THE JAMESON RAID.

Mataura Ensign, 29 November 1911, Page 5

THE JAMESON RAID.

INSIDE HISTORY REVEALED. BY EI.ECTIIIC TELEGRAM!.—COPYRIGHT. FUR UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION. Received November 29, 8.5 a.m. NEW YORK, Nov. 28. Mr John Hays Hammond (who was United States representative at the Coronation) at a banquet at Boston gave the inside history of the Jameson raid. He stated that the chief agitators were Americans who would not act at any time under the British flag. The impositions of the late President Kruger were such as no Anglo-Saxon could stand for a single minute. Dr Jameson entered the reform movement against the wishes of others. Kruger played false towards the Reform Committee and gave the men an understanding that if they would plead guilty they would merely bo fined; instead they were condemned to death and Secretary Olney's intervention ■ alone saved the reformers from execution within 24 hours. Mr John Hays Hammond, who was special Ambassador for the United States at the Coronation, has the enviable reputation of drawing the largest salary in the world. As chief consulting engineer of the Guggenheim Company, he gets the colossal yearly remuneration of £200,000. He showed as much aptitude for mineralogy that his father allowed him to go to the Royal School of Mines at Freiberg, in Germany. Later on, Mr Hammond went to South Africa, where he was intimately connected with the late Cecil Rhodes and the late Barney Barnato. During the exciting time of the Jamesson raid, Mr Hamomnd was singled out by the Boers as one of the leaders in the raid, but he was allowed to leave Pretoria on condition that he promised to return when called upon For his trial. When the hour for him to redeem his promise arrived, many people endeavoured to persuade him to remain where he was; but with sublime heroism, he - kept his word, and was duly tried, found guilty, and condemned to death. Afterwards the dread sentence was altered, and he was set free on payment of a heavy fine. In the States Mr Hammond was immensely popular, and he- is well-known as a sportsman, lecturer, and ideal host.