PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7417, 31 May 1902, Page 4

PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED. HOW TEE BOERS WERE SUBDUED AT LAST.

(By G.P.W.)

The improvements during the past year in Marconi's wireless system of telegraphy have been marvellous and far-reaehiajj. It may not be generally known, that, in conjunction with its wonderful Secret Service code, the British Government has been enabled quite recently to send full messages of current events to its representatives ! throughout the British. Empire. We have had the advantage of perusing, through the kindness of an official personage, an extended transcript of a message thus delivered from the seat of war £ recounting 1 some stirring events which it is hoped will culminate in perace ? and giving 1 am authentic account of what really happened there. It appears that on Friday test the 4.15 down train from Pretoria', which' contained) Mr Seddon and party andi a number of ■ other civilians, was approaching the Jagersfontein siding when a. violent shock threw the occupants into consternation, and each { other's arms. .'The train: suddenly stopped. Several shots were heard^ and in. the con* fusion it was difficult- to know what had happened, till the appearance of several fierce figures, begrimed, bearded! and* bandoliered, who simultaneously cried, " Qop mit your hans!" convinced everyone that the Boers hiad stuck up the trait*. This part of the country being considered tranquil, the garrisons of some of the adjoining blockhouses had' been temporarily relieved of duty, and the remainder had mistaken; the Boers for a deputation; of loyalists anxious to view and to cheer the New Zealand statesman. Fromi the first it was evident that the object of the assailants was not rapine or pillage, but the securing into captivity, of the venerable person of~ the New Zealand Premier himself, whether from 1 motives of malice or for purposes of ransom was not clear, but from remarks let fall by the Boers they certainly believed that the British Government would be prepared to effect an exchange- of the entire stock of Boer prisoners at present on hand, thus putting- a very different aspect ont the relative strength of the two forces. The j Boers were each provided, as a precaution! against impersonation, with a life-like portrait of the distinguished Imperialist, these consisting of likenesses drawn with their usual fidelity in copies cf the New Zealand weeklies and Sydney "Bulletin." Having selected their victim, who was in his official saloon^ in the act of correcting the 159 th page of the proof-sheets of this last/ address to the New Zealand heroes <at thet front, they bound) him hand and foot with) red tape, which was the only suitable ligature available. .Mr Seddon calmly remarked that "he could break throughi that} at any time." But, heedless of Ms boast, they blindfolded him and hurried him to a Cape cart which was in waiting-. Thei leading Boar asked .him.il he thoughlb 'h® could, get into it. Mr Seddon iep3ied thai whenever he went '" blind " for anything, he generally got there, and proceeded to scramble in. A difficulty at once arose as to Mr Scddon's secretaries, for whom a sufficient supply of waggons had not been provided. Mr Seddon protested that, as a- prisoner of war, he was entitled to have any little remarks reported that he might have occasion to make. The Boers decided to leave the secretaries behind, but consoled Mr Seddon by the information that a shorthand reporter from the Verynagging Conference was obtainable. The train was permitted to proceed without further molestation, and the Boers and their prisoner disappeared in the direction of a neighbouring donga. .'.''From' information gleaned from Boer, sources, and from Mr Seddon himself, it appears that ho was taken, after a considerable journey, to a neighbouring kraal, where he was unbound and led to a deserted farm house, at which the leading Boer generals were assembled) to receive ham. Mr Seddon protested that they, were not justified in detaining him, as a civilian, a prisoner ; but the Boers replied tjiat he had just been inspecting the Eighth, Contingent of rooineks from New Zealand, in company with other kharki generals, and that they had reason to believe that Mr Seddon had raised these soldiers, all by himself, and many other kharki soldiers from New Zealand,' who had given them more trouble to shoot, or to retire from, than any other soldiers through the war. They said that it didn't matter" that he bore no uniform, because they didn't wear any themselves, and, in any case, they meant to keep him, as he was too dangerous a man to let go. Mr Seddon pleaded for instant liberty, on the ground of urgent private affairs in England about June 26 ; but, to his intense horror, he was informed that their purpose was, as a suitable punishment for his hostility to the Boer* cause, to keep himi a prisoner on the veldt till after the Coronation. In vain he pleaded to be put out of his misery at once with a Mause,r bullet. As a last resource, he asked that a messenger should be sent with a telegram, to be forwarded to England through Lord Kitchener, and this request was granted, subject to the scrutiny of the telegram by the vßoer censor. Mr Seddon was then politely asked if he objected to alcoholic refreshment, land he proceeded to give his views at some length on the prohibition! question. The Boers appeared slightly confused, but ' as he concluded by remarking that, personally, he was not a bigoted advocate of the cause, they handed him some square giro, and invited him to partake of some curried "billlone " General Botha was affable, and asked the prisoner if New Zealand frozen' mutton was equally tender. Mr. Seddon said it was not. He added with his usual urbanity that when released he would acquaint the people of New Zealand with the supper tendered, him by the Boers, in addition to the tea tendered by Lord Milner and the dinner by Lord Kitchener The General said he supposed New Zealand mutton would curry, and asked Mr Seddon if he could make a curry himself. Mr Seddon replied that he could curry favour with any man. Having replenished' the inner man, he lit » cigar, which was handed him by De la from his own case, who asked him when he thought the war would be over. Mr Seddon then proceeded to enlighten the Boers at some length on i? Ik \T*fipial principles of has Conciliation tdSftrSoncfwhicK he contended, couidbe applied with equal advantage in Z presentcrisis. The Boers thought not. Mx Seddon said t^t he would *W pre- «.*»» to convince them that they were Sg in' Suing the present struggle, I«? nffprcd to introduce to them a depuS&fStf £ Zealand West Coasters, 11 men holding substantial situations under the New Zealand Government, who were accusSed to ««<*<*<* in obt ?T^ the £ P S»2r^S t& tjey were not ! Zaa to be convinced' 'by reasoning ; I^keep^' Sstante' and Other? HilfioSday K now dn force. The Boers would try%^ get them some compensajoined, that their proper coW was to adopt a «mdar measure to his Workers' Compensation Act, whereby anybody who oras injured during ins work was immediately recompensed He taL rjdiSd out thafc 'by his Employers' l

Liability Insurance Act the whole of their casualties could be satisfactorily guarded against by the New Zealand) Government insurance scheme. He offexed i if they would: at once release him, to telegraph for the departmental canvasser and to cover their risks by an interim policy in the name of the New Zeaelandl Government on the spot. Here De Wet made a slurring remark that the risks in fighting against rooineks were so smaE as not to be worth considering. Mr Seddon, however, told that General that his views' of warfare andi tactics were erroneous, and after instructing him fully on these matters 'he entered into a complete outline of his various policy Bills, as applied to the present juncture. After a few hours the Boers visibly relented; after a. few more they became cowed; and (further they became utterly subdued. One by one they slunk- away and each hastened to surrender himself -unconditionally to Lord Kitchener. Mr Seddon said, but paused, in the midst of his earnest peroration for one final effort, evidently for the moment thinking x himself back in the old House dn Wellington. He looked around ; the place was empty; he was free; 'but a loud knocking was heard', and: a telegraph messenger' in kharM suddenly appeared. Mr SedoW snatched at the . telegram. He opened' it confidently and 1 read one of the most important telegrams in the Sbisfcory of the British Empire : — "CORONATION DEFERRED TILL AFTER YOUR RELEASE.— EDWARD." His reply was still more momentous: — "THANKS. NO OCCASION. HAVE ARRANGED PEACE.--SEDDON."