CECILL RHODESS SCHEME.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10704, 10 July 1900, Page 6

CECILL RHODESS SCHEME.

It has been left to a CVnarliau.-inteiviewi-r k> I'Xtrue: hum Mr Rluxlen hi;; j.km of eatn»iigu hail Kiiubtrley surrciitfcred to the Mieiiiv. To the '■Morning Star's" war corrt."i>undti!t. Mr Rhr>de.-s is aJleged to have rrutl.- tiiis remarkable statement:—"Even, if' Kimberley had fallen they would never have tiikiMi mc a!ivi\ Ik-fors* the siege began I f</i-i-saw the poisibiHty of that contingency. Vtiknuvvu to lite puiple (»f the town or ;lu« military authorities, I had stored hi th'j. Premier mine belonging to the De Bec.-s Company, rations for 3000 men for four nmntliN. This mm:< is surrounded on all eiiK-s by •! series- of dumps which we crarted in a cordon of forts, enclosing the, town of P»t?uecwif»Helil ami tli- mine, inside this enclw',urß T had made ii sj>k>i»did in; which there w,is any quantity of vegetables. A large, uell h'lkd <!am supplied water for the furee I counted on. In the event of the town of being compelled to surrtjidor through lack of food or a murderous b.mibai-dment, I would have let the mayor go out and .'Airrender on what terms he liked to tJws e"*emy, who would; then haw to feed the tiurtv'odd tltousami en- relpwM.' them; and with the Diumond Jfkhbi Hurst-. th« British, garrison, and as many of the town guard ax would como I •woukl have Tetir«jd! into the enclosure of fortifications nkmt; the Premier mine. I knew exactly tlw of this position, and with 3000 tf&n V could have l>eld it against any forte the emjmy couM bring as long as food *aetotl, which vroukl hsive been at least fo*>r* nwMitirs, and at a pinch perhaps a "inontk longer. That would have given P.io four months after the town itself ■had r,iven up. If relief bad not come by that time, T would have gone out with, thts Di/ iinomi Fields Horse anil any of the other ta* ix»[j« that woukl voktnteer, imd have cub *jiy wu-y through tho enemy or liave. died In the attempt. Cblow.l Kekewieh knew aothkiig of my plan« until long after the towam had been inverted by the enemy. He ob ; /»te<l to my having so much food locked ivp when the town was starvpig, but I pointed out that the supplies wre the property of the De Beera Company, and were to be used in defending the co;iwpan,y's property. And tlK*se supplies are there yet."