Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-18

Mhirty-six years ago in Boer wagon
IN lager, while his parents were trek
King through Pondoland, and the first
Sound that reached his ears was the
dull booming of the Boer muzzle-
1 leaders as they beat off Kaffir at
tack. He came of mixed French
Huguenot and Dutch Boer stock, his
father being a direct descendant OF
1.-THE famous Breton Admiral Abraham
Du Quesne, and his mother a sister
8sof General Piet Joubert.
's When he was old enough to lift
rifle, Du Quesne killed his first ante
lope, and by the time he was II years
old he had an elephant and several
lions to his credit. When he was
barely in his teens he saw service in
the Kaffir and Matabele wars. He
received good education, however,
and was sent to study at the Belgian
Ecole Militaire, where he specialized
in military engineering and won the
European academic championship
with the foils and duelling sabres. All
his life he was splendid swordsman
sand he had three successful duels to
his credit, the first one having been
Sought while he was still in school.
- Joined Boer Army.
After somewhat tumultuous
career in Belgium, Du Quesne return
ed to South Africa and was sent out
to see the world. He elected to visit
Australia, where he spent some time,
and parts of the Far East. The South
African war found him in the ranks
OF the Boer army, first as an expert
on explosives, later as a Dispatch
bearer and scout in the secret service.
: 1t was in this latter capacity that he
made his reputation. He was wounded
three or four times, but again and
again he passed through the British
lines with valuable information for the
4Boer generals. At last he was selected
by the Beers to put into execution
the desperate scheme which after
wards became known as the Cape
Town Plot. This was nothing more
nor less than an attempt to burn Cape
Town colncident with rising of dis
affected native inhabitants.
Everything went well until the last
minute, when one of the minor con-
Espirators gave the plot away to the
British. Du Quesne was arrested as
he sat beside the wife of the Cover
.ner-General at state dinner in Gov
sernment House. There was great in
Edignation against him. Of course, he
was spy and had no claim to mercy,
so he was not surprised when he was
promptly sentenced to be shot But
when he was put in double-irons in a
cell whence he could see and hear the.
execution Of his fellow-conspirators.
one by one, for several days, he sus-
pected that the British were not
through with him. He was right.
Presently he was brought before a
high official, who told him that if he
would reveal the names of certain
.conspirators i'll Capetown he would be
set at liberty. He refused and was
sent back to prison under heavier
irons. The terrible scars on his
wrists and ankles bore testimony to
his sufferings whenever he related this
Sstory.
Sent to the Bermudas.
After some months he was granted
a reprieve from the sentence OF death,
which was changed to Imprisonment
for life, and he was sent to the Ber-
mudas. By tapping messages in the
Morse code on the walls of their cells,
he and two other prisoners arranged
their escape in the midst of storm,
while the waves were dashing over a
part of the island. One of the pris-
=oners was shot as he swan towards
Bermuda Island, and another was cap
.tured, but Du Quesne won to safety.
For the next three weeks he lived the
!. life OF hunted fox, shifting his hiding
place by night and stealing food wher-
ever he got the chance At last, one
night, with the British patrols hot on
his heels, he met the young woman
who afterwards became his wife. She
was the daughter of an English Judge
on the island OF Jamaica, but she SYM
zpathized with Du Quesne and helped
him to get aboard the American steam
yacht Margaret, owned BY Commo-
dore Isaac A. Emerson of Baltimore
!Du Quesne forcefully resisted sugges-
5tions that he be put ashore, and was
carried to Baltimore, whence he made
his way to New York and got a job
~ . hS"SPoPSi 'SPSi WE
A Life Of Adventure. ...
His life after this continued to be
succession of adventures. He spent
some time in journalistic work in
\ Paris, where he fought two of his
duels. He was engaged as a war cor
respondent with the Russian army in
y Manchuria, in Macedonia, and else
where. He visited brother who was
head shikar to an Indian Rajah and
killed tigers and sambuhr. He spent
A. some time with another brother who
s owned ranch in the foothills of Kill
manjaro, and served the Belgian gov
ernment in the Congo. For several
years he acted in confidential ca
pacity for the late King, Leopold, with
whom he was on excellent terms. He
also visited South and Central Amer
lea. One of his exploits was a trip
through Africa ahead of Colonel
a Roosevelt
E Although he was an escaped British
prisoner, Du Quesne never hesitated
i0k to visit British territory, if he had
occasion to do so. No move ever was
"a made against him, probably because
1 the general amesty proclaimed after
the South African war cancelled his
offences. But to the day Of his death
he was bitter enemy to the British
government and to all Beers who sub
mitted to British rule. In 1912, while
he was in Jamaica, he and Mrs. Du
uesene and several friends, who
|ere riding in the automobile, were
tackled by striking street car men.
! Quesne and the other man Of the