COMMANDANT OLIVIER. HIS VERSION OP HIS CAPTURE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11680, 30 October 1900, Page 3

COMMANDANT OLIVIER. HIS VERSION OP HIS CAPTURE.

General Olivier, with his three sons, and about 200 other Boer prisoners, among whom was Commandant Van dor Zyl, captured quite recently by. Baden-Powell, were embarked on September 3rd on the City of Vienna, sailing the same day from Cape Town to Ceylon. The General is a man of commanding stature, over 6ft high. He has a strong, determined, but not unpleasant, cast of countenance. Eia light eyes form a contrast to his dark hair and long grizzled beard. He not only allowed a correspondent a short interview, bnt also allowed him to take his photograph an.d that of his three sons— men whose ages range from 20 to 30, bnt who have not the same commanding presence of the father. When allowing his photograph to be taken, Olivier made rather a quaint stipulation, that it was to be a faithful and honorable likeness. Interviewed, the General said the ohanges in his fortune, from being a commander of a small army to being .a prisoner in confinement and on board a transport about to be exiled, have been so rapid, all ocourring in a few days, that it seemed like a dream whioh he could not realise as yet. On being asked whether he did not consider his oaptuxe a smart performance, he said he did not think it so very clever. He saw the picket under Sergeant Fremblett, bnt aB they wore bandoliers and were dressed in other respects like burghers, he took them to be some of his own men, and rode into their midst, asking them if there were any more burghers near. Before he realised his mistake, he was promptly held up and made a prisoner. Olivier was very much put out by some news he had privately received just before coming on board, to the effeot that his farmhouse had been blown up by dynamite. He said Buch action would only incense the burghers and make them fight to the death. Asked if the Boers realised all the misery, distress, and loss of life they were bringing about by continuing the struggle, Olivier relapsed into his native Dutch, paying, "Ja natnralioh," adding, rather excitedly, that in spite of all this they would fight to the bitter end. His wife, he said, was on his farm, and had, he believed, taken refuge in one of the |huts on the farm. He was much pleased with the good appointments of the City of Vienna— a pasBenger ship of the first class. He stated that he had no objection against going to Ceylon, preferring, in faot, to be sent there to going to St. Helena. Olivier struck one as being a man terribly in earnest about everything he says and does, even to being snap-shotted, whioh he evidently looked upon as a very serious business. There was something of the dour, uncompromising spirit of the old Scotch Covenanter about the man, which convinced one that he was one of those Boer leaders of ths same metal as De Wet, who would never have surrendered of his own free will. This enhances the value of his capture. His sons were much more men of this generation, taking things easily, and being a good deal amused at being photographed, especially the youngest.