
Rossbach in honor of the doughty bat
IL In which his old regiment won
eternal laurels in the days of Ziethen
and the great King Fritz, was typical
of its owner.
| remember well calling here near
ly ten years ago en- route to the noun
tain recess, where dwelt the great
Magato, whom | was to interview the
next day. Built on ledge overhang-
ing the Selati Valley ravines this
white stone castellated bungalow pre-
scented unique and most picturesque
aspect. To descend to the crystal riv-
er-quite a thousand feet below-we
made a wonderful walk over paths
made in easy gradients, but cut
through a jungle of sub-tropical for
est, composed of wild banana, yellow
wood trees, covered In glorious creep
ers. and Astounding in giant tree ferns,
with natural cascades rushing down
either sue. luCIC III inC WAiOCA AOoo
of the North he who has just gone
from us to the better land had ere
ated an earthly paradise. in which hui
man knowledge and Nature had COM
bined to utmost advantage. There he
ruled tens of thousands of blacks,
often with iron severity. yet always,
to my knowledge, equitable in his adj
ministration of justice by Transvaal
or native law.
The Makatese tribes, known as
Knob Kreuzen. had elected him their
paramo mt chief, and adored him, be-
slowing the name of "Cetewayo" on
their white ruler. The insolent Ma
cato clans, practically at all times in
a semi-rebellious attitude, feared him
more than any other Boer leader, and
paid their annual taxes to him when
called upon. which was not the case
with commissioners who succeeded
him. To see Schiel at his best in those
days was to watch the late Colonel ap-
proach his home in gallop, escorted
by his six sons, in ages ranges from 8
to IS, all splendidly mounted on rough
Basuto ponies, born to the saddle from
childhood, and followed by magniti-
cent German mastiffs and boar hounds
which breed their father loved to &C
cIimatize in South Africa.
After Magato's death in 1896. Capt.
Schiel was called to Pretoria, doing
good work as Inspector and Chief of
Prisons. But Hollander intrigues and
Boer conservatism made the carrying
out of reforms extremely difficult
after the raid. Just before the out
break of hostilities | interviewed him
as he was about to leave for the Ma
tai Free State frontier to take charge
Of the German volunteers. He was
not hopeful for. the success Of the Boer
forces, and correctly predicted their
ultimate defeat by trained troops, al
though he believed that successful ac-
lions would be fought as the outset.
As an old soldier. however, he was
enthusiastic for active service. As a
burgher Of over twenty years in the
country be went gladly on commando
to do his very best in assisting the
Commandant General, Pet Joubert,
with whom he had for years been on
terms of intimate friendship. His
military career in the war was very
short. Dangerously wounded at
Elandslaagte three weeks later he was
captured as described by Sir Conan
Doyle so wildly in his great work,
and whom perhaps, / may be permit
ted to quote here: after the final
charge on the brow of the hill, the
painting, breathless climbers were on
the edge of the plateau. There were
the two guns which had flashed so
brightly-silent now, with litter Of
dead Boer gunners around and one
wounded officer standing by the trail.
Il was the famous Capt. Schiel. the
German artillerist London Daily
News.