A Pro-Boer's Fitting Fate.

Manawatu Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 7275, 27 August 1901, Page 3

A Pro-Boer's Fitting Fate.

_ It is always chivalrous to take the side of the weak against the strong, and sometimes there is money in it. Thousands, of pounds have been collected on the Continent to aid the poor Boers against the base Briton ; but how! much, I wonder, has been spent in the manner the contributors meant it to be? Some of the collections were made by honest if misguided philanthropists, but many were made by scoundrels who hadn't the faintest idea of benefiting anybody but themselves. One of these miserables has just met with his deserts at Vienna. This man, one Kapuscha, was formerly an official of the _ Government Meteorological Institute. He espoused the Boer cause, and collected money for a complimentary address to Mr Kruger, and also for a banner to be presented to the ex-President. For the address which bore 16,000 signatures, he ordered a costly casket ornamented with a golden crown and decorated with artistic sketches. His trial afforded an amusing insight into the methods of the pro-Boers in Austria, The remarks made by the President of the Court upon the facts brought before him were of an extremely sarcastic character, and caused much laughter in Court. Especially serious for the accused was the fact that, under the pretence of making a campaign through Europe in favour of the Boers, he had engaged many persons from whom he demanded deposits' amounting altogether to 40,000 kroner, under the promise that they should accompany him to Pretoria, where Kruger would find posts for them. He also called a "great popular meeting," where he and other speakers made violent speeches against England. Katmscba was arrested immediately after this meeting on a charge of appropriating the deposit moneys. Kapuscha was found guilty, and sentenced to five years' hard labor.