LAST OF THE EUGENITES.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXV, Issue 4254, 3 July 1895, Page 5

LAST OF THE EUGENITES.

A letter dated Madabing, British Bechuanaland, April 13, was received by a Wellington gentleman from one of the Eugen party, detailing the break-up of that expedition. The present writer tells how three of the party refused to drink the daily portions of wine which Eugen served out to them, and were therefore dubbed unbelievers. Of the life at Madabing (a Native settlement 150 miles beyond Vryburg, where the party finally camped) the writer says : — " AH went well at Madabing until one evening Eugen called everyone together except the the three unbelievers, and told them that New Zealand had gone, and that if any of the party wished to speak to their friends in New Zealand they could do so through ' The Man ' (as Eugen was called). Several persons were called, and it seemed so real that several of the party were in tears. Now seemed the time when they could test Eugen, so Messrs Bullock and Jamieson started at once for an Englishman's farm fifty miles distant, their object being to send a messenger to Vryburg for news concerning New Zealand and Australia, because Eugen also told them that the cables weie all down from England to Australia. They returned with news about the wreck of the Wairarapa, etc., etc. When Eugen was told about this he said that what had been said through him was said for a purpose, that purpose being to scatter the party. Soon after this Eugen said he must shift his tent further away, because his life was in danger. He went about a mile further away, thank goodness. After Eugen's leaving we all lived like lords — plenty of duck, partridge, and buck, besides plenty of fresh-water fish. Things went on very smoothily until one day Eugen took Bullock's stallion, his object being to ride to a place called Kuruman to procure a waggon. Bullock saw him ride off, and told Eugen he was horse-stealing ; Eugen only laughed, and rode on. Bullock at once sent A. Gough and a black boy after him with a letter to the magistrate explaining matters ; but on arriving at Kuruman, young Gough could do nothing, co Eugen was let off. After this Eugen began to ride the high horse. First he demanded four cows and three calves, bought by him and paid for by Bullock. Somehow he managed to get the receipt made out in his name (Eugen), hence his demand. Secondly, he sent in a bill for £96 for services rendered to the party, passages for himself and wife from New Zealand, and a whole score of other things. When he sent these claims in everyone was dead against him, because lie was beginning to show his true colors. A few of us wanted to go and shoot him there and then, but the ladies protested, so we let him rip. In the meantime a policeman visited the camp, he having been sent to report about a certain ' travelling lunatic asylum' at present camped at Madabing. Of course it meant our party. He soon found out how matters stood, and said he would arrest Eugen and take him into Vryburg on the charge of horse-stealing, providing Mr Bullock came with them. He agreed, and they went, but the magistrate said he could not make anything out of the affair, so they had to let him go. Now that Eugen was in Vryburg he thought he would sue for his cows, etc., but we got wind of it, so we sold all the cows there ami then to a farmer, and made over all the goods we had to another, so we apparently had nothing. On finding he could not get them he sent a waggon for his wife and goods to return to Vryburg. We have heard since tnat he has gone to Johannesburg. Now that matters have arrived at a crisis the camp has broken up, and all are shifting for themselves — some, in fact, are penniless."—' Post.'