TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1262, 7 May 1896, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

From Oar Special Correspondent

THE SURRENDER IMBROGLIO. London, March 1 J. The most amazing feature of the story of the surrender at Krugcrsdorf told by Sir John Willoughby, and now confirmed on independent Poor testimony, is the truly rural simplicity and almost infantine ingenuousness of everyone concerned, from tlio raiders whose necks wore in danger to the High Commissioner, Sir Jacobus de Wet, and President Kruger. On the one hand we should have expected that as valuable lives depended on the terni3 of the surrender being recognised Dr "Jim" and his fellowprisoners at Pretoria would have taken care to advertise them thoroughly. On the other hand we should have supposed, that being in the Transvaal for the solo purpose of investigating the raid, &c, tho High Commissioner would have at least found out from the accused what their version of the actual occurrences was. And thirdly, isn't it extraordinary that the incident of the correspondence between Willoughby and Krouje should somehow have failed to reach Mr Kruger ? Ncer before surely have such remarkable series of apparently irrational suppressions and omissions complicated an international difficulty. Mr Chamberlain no doubt feels annoyed, for the net result of them is that Com Paul has unmistakably " bluffed" our astute Colonial Secretary. KRUGER'S NEPHEvV. One is glad to learn that the story of Mr Eloff (Krugcr's nephew) being imprisoned by Jameson when he went at the risk of his own life to implore the raiders to retire is only partially correct. Lieutenant Eloff denies that Jameson said to him that if he wanted his arms again he could got them by applying to him at Pretoria. What the doctor really said was, that if application was made in Johannesburg the arms could be recovered there. The lieutenant, it appears, was arrested by Jameson's scouts and taken to Colonel Grey, who immediately ordered his men to take away the lieutenant's horse and off-saddle it. Mr Eloff protested, whereupon Colonel Grey said : " You can protest as much as you like, these arc my orders." ; The lieutenant was told that he could go away, oc foot, whenever he liked. Ultimately, however, he was introduced by the colonel to Dr Jameson. The doctor, it seems, greeted him in a very gentlemanly manner. " Doctor," said Mr Eloff. " I want to ask you to take one question into consideration," " Very well," was tho answer, '• Proceed." '• Where, then," returned Klufi boldly. '• did you get the right to arrest a Transvaal officer in his own country, keep him under arrest, disarm him, and take away his horse ?" THE LIEUTENANT NOT ARRESTED. Dr " Jim " did not immediately answer. He went away for some time. When he came back he said : " Lieutenant you nro right. We have no right, to do it. We will return you your horse on conditions that yon will stop hero for two hours after we have moved on, but, for your own safety's sake, we will keep your arms, which you can have returned to you in Johannesburg, or we will for ward J hem for you to tho Government in Pretoria.''

" But," said Eloff, "are you sure you will get into Johannesburg ?"

" Of course," said Jameson. " What doyou think?'' Eloff expressed his do,ibis, whereupon Dr " Jim" said he did not doubt it at all, and walked away, Jameson, however, gave the order that tho lieutenant was not to be molested, and the latter stayed at the place two hours and five minutes, when he proceeded to Rustcrnburg to meet Commandant Malan's burghers. He found when ho reached them that he had been anticipated in the information respecting Jameson's advance. THE BOGUS NOBLEMAN. The ingenious Scandinavian, Adolf Beck, whose not unprofitable gallantries have resulted in a present from Mr Justice Pollock of what criminals call " seven stretoh" (i.e., seven years' penal servitude*, turns out to have been a recognised man about town whom no one for an instant suspected of anything worse than Stock Exchange speculation. George R. Sims, for example, whom all the world knows, even if he doesn't knew all the world, had frequently como across Mr Beck. Writing in the Referee " Dagonet" says: " I have known Adolf Beck for over ton years. During tho whole of that time there was never the slightest suspicion in my mind that he was anything but a cultured and agreeable Scandinavian gentleman. I met him first as far back as 1885 at the Covent

Garden Hotel, and later on he came to me at my chambers to try and interest me in the Galapagos Islands, which he wished to sell on behalf of the Spanish Government. I told him that I wasn't buying islands just then. Soon afterwards I met him again, and lie invited >"C to the Scandinavian Club, of which he gave mo to understand he was a member. I didn't go, but from that time until just before his arrest I met him constantly, and invariably inquired affectionately after the Galapagos Islands." The irregularities which have ended in the too enterprising Mr Beck's protracted retirement from society were based on an acute knowledge of the seamy side of lovely womMi. He selected for his victims such of the smartly dressed ladies, who may be met in hundreds in shopping centres any afternoon, as seemed likely by various indescribable feminine indications to be extra vain and silly. In appearance Beck was exceedingly distingue, well-dressed, and nicely mannered. He approached the astonished victim with out-stretched band and fascinating smile, " Ah ! my dear Lady Prodgers, how are you/" The well-bred woman, of course, would ignore the hand, bow coldly, murmur that she was not Lady Prodgers, and pass swiftly on her way. But if Beck had struck a bull's-eye, the Ihtterod flirt looked at him, reflected that he was a very handsome man, hesitated, and —was lost. Before she could say he had mistaken her identity, Beck would continue smoothly, " You don't recollect me, I sec. May I recall Lord Wilton to your mind. We met last, I think, at Covent Garden bal masque six weeks ago." By this time the pscudo Lady Prodgers had began to regret she wasn't L.vly Prodgers, and the discovery that her accoster was a nobleman increased her chagrin. Explanations follow, The lady at last gets out that a mistake has occurred, Lord Wilton is prof use in apologies, but " the likeness is so striking you know." Somehow they arc in conversation, and ha Ting tea at Cbarbonnel's together, in no time, "quite like old friends," as his lordship ingenuously remarks. When they part the peer asks leave to call on the lady, and appoints a day and hour.

Act 2 of the Beck dramas varied injdetail according to the vanity and cupidity of (he victim. Sometimes she was to bo Lord Wilton's fiancee, sometimes his housekeeper in a delightful m<"nagc at St, John's Wood, and sometimes— well —other things. Bui in one particular the nobleman's views were always the same. He look the greatest interest in his new friend's jewellery, and invariably carried a good deal of is away oi one pretence or another In place thereof he left lavish promises and "bogus" cheques, f fancy Vlr Beck must have rather enjoyed his nobleman role. Cerl duly he carried it out with great artistic finish, ('no witness testified that he spent a whole afternoon discussing with her in detail the trousseau his cheque-hi 1 ;" bogus" clictnc was to provide, .'das 1 that such a conscientious artist .should come to "seven stretch." BECK'S ANTECEDENTS. But Beck is a remaikable man in more ways than one. According to a friend and compatriot he was born at a village called Christiansund, in Northern Norway. His parents wen; poor, ids father was a seafaring man, but owing to indifferent health ho was only able to follow his calling casually. At an early age Adolf took to the sea, and after doing a little coasting he joined a vessel coming to England, which landed him in Aberdeen. I think he must have had a rather rough passage over, because on the ship's arrival he refused to sign on for the return journey. Some sailors who were ashore took him to some music-halls, or coEcert-rooms, and there he sang. Being possessed of a very good voice, he got on, and he managed to earn enough money to keep himself until he was about sixteen or seventeen. He left Aberdeen, so he told me, about this time, and went to Bristol, where ho stayed nearly twelve months. By this time he had acquired a fair knowledge of English, which was of great assistance to him in after life, in bis conversations with mo he always lamented the fact that as a boy lie received no education, and consequently lie had always lo obtain help when writing letters. He left Bristol on board a ship for South America, wdiere he stayed many years, and this accounts for his being able to speak Spanish so fluently. Whilst in Peru he fought with tho insurgent army, and was in many engagements between Peru and Chili,

AN ADMIRATION FOR COLONEL NO 1 ITU.

Of course, about this part of his life I have no knowledge, eave what he has told me, but during the time he was in South America he met Colonel —then Mr—Notth. That was long before the Colonel became the Nitrate King, lie has a great admiration for the Colonel, and thinks he deserves every penny he has made. When the Brazilian rebellion broke out he obtained a contract to supply the troops with provisions. There was a deal of risk in the bnsines, and he carried his life in his hands. Go one occasion he had lightered a bargeload of provisions as far as a place called on the River Plate, when lie caught sight of a farmer's wife driving a lot of chickens into a shed. He got; off the barge and offered to buy them, which, after a lot of haggling, he did at 2s a head. On getting to the camp he sold them for ill apiece, and could have sold 300 more at double the price.

DI LONDON AS A MINING COMPANY PROMOTE It.

During the rebellion he raada a lot of money, and he invested it; in some silver mines, and came to England about eight years ago to sell them. I don't think he sold them well, and I have heard him say he was " done." At that time he stayed at a West End Hotel, and a few years later he had some copper mines in Norway, and I know that he paid for them. It was about this time that 1 began to assist him in his business in London, and he had offices in Bueklersbury in the city. There he had samples of the produce of his mines on show, By some means the sale fell off, I think it was because Adolf asked too much money for them. He wanted £15,000 fjr his mining property. He is still the owner of some mines in Norway, but I do not believe ho has paid the Government royalties on them, and unless he does that his title is not a good one.

THE REVISED SALVATION ARMY. The more one learns about Mr "Bally" Booth and the real inwardness of his new movement in the Slates the greater becomes our admiration for his cntencss. He is indeed a true chip of Geucr.xl "Billy." The. misnn d'etre of the Salvation Army in this country an 1 in the colonies Ins avowedly been to gel. at the dregs of civilization, to reform the gutter. They originally started with this idea in the Strifes also. But Ballington Booth soon found he was on a

wrong tack. In a country, a glorious country, where all are nominally " free and equal '' you mustn't call the veriest human wrecks" dregs." Kv< n a homeless " guttersnipe" has too much pride to attend a teameeting if by going there he brands himself bv such a name. Ballingcon Booth quickly discovered this, The Army in New York reached the English, Irish, and foreign immigrants, but it failed altogether to touch the Americans themselves. Thereupon lie and his wife sel to work to modify matters so as to take in (in more ways than one) their Yankee cousins. They succeeded admirably till recently, when head-quarters interfered. The General was for slicking lo "the milter," the "submerged tenth," the "dregs," and many olhcr pel phrases nauseous- to American nostrils. Ballington thereupon rebelled, a prolonged quarrel ensued, and here it ended you know. In the new movement young Mr Booth does not mean to fall into the same error. What ever his real intention may be, he now affects to be anxious to save strictly genteel persons only. The gutter and the dregs he affectionately consigns to the care of the Army and Colonel Eadie. As he does not love the latter gallant officer it may conceivably have occurred to Mr "Bally" that the number of persons anxious to class themselves beneath these objectionable banners would be limited. So really in lhe"end tho new Defenders' League will simply be the old Salvation Army under a new name. The mock militarism and poke bonnets may go by the board, but the earnestness, the excitemont. and religious sensationalism will remain.