All Sports Of People

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 99, 24 May 1902, Page 3

All Sports Of People

THh Silent Sixth" stole back into Wellington last Thursday, in the Monowai, to the music of tour gainson bandsmen, who ciopped up in an inconsequent manner pla\ed Home, Sweet Home" and When Johnny Comes Marching Home " ajid then vanished, appareaitJy into thin an Somebody in the crowd (for theie was a crowd) raised a feeble clieei , but it was too weak to stand, and noboch tned to pick it up again. The Sixth ha-ve done a tremendous amount of tiekking duimg their seruce. and it tots up to about 3200 good Bntish miles Everybody looks fit, fiom tlie Colonel downwards Colonel Banks, who went out and came back vi command of the Sixth, is the keen-looking sexagenarian who was toimeih in command ot tlie Auckland distnct He is- an old soldier, with lots of experience, foi lie tells us he obtained his first commis.sion about thirty - five years ago, in the 42nd Foot and has seen seivice with that legiment He transten ed to tlie 7th Dragoons Guards and befoie coming to New Zealand, was in the 12th Lanceis, which, it will be remembered turned out" that smart soldier, R S. M. Rogers, of the First Contingent. Colonel Banks wears the Egyptian medal, the Khedive's star, and the Khedival ecuuvalent to the D S 0 • ♦ • Colonel Banks, after some months' sen ice in the Sixth, left that regiment, and took command of a re-mount depot at Ciadock Major Andrews reigned m his stead Colonel Banks thinks he has seen enough service, and he tells us he is not going to take up the Auckland Bistnct where he dropped it. Caiptain Cvnl Banks the really smart son of the Colonel, joined the Second from tht Auckland Mounted Rifles. He is humming over .with energy He has not been to New Zealand since he left it He joined the Sixth, and was made captain and adjutant of that corps. He obtained a commission in the Royal Field Artiller\ and is now knocking about tlie Transvaal with a couple of pom-poms and a 10-pounder looking for Boeis and trouble Lieut. "Bert Banks. w J ho came home on Thursday last, is another «on of the Colonel's and an old Auckland Mounted Rifleman. He is a veteran of about nineteen, and, of course is -'frothing" to pet back. He does not want an aimv commission. * * * One of the most popular officers of the Sixth is Lieutenant Blenkhorn, who has been almost constantly on the trek since December 1889 ' Blenky", as the Fust called him. tells us that there was a lack of adventure with the Sixth that the Fust could not complain of He is still faithful to his old corps He was heutenant-(|uarterma&ter to the legiment. and afterwards got his tioop. B\ the way, Blenky had an adventure at Pietersraitief. Colonel Banks and himself after a skirmish, went looking for wounded among the kopies, and Brother Boer was looking for them Tlie slim burgheis opened fire on both officeis and of course, the only thing open foi them was to "get " The\ got," but "Blenky's" horse was si lot The Colonel fared better, and made buttons" for his own lines. Mr Blenkhoin was taken prisoner, and, as usual leleased, after being disarmed "Blenkv" is "for it" again with the

Tenth His troop think bo much of lum that they made him a handsome piesentation in Capetown betore he left Befoie the wai, this gallant office 1 was. a miner in the Upper Thames district. This does not prevent him from being a, thorough gentleman, and a Yoikshue gentleman at that The man in the First, or in the Sixth, who uttered an ill word against Blenk\ would be suie of a In el\ time. * * * Lieutenant McDonald, roimeilv of the Lands and Survey Department, in Wellington, and of the First Contingent, came home on a, Fuda\ with the old corps, and got aw ay next day to catoh the Cornwall at Auckland He is known to histoiy as Postma^tei Mac," probably because he was one of the best mail sorters the First bad Ho also is agreed that the First had a more adventurous caieei than the Sixth. He thinks, with his comrade Mi Blenkhorn that a nlam tioopei haft. the best time Mac's " hist act on getting to Wellington was to go to the> Wai Office" to arlange about going back for ton ice with the Tenth ♦ * » Yptiiinarv Lieutenant McMillan talked a deal to the Lancj about things in general He said the Sixth had been heaid of very little nnncipalK because their Biigadier Plumei. ne\ei stopped to say much Of couise, Mr McMillan referred to the horses Says that New Zealand Contingent horses aie too big, and that a Bcei pony eives them points all round Out of five hundred odd horses trekking from Pietoria to Pietersburg seventeen weie handed hi to the sick-horse camp on their return six weeks later' The others were food for vultures, lying scattered over hundreds of miles of count ry, with old biscuit and beef tins Mac says he used to shoot from twenty to thirty a day, to put them out of their misery. « * * Lieutenant McMillan joined as a farrier, and went through all the grades to a commission He came from Whangarei, and his father, Norman McMillan, is as familiar to Aucklanders as is Queen-street. McMillan and Sons are agricultural implement makers and Lieutenant Mac turned his plough-share :nto a sword, or words to that effect, when the "Silent Sixth" was mooted Mr. McMillan thinks the 3rd January, at Tweeflar. was the most interesting day the Sixth experienced. Botha and Op'penheim were on hand, and the latter was killed with the British shell fire Sergeant-maio! Smith, of Wellington was killed on that date, because "he wouldn't suriender to a bally Dutchman " ♦ * • One of the most important warriors of the Sixth, and who was taken prisonen on arrival, is "Oscar " Oscar is a prpttv little fox-terrier pup and he has crept into the affections of the regiment from the Colonel to the trumpeter "Oscar" was bom on trek. His father was a thoroughbred foxy, but nothing is said of the aristocracy of his maternal relative Old "Oscar" was always in the front firing line, was wounded twTLce in action and taken prisoner once. His distinguished son is now pining in a,n unhonoured duneeon on Somes Island The whole regiment are more than anxious that the little dog shall be wellcaied for and are waiting for the fiuairantine penod to expire The Sixth have lost a good many men killed Lieutenant Ryan, who was ai corpoial with the Third, and who afterwards joined the Sixth, was shot thiough the head at Mooihoek Private Hurry, of Gisborne, was shot through the abdomen afc Standerton. Private Strawbridge, of Wellington, was kiljed during the operations against Kruitzinger, on the Caledon River. Oranee River Colon\. Private Raynes, one of an outpost, who was talcing his turn to sleep while his comiades were on observation

aceidcntly dischaiged his nflo and was shot through the heait Sergeant Moore and Private Stock weie killed in the operations at the same tune. Pnvate Matthews, of Christ church, w as di ow ned m action at Caledon Riven Knteiic fe\ei has its gloomy list of victims Pa.hl and Partridge, of Napiei, McKa\ and Stevenson, of Chnstchurch and Dow son, of Auckland, aie among them Oliver Baigent, who dismounted under hot fire at the Caledon Rner, and s>a\ed a corporal, is recommended for a DC M He talks of going back to join the Tenth The Hon. J. E. Jenkmson, boilermaker, bike-builder, and Legislative Councillor, drops now and then into a reminiscent mood. We found him in one the othei da\ , and kept him there a. while Tins gentleman, with the humorous sparkle in his eye, the close-cropped beard, and the head where the waving nnglets used to nestle, wag born in Dunedin, m 18b8, and has been growing older cvei since. His father was first harbour mastei of Dunedin, and J. E. went to about eleven schools before his thirst fo>r knowledge was .slaked. Ke was endowed with an abnormal bump for wandering, for at eleven he "humped bluev" for "devilmer.t" from the mouth of the Clutha river to its source. He says nothing about the hammering he got when he returned. Probabh .it is a painful subject. _ - -* Touching the roads of Otago 111 earhei da,.vs, Mr Jenkmson. at the age of thirteen, consumed about eighteen hours driving a three-horse cart from Port Molyneaux to Owaka. about sixteem miles. Sparrow and Co., of Dunedin, got him to make boilers for them when he left school, and he has made them in ail the chief towns of the colony and in Melbourne and Sydney as well. He drifted into the boiler business for the Government railways eventually, and, as everyone has been told, although J. E. won't swear to it, his Legislative Council appointment was handed to him through a boiler furnace door in 1893. Before his Council days he was a red-hot trades unionist, secretai\ of the Dunedin Boilermakers' Union, and afterwards vice-president and president in turn, and iepresent<?d Canterbury Trades Council ait V a.nnual conference i - t Mr. Jenkmson tells a yam about himself and Wellington's only Malcolm Ross. Tweiity-nve veais ago Malcolm and himself, on high oidinary" bikes, had the audacity to ride through Dunedin on a Sunday morning, when the people were going to church. The 'Witness" sporting writer, E. W. M Bum, gravely rebuked these velocinedmg Philistines, calling them "gentlemen (?)" for disturbing the sacred solemnity of a Scotch Sunday by sinfully scorching at three miles an hour down the street. The ''Witness," or anybody else, does not tie itself into knots now even though the parson bikes to kirk, and the sin certainly is not decreasing. Mr Jenkmson tells a little yam also about his brother, Mr. Sydney H Jenkinson now stub - editor of Melbourne "Argus." lie was journeying by train to report on the wreck of tihe ' Tdirarua," 011 the Otago coast, twentyfive years ago, and in the railway carnage was an officer of the Telegraph Department, who has since risen to a high position in the service. Said officer was of the sad and solemn tyue of exemplary habits, and strict sobriety. He was a pillar of the kirk, and owed no main anything. The pair whiled away tihe tedious hours with euchre, much to the alarm of an elderly Scotch lady who was also a passenger. At their destination, the old lady got out, and was met by a. friend. She looked fearfully at the sinful pair, and said, in a .stage whisper, "Yin's ane o' them

cawd shaupers l " They still get the joke off on that officer when he is looking more than usually funereal. Touching Sydney's newspaper career, w e may mention that he joined the Bi uce Herald" in the old tames, under James McKav. went to Tuapeka • Times " and thence to Cromwell ''Are,us " and pushed into his New Zealand loiunihstie era with the "Otago Daily Times." Thirty years ago the Croniwell Argus" staff set, printed, and published the paper, and got. on horseback after it was done and delivered it to scattered miners in the district. Tr-ev hadn't time to co home to sleep, and generally did that on their rounds. It was a rough school of journalism, but it certainly sihaped a good article in the comp-reporter-sub-editor, and China war correspondent, Sydney Jenkinson. » • • The third brother, G. H. Jenkinson, has stuck to the soil. He farmed until eight or ten years ago and then took to stock inspecting. He is located in Masterton just now, and he knows a bullock from, a bike at first glance. He lias been a rabbit agent and stock inspect or ait Waimate, Timaru, and in the Wairarapa, and has never had a Legislative Counoillorship passed through a hole in a fence to him. Still, one never knows what is in store for one. All the Jenkinson boys have got on in the w oriel through their own exertions. And the reason why they all look so jolly and good-natured is that they erervone drew prizes in the matrimonial lottery. Just look at the grouppicture elsewhere and judge for yourselves. > + * Mr. Oliver Mewhinney, private secretai v to the Minister of Lands called attention to himself during the hearing of the recent court case between the executois of the late Sir John McKenzie and Sir John McKenzies nephew, for the recovery of money alleged to have bee'ii lent.. He calmly refused nomt blank to divulge particulars that he, as private secretary to the late Sir John, regarded as sacred, and in spite of the opposing lawyer, the Bench upheld him. This establishes a piecedent for the colony. Mr. Mewhinney, who strikes one as being too tired to worry himself much about anything, is not exactly what he seems. His courage has gained him a reputa.tion. The earliest specimen of this quality in him is shown bv the fact that lie tackled "the most confounded of all earfchh treadmills," newspaper work, at the age of thirteen. He stuck to it for many years, and made his mark in Dunedin in more ways than one. • • • In 1893, Fillis's Circus happened into Dunedin. Fillis had a oageful of lions with him, one of which, by the name of "Pasha," has chewed up more men than any other circus lion that ever oame this way. Mr. Mewhinney wanted to go and have a personal interview w ith "Pasha," just to see if it was true that he was a man-eater. Fillis refused permission, but promised, after much persuasion, to allovy Oliver to enter the cage with the- trainer. This he did, strolled around the cage with the utmost coolness, and, to show that his nerves were good, "popped" a bottle of champagne poured out two glasses, which he and the trainer drank to the audience. Mr. Fillis presented the pressman with a gold medal for the feat * * ♦ Some time afterwards, Oliver the Bold met "Pasha" again, and in the meantime that noble brute had engulphed several more trainers and other delicacies. Oliver strolled around the cage as before, and lived to bow hi 9 acknowledgments to the audience. We expect Mr. Mewhinney is a bit of a Daniel, and there is no doubt that '-Pasha" feared to tackle such an exemplary character. In 1899, Mr. Mewhinney tripped to the Old Country with the Minister for Lands. This

time. he took to ballooning, as being tho most dangerous pastime to hand. It vk in Pans He tried to get the aeronaut to let him slide thiough the atmospheie at the tail end ot a paiachute but Monsieui would not take <\vv risks Beside,, Sn John McKen/.ie wanted lus secietai\ . * The courageous Menhinne\ ma.de good use of his time in London, toi he won his wife there Also, he inten ii>wvd Lord Kitchener theie just to nnd out what sort of a hero the man ot Khartoum was Of course, no Has not enticed any lions to come and sample him since Mr Mewhinney folt that, as Pasha" had lefused to ciack his bones something else ought to be gneai a chance and he tn«l tigers. On one occasion, he entered Filhs's tigers' cage and made ahi of clothes-line fast to a big Bengal biute and led him lound the nn? li«* next Hme he met tigers, one feline iesented the rope and hit him, but the unwavering civil sei rant walloped h m with the clothes-line, and made him dealt He is as proud of that bite on his h rust as a New Zealand tioopei is ot a bullet wound • * * He was on** of the Premici's pin ate secretaries during the memoiable Brunner mmc explosion, m 1896 and he pa.vs a tribute to Mr Seddon's nnmojv-' energy in physical endurance Also, he imnaiks that a private secietaavs billet is not exactly a bed of roses he is following in the wake of King Dick It took three days to i^ ci the sixty-seven bodies of the entombed miners, and du,ing that tame the Pie. miev and Messrs. Mew hinney and &i^ (now on the '"Hansard" staff) his *ecietirie* wre so busy as to be practacX wSut food the whole time Sometimes they got a momentary seat on a coffin, but were washed off b^the rain which was trying hard to eclipse biblical records * • The Wellington Bowling Club ha\e lost a capable >oung player in thepeisonof Mr. James W. Hodd, who left for Sydney by the Warnmoo on baton-day last He is the only skip .who can boast of an unbeaten record in connection with those much-travelled trophies the Fxlwm Feathers. With a scratch team he wrested them from Bell's team, defended them successfully against a Petone team, and also against a formidable iartv of raiders led by Churchward, and then gracefully resigned them into the hands of the olub. Although for the past three years Mr Hodd has been Irvine in this district he only loined the Bowling Club at the end of last season. In the BoxmeDav tourname t he was runner-up with Sample for the gold medals that were won by J. blundell and Neil McLean But he did not come to Wellington to learn bowls. He got bitten with the craze for kissing the kitty at Hastings, where for five years, he was in charge of the local branch of Messrs. Hannah and Go's bootmaking business. i'lior to the Hastings era, he was for mx years at Napier, and during that time he established some reputation as an athlete and fathered in a good many medals and other prizes for spiint-run-ning (220vds was his favourite distance), and in four-oared lowing matches. During the last three years, he was engaged at Hannah and Co s headciuarters, in Lambton Quay. j.Mr. Hodd is distinctly of opinion that theie is nothing like leather—except bowls— and as they play the game all the year round in Sydney, he will lend a Milling hand and a judicious eve over theie to advancing the gospel of bias.

The geueial election ball has alieacU been set rolling m Palmeiston Aortli Mr H J M-aiison has spuing a sui piifce on the electois ot the district, and has aNo o-KMtly .startled his fi lends b\ chsplavmo sißiifo of political ambition He U a \oung tarmei. and the Manson famih aie ue.ll-knoHii thioughout the Wellington piovince, the late Mr. Manson, senior, at one time owning considerable pio-prty m the Manawatu and Rangitikei chstiicts Bevoud -enmg on local bodies, such as Road and Lramage Boards, H.J. has nevei hinted at 01 manifested a desire to take a part in the Parhamentaiy game. It is generally thought, however, if he insists on goiner to the poll, that he will hay- a good fofiouiiM?, audit is lumoured the candidate will ha\e the suppoit of the local Faimeis' Union. His politics aie bellied to be of the light coloui * * * Mr W T. Wood, the defeated Liberal candidate at last election, is Ag^in m the field Mi. Pnam's letirement from politics is looked upon as having won the seat for Mr. Wood at next election But Mr Hanson's announcement has upset calculations, and it is predicted that still a third man will enter the contest Mr. Wood is the popular maA or of the City of the Mam aw. atu. He has been honoured with that position on and ofi for seven years. On Mi. G. M Snelson's death last a ear the Boi-ouo-h Council elected Mi Wood, who was on a \i«sit to Tasmania at the tune, to the vacancy, and a couple of weeks ao-o he was, again letumed as chief magistrate of the town He is. a native of Tasmania, and when a \om\s, man came over to this colony to the West (Wt gold rush. He was one ot the first to land on the diggings, and it wan there he met New Zealand s Pieiruer aaid. nerhaps, future Goveinoi. Mr Wood and Mr. Seddon were mates and they are still close friend* Mr Wood's chances of repiesentang Palmeiston in the next Parliament are considered rather rosy at present • » * On dit that some changes are pending m the "Times" office Mr P C Freeth, tihe chief reporter, is about to withdraw from the staff and is said to be turning his face towards the Commonwealth. Sub-editor Kirbv is understood to have, received a tempting offer from Auckland, and that reliable recording angel Ham' Harrison has been approached from Napier with the offer of a sub-editorship. Messrs Kirbv and Harrison have not vet packed then port-sammies but they have Vpn thinking hard The "Times" may probably outbid both Auckland and Napier. # * ♦ Madame Cora, the first lady magician who ever visited the colonies, has iust died at Durban. It was earh m the seventies that she toured New Zealand and o\p\'\ where sJie did splendid bu<-i-ness The school children aic bound

t<> icau'iubei liei , foi she was wont to ane matinees at reduced puces for tlu n special benefit In pnvate life she was Mis Uisula Clusholm and had ti a\elled over the greater part of the woild before settling down at Jo-lianiu'-lnug some veais ago After the war brokodit, Mr. a,nd Mrs Clusholm had to fl\ the city, losing practically all the-v Had. Madame Cora's great fe.it sensation was the aerial ( suspension act in winch her sister Christine wais the suspended lady. Christine hub^iequcnth married Mr. Bail, the pianist of the <-how\ ajid they now reside with their family in Sidney. /' Mr. AY. H. Cameioss. the popular menibei foi the Taaen. wasm town last week, on his, w av to Elthaan. where he pin chafed a newspaper business rather moie than six months ago Mr Garncioss hae sold out of the Taien 'Advocate" which he conducted for many \e?is with conspicuous ability, and in tutuie his energies will be devoted to pushing the fortunes of the Eltham Aigus." and furthering the interests of •the gaulen of New Zealand " Down South he was recently suffering from an attack of bronchial catairh, but the soundness of the recovery is attested b\ the fact that he has lust passed safeh through a course of presentation spices and complimentary banquets which his friends and constituents insisted oa holding 1 in his honour. Mr. C aincross says he can now realise, as he ne\er did befoie. what a stiff contiact King Dick has been perfonnma, during the past few- ' eai-s. * * *■ Janet Waldoif. the clevei \oung Shakespe<nan actiess, who placed m Wellington at the end of last rear, takes a \en great interest in the botany of eM>i\ countn she visits. And it was tin ouch her love for botany that her thoughts, weie first directed to this par^of the world Pittsbure, in the United States, is her native town, and her neo'ple there bought the collection ol Australian plants thai was sent to the Woild's. Fair at Chicago. She herself says I used to love to go to the consen atorv aiul examine and study them — they fascinated me, and I used to long to see the country whence they came Xow it is a great satisfaction to me to wnte to my people and tell them I'\ c> seen all those wondeiful things growing in their natural state, and nulled them fiom their native sod." * * * Another of Janet Waldorf's hobbies is Mctmp collecting and. aftei a busy ni«ht on the stage she finds half an hour with hei stamp album is as, good aysa v s Mother Siegel's soothing syrup. From Austialia Miss Waldorf goes to South At lie a and then to London. It is oiiU four years since she made her debut at Boston, so that hei march into the fiont innks of the iDrofession has heon biisk e\en for an American.