The San Francisco call., 1906-04-01

perfume time" exclaimed Harper. as the
little band drew closer to him to hste1k
to the reading OF the Dispatch.
Wherein Is. our hOpeY was asked
rather timidly by General Hammond
Why. it was but this morning that
read IN the papers that the Prince OF
Wales Is at Marienbad- He has been
there for a week"
Calling for blanks and pen John Har-
per stepped to the hotel counter and be-
meath the desk lights that illuminate that
portion Of the hostelry after the busy part
OF the evening. he wrote this message
to John Mackay:
cit will be a great favor to me II you
win interest yourself IN John Hays Ham
mond. who is under sentence OF death In
Johannesburg"
Gentlemen" said John Harper. as the
message was started on its way to the
telegraph Office, that Is the best can
do for you for time. But let us have
hope. I bid you good-night"-and In tho
same quiet manner that he had greeted
his friends John Harper made his bow
and walked to the hotel elevator pre-
pared to retire for the night.
Next day there were anxious watchers
for messages for John Harper, but none
came; the second day came and passed
without response from John w. Mackay.
and the third bore the same results. until
the friends OF John Hays Hammond be-
gan W lOSc COuIdS6 anu AcAE Lk1t auOtuBE
disappointment awaited them
Finally John Harper sent a second ca
BILE and the afternoon witnessed the ar
rival OF Ms answer:
''I have complied with your request
1t said little, hut 1t was less than twen-
.y-four hours after the receipt OF this
message that the press dispatches con-
tanned this bulletin:
Hammond. Phillips and Farrar. the
American leaders in the Jameson raid.
who were sentenced to death. have had
= their sentences commuted to 1ve years by
kruger
There was joy in San Francisco. but
greater joy few hours later when an
other message received here announcsdl
that President Kruger favored the ree
lease of the Americans Then followed
the press dispatches telling OF Oom PauPs
sudden change of front and his openly
declared determination to extend full
clemency TO the American leader OF the
raid. John Hays Hammond. London and
Paris were speculating ON the cause OF
this change and as to what strange In
iuenee had wrought il.
1t was acknowledged that it did not
come from any American. source. Sec
retary Hay had practically admitted that
American influence had had little to do
With kruger's acts and the world was
kept at it's guessing.
strangely no one IN san francisco, ouL-
side Of the few who were present when
John Harper sent his cable TO John w.
Mackay, ever learned OF the connection
of the latter two with the Prince OF
Wales famous message to President
Kruger.
That the bond Of friendship that sx-
listed between the present King OF Ems
land and President Kruger had most 70
do with the release Of John Hays Ham
mond and his American companions is no
longer disputed and will some day become
fact in the history OF the Jameson
raid and it's leaders.
Twelve months after Hammond was re-
leased from the Pretoria prison John W.
Mackay visited San Francisco and one
Of the first to greet him IN the Palace
Hotel court was John Harper.
well. John" remarked the millionaire
to his old time mining friend. 81 see tnat
your friend Hammond got out Of his trou-
ble- The Prince of Wales had TO do sOms
begging. but he agreed that It was IN a
good cause and for a good man. Royal Ia
vors at the proper time are worth seek
ing"
Aaekay added that at the time Har-
per's cabIegram arrived he and Mrs.
Mackay were entertaining England's fu-
ture King at their house in Marienbad,
and the transmission Of Harper's request
to the man OF higher influence meant
simply turning over to the Prince OF
! Wales the cablegram to read