THE LATE SIR HECTOR MACDONALD

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1628, 13 May 1903, Page 72 (Supplement)

THE LATE SIR HECTOR MACDONALD

“FIGHTING MAC’S” SAD END.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON. March 27.

“ The purport of the charges cannot be entered here, but it may be stated that while they do not constitute a criminal offence under the laws of Ceylon, they are criminally punishable at Home.”

“Charges of a grave character, involving the moral .condluct of the gallant and popular General, Sir Hector Macdonald, the commander of the troops in Ceylon, have been made public here.” “ For some time rumours, more or less vague, but serious, affecting General Macdonald, had been current, and recently, it is stated, they took the form of an accusation, which was placed before the Governor, Sir J. West Ridgeway.” These are selections from three respectable daily papers, and their appearance in print suggests that the law relating to the publication of allegations made against men requires alteration, especially in these cases where the charge implies misconduct of a peculiarly atrocious character. No one who had followed the career of Hector Macdonald believed for a moment that “ Fighting Mac ” had done things that would place him “outside the pale,” and everybody hoped that the court-martial which he was said to be about to face would enable him to leave the Court without a stain on his character. But, even so, harm had been done by the publication of paragraphs such as those quoted/and it seems a great pity and a great shame that the law does not protect the accused in such cases as this from the baneful effects of publicity till he has been tried and found guilty. In that event the morals of society at large would be well served if only a mere formal announcement- of the man’s crime and its punishment were allowed. If the arraigned proved to he innocent, not mention whatever would have been made of his alleged offence in. the public press. It should be so, for I care, not who the man may be, or how completely he proves his innocence, the stigma of having stood his trial for such an offence afe was implied against General Macdonald sticks to him for life. Nine men out of ten would .certainly rather be charged with murder, if innocent, than with such a crime.

Hector Macdonald, so soon as. he knew of the allegations made against him, left Ceylon forthwith for England to consult his friends as to the course he should pursue. He placed the matter before Lord Roberts on Thursday week, and acted promptly on the advice of the Commander-in-Chief, which was to return ait once to the island and submit himself to a court-martial. He. left London last Friday, and, reaching Paris, put up at the West Regina Hotel. There he stayed till on Wednesday, soon after midday, he took his own life by shooting himself through the head Avith a revolver. We may never know * the reason for this fearful act; whether he feared to facie the court-martial, or whether the publicity given to the allegations against him gave him such a shook that his mind gave Avay. We prefer to believe the latter, and, indeed, it is said ifz&t it was immediately after perusing the Paris edition of the “Noav York Herald ” and the “Marten,” containing telegrams from Colombo 1 concerning him, that he retired to his room, and was seen no more till a chambermaid, entering the apartment, found him lying dead on the floor.

Few stories of life in the army have appealed so strongly to Britishers as the career of Hector Macdonald, Boss-shire crofter’s son, and linen-draper’s apprentice," who, without influence of any kind, rose from a mere private to the rank of Major-General ere attaining his fiftieth year. But that story has been told time and time again, and there is no need fer me to repeat it here. That such a career, so full of interest, and still full of promise, should have been out short under such circumstances of cloud and gloom is a matter for the sinoerest regret.