The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-12-17


aelp of an American citizen because he
possessed the kind of brains they lacked
The man is Major Frederick Russell
Durnham, the story of whose deeds Oh
The Dark Continent, like the deeds OF
many others there, reads like the in
ventions of romancer
You .can count on your fingers, and
t,icn have some 10 spare, the men who
Lave become famous in two or more
countries on their real merits, who have
contributed to the worlds history and
put the color of romance and the fire
OF action into its matter of fact pages.
do not mean those professional war
.icrs who were sent out by their re-
spcctive countries at the head of legions.
with the resources and wealth of EN-
Pres behind them, or men who were
made heroes by the inflated newspaper
iyeations of copy manufacturers. Not
r:cr wl.o could not be anything but
hsroes, fot the mere fact that they were
paid huge sums by these nations who
employed them. The very cowardice of
such men is cxtoled into mastery re-
.rcats and cool, calm courage in ad-
yers:ty in front OF overwhelming num-
bcrs. Yce sll remember the Boer war,
Where even stupid and disintercsted
:lnles were blamed for the crushing
disasters of General Butler at the hands
of General Louis Botha with a handful
ot tboer burghers at Colenso. This
,lssft "a not about n man who could
ndf help being hero, n man who was
4 hero in spite of himself. 1t is about
man who made good" as the Americans
say. ever against prejudice in foreign
land. as well as in his own. A man like
such men as Lafayette, Garabaldi, Paul
Jones, Henry Stanley. and the few
others of their kind who have found
he routine OF civilization commonplace
and uninterestirg, nerve racking in its
,monotony, like the clash of cracked
bell. Such man is Major frederick
Russell Burnham. known-Aeverywhere
from Melbourne TO Port Arthur, from
Port Arthur TO Paris, from Cape to
Cairo, from Cairo to New York, from
New York to Frisco, from Alaska's
snowy wastes TO the parched plains of
Mexico Burnham, who has not heard
Of him Had he been born with a hum
dred million behind him you would per-
haps be not surprised that Frederick
Russell Burnham has made a world ac-
quaintance, has put the seal of his
genius on the earth's annals. Burnham
had not this advantage. Instead of
being born with the proverbial gilded
spoon in his mouth he probably was
very satisfied with a galvanized iron
ore. He started his independent life
with rife and few rounds of am
nunition. and on such a beginning laid
RE foundation to world fame, and sees
himself while he still lives, man of
u1questioned note. man to whom the
ltitish Empire is in debt
Vt is the habit OF success, purchased
~ the exercise of intelligent energy,
manly rectitude and indomitable cour-
age that made Major Burnham re-
spected and admired even by his enc
mics. l. myself have tossed coins with
q brother scout for the privilege Of hay
Ing first shot at him, Of splitting his body
..g&tb a, bullet Had | succeeded would
aj5f W had the lugubrious satisfaction of
&riSing the majors obituary notice.
which had my aim been true, would
have read thus:
9Killed. Major Frederick Russell Burn
ham. chief of Scouts of the British
Army attached TO the column of lord
Roberts Shot in a skirmish fifteen
miles northeast OF Kroonstad. Instead
OF being buried under the sod OF the
African weld Major Burnham, ever
where danger haunts it's crimson flag.
V down IN Mexico among the Yakui
Indians where, with John Hays Ham
fnond and Harry Payne Whitney he is
developing huge tract of fand which
he expects will make considerable adj
dition to his already comfortable for
trne In very short time That is what
ne is doing to-day tomorrow he might
De standing with his back against a
riif with half dozen savages around
him thitstin9 for us blood, whilst he is
,doing his "durndsst" to continue his
,cyentful existence.
How did IL come Mat an American,
rrd Americans after all are never really
liked nv the Enolish, who gre always
prejudiced aoains' auythirc that is not
horn urder ths Union Jack became \
Hri';sh hero, with dozen gallant deeds
10 his credit any one of which would
. F,vs ,hrcrT'it hir1 or arvor~ else farne.
Fsnw aid lprrrham come to he in Africa
THAT Is the story Of an extraordinary
career
Bur~har- ooened his ewes IN adyer
f',re 'hc siorr of '"rr ra~ef around
ti~. 49, Re was still IN his mothers
c-r; He saw New Ulm, which was