THE PLOT AGAINST LORD ROBERTS AND OFFICERS.
OOURTMARTIAL ON THE CHIEF CONSPIRATOR.
_.SOME REMARKABLE EVIDI3NCE..
(Received August 18th, 9 p.m.) LONDON, Atlgusfc 18. At Pretoria, Lieut. Hans Cardna, of the Staats Artillery was charged with breaking his parole and plotting to kidnap Lord Roberts and officers. He pleaded "Guilty," but the Comtmartial, the Pres.d.nt of whicii was General Mal-h_.ll, assisted by a lawyer, advised the withdrawal of the plea. Cardna is a young man of cool demeanour. Some sßu-ational evid.no© was given. A burgher named Detoit deposed that early in July Cardna asked him to assist in an enterprise to stagger Europe. He discussed the plot, which was to seise all the officers in Pretoria with the help of 260 resi' dents, while Cardna rushed Lord Roberts'house, abducted him, and handed him to Botha behind Beckett's kopje. He showed, a cypher letter from Botha as proof of his genuineness. When tusked about his oath of neutrality, he replied that that was nothing; discovery only meant transportation 4o Ceylon. Detoit declined to participate in the plot, and communicated the details to the constabulary.
Captan Dubaii, the prosecutor, found a key to Botha's cipher letter on Cardna.
Lieutenant Kruger, of the Imperial Transvaal Police, translated the cipher, which ran: —"Proceed with the work. Be couta* geous. I will not leave you in the lut-h." Lieutenant Kruger and Marcus, late fieldcornet, refused to join.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10739, 20 August 1900, Page 5
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231THE PLOT AGAINST LORD ROBERTS AND OFFICERS. Press, Volume LVII, Issue 10739, 20 August 1900, Page 5
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