A SAD TRAGEDY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2565, 13 May 1903, Page 45

A SAD TRAGEDY.

Our London correspondent, writing on March 23, sands all the particulars available at that date concerning the death of General Sir Hector Macdonald in Paris on the previous clay, but there is little or nothing in these particulars thai was not cabled out at the time. Our correspondent writes : " The sad tragedy which has closed the career of a great soldier, ' Fighting Mac," luus cast quite a gloom over London itself. Sir Hector Macdonald embarked at Colombo in the Orient Pacific steamer Ophir, and arrived in London last week. He had a long interview with the Oommander-in-Chief on Thursday, the result of which was that Lord Roberts, the other military chiefs concurring, while declaring that they did not for one moment believe the oharges against the General to be true, advised Sir Hector to- return immediately to Ceylon and face his accusers for the sake, not only of his own honour, but also of the honour of the British army. Lord Roberts was summoned to the presence of the King, who took a warm interest in the ca~e, and at his Majesty's commend laid the whole circumstances of the case in fullest detail before King Edward, who is said to have expressed his earnest hope and full confidence that tho General would be triumphantly acquitted by tlie court-martial. Lord Roberts at ones cabled to Ceylon ordering "a court-martial to be held immediately after the arrival of Sir Hector, and the latter left on the following morning for Paris on his way to catch the earliest outgoing si-earner at Marseilles. A(3 several days would necessarily elapse before the mailing of a steamer, it was evidontiy the General's object in leaving go hastily to avoid the necessity of meeting friends and comrades in London, as thie must naturally have been very painful to him in the unhappy circumstances of the case. As it was, he took up his quarters at the Hotel' R-egiua, in the Rue de Rivoli, overlooking the Tuileries Garden, in Paris, living there very quietly, receiving no visitors, and dining alone every evening. On tho day of his death he came downstairs from his bedroom at about 9 a.m. After going out for a stroll ho returned to the hotel about noon, and, walking through the lounge on the ground floor, entered the reading room. Up to tliat time no cmc in tho hotel seems to have formed the slightest notion that the 'military-looking man .with severe pale face,' as he jb described in one of the accounts of the tragedy, was the famous General, he having simply registered himself as ' Hector Macdonald. of London.' But as he paraed the hotel office on his way to tie reading room several of the othf-r inmates noticed that he waa somewhat curiously regarded by tho clerks of the bureau. Tho General himself did not appear to observe, this, but sat down and took up the Paris edition of the New York Herald. All this time ho was closely waiclied from the bureau, which commands a full view of the reading room. It is not surprising that interest should have been felt, for the paper which the unfortunate General had taken up to read oontaiiifd not only a highly sensational account of the charges against him. and stated the-m in tho broadest possible terms, but also published his portrait in full military uniform. Tho likeness was so good tliat it was impossible to mistakehim, especially in view of the fact that his Christian name and surname had been given. Sir Hector opened the paper carelessly and began to read. Suddenly he started violently as if he had received a severe shock, and the newspaper fe-11 from his hand on to the floor. He remained for a few seconds as if petrified with horror, then, stooping, he picked up the paper, and apparently read the ot'ious story from end to end with perfect deliberation. Having finished the perusal, he next took up Parisian journals, which, in their turns, he read very carefully. Then he sat for some little time absolutely motionless, evidently plunged in profound thought. Next he rose from his seat, folded up tho newspapers, replaced them on the table, and walked slowly up and down the room, his hand all the time stroking his moustache. Now and then his face worked powerfully, and ho showed signs of creat r-e-rvous excitement. One account, indeed, asserts that he was seen to shed tears, but this is so far uncorroborated. At lnst ho stopped short midway in his restless prome-nade, and his aspect became absolutely calm and composed. He coolly lit a cigar, and his manner grew so entirely natural and unconcerned that even tho bureau clerks who had boen watching him so eagerly ce-ascd to pay any more attention to his movements. And it was not until an hour or two later that anyone appears to have observed that he had left the room. It was afterwards ascertained that he> went sLraight to his room. Ho entered it, locked the door, ami — was never more seen alive !

" Shortly afte-r 1 o'clock one of tlio liotel servants, beJie-ving that Sir Hector had pone out, opened his door with one of the duplicate keys that are always kept at French hotels, and went in intending to put the room in order. He was horrified to find Sir Hector Maodonald stretched on the floor beside his bed in a pool of blood. He was dressed only* in shirt, trousers, and slippers., and still held in hie band a re-

volver of 9 mm. calibre, which had evidently been recently fired, while a bullet wound was found in the right temple. Two doctors were immediately summoned ; both pronounoed death to have bc-en instantaneous, and the wound to have been self-inflicted. " The Commissary of Police (Monsieur Egartolcr) was sent for. and he nvule a minute examination of tho effects left by the deceased General. The official seals wc-re placed upon all the effects, and formal, intimation of the. event was communicated to tho French Government and the British Embassy. One of the documents found on the body of General Macdona'.d is said to be a letter signed by tv.-o prominent inhabitants of Ceylon, in which they assure him (the General) of their sincere sympathy. " On all sides ye.-terday and to-day have been heard expres.ncr:w of profound sorrow for this painful and melancholy occurrence which ha? cut short so prematurely a brilliant career pc.i?esr»ing tho potentiality of further greatness in the future. All the leading newspapers — with perhaps one notable exception— have kindly and sympathetic references to tho deceased General. In r.lmost every case entire disbelief in the truth of the charges made against him is strongly implied, if not openly stated. Everyone regrets that the strength of mind for which Sir Hector hao so long been celebrated should have broken down under this unexpected and terrible trial, and wishes that he could havo brought himself to face the court-martial ■which offered the only possibility of hi 3 being cleared of the shameful accusations which have been made EgaiiMt him. But Sir Hector Macdonald wrs, it must be remembered, a thorough Highlander, with ail the Highland impulsiveness and strong seme of personal honour, and there appears little doubt that the slicck of suddenly seeing Ins name and portrait published in connection with a foul accusation proved more than in his somewhat enfeebled state of health his brain was able to sunport.' "The London correspondent of a Welsh paper says : ' I was talking to-day with an old fr-end of Sir Hector Macdonald, and he mentioned a fact which seems to throw some light on the awful tragedy which terminated his career. It will be recollected that he received a wound in South Africa. It was not regarded &a serious, and his recovery was apparently complete. His friends, .however, aiotioed that after this a change set in. He seemed to lcse his mental balance and developed a st-rango morosene-ss and pessimism. The letters which he wrote were despondent, and he was never again the same man. These facts af^ree with the view of the military authorities, who believe that for come time he had not been perfectly sane.' "Another correspondent writes: 'The late Creneral'a brother has stated that General Macdonald had complained often of hi 3 health since he was wounded. Ceylon was also an uncongenial pcet. He had promised to come home to Ross-shire for a long holiday this summer. It is believed that the late General never would have left Ceylcm if guilty. The faofc that he faced Lord Roberts indicated hw indignation.' Another brother of the late Sir Hector, living in Liverpool, says the South African campaign told on the General's health, and his mind must have been unhinged in consequence. They <-xp3ct-ed him in Liverpool last. Saturday."