People Talked About

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIX, Issue XI, 13 September 1902, Page 642

People Talked About

On all sides, but especially in shipping' and maritime circles, one hears unstinted praise for the pluck and skill of Chief Officer Edwin, of the Taviuni. It will be remembered that when the Taviuni broke her shaft a tremendous sea was running. Rockets and distress signals were sent off. but when there was no response Mr. Edwin (a son of Captain Edwin, of Wellington) volunteered to go ashore with a crew of four. The launching of the boat was effected with the utmost difficulty and hazard, whilst running ashore through half-a-mile of surf, was perilous in the extreme. Chief Officer Edwin, though he looks but young, is old in sea craft, and handled his boat magnificently, so that all came scathless through their perilous adventure. While Britain has such cool, daring, resourceful men of grit in her mercantile marine, as well as in the navy, the talk of pessimists concerning the loss of our supremacy on the seas may be dismissed with a smile.

The Scout that Captured Scheer ers

“A” Squadron, the New Zealanders, Prince of Wales’ Light Horse, a Welsh Irregular Regiment, the subjeet of these remarks coming of an Anglesea family.

Although mentioned in despatches for “cutting out,” under fire and sin-gle-handed, a number of Boer horses at Groot SpreeunFontein—the enemy having retired to the hills; and again for the capture of the notorious rebel, Commandant Scheepers, afterwards executed for several cases of murder, rape and arson, and for whom over £5OO was offered, dead or alive, Mr. Vogan has received no reward of any kind

As an official report shows that it was the intention of his commanding officer, the late Major Bramley, 9th Hussars, killed in action, to recommend Sergeant Vogan for recognition, the matter has recently been the subject of a question in the House by Mr. H. W. Herries, member for the Bay of Plenty, and has been commented upon by Southern contemporaries.

Sergeant Vogan, who is well known as an explorer in New Guinea and Australia, was selected by the Field Intelligence Department as sergeant of scouts, white and black, and was attached in that capacity to various

Lady Dimsdale, wife of Sir Joseph Cockfield Dimsdale, Lord Mayor of London for the Coronation year, is one of the most popular and kindly hostesses in London. Before their advent to the historic Mansion House she has for years dispensed a stately and splendid hospitality at her husband's palatial residence, Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park. Her kindly thought

columns, which gave him an opening for which he was particularly adapted, as the sequence showed. At one time Mr. Vogan was a wellknown special journalist, and represented various Home papers in Australasia, being artist-cor-respondent for the “Illustrated London News” for some years. He is the author of the famous “Black Police,” a novel which altered the policy of Queensland as regards her native population; and the first article in the first issue of this paper was from his pen. Of recent years mining in Westralia has absorbed most of Mr. Vogan’s energies. Many Aucklanders will remember him as the first captain of the City Rowing Club. He holds the Royal Humane Society’s coveted reward for saving life, and has been an energetic member of the St. John Ambulance Association, having started several centres in Australia. In our portrait Sergeant Vogan is wearing the summer habiliments he found best adapted to his work. So as to be easily reef gnisable he wore a red ’kerchief, as shown. This he found had a marked effect in lessening the shots fired at him by his friends —an exciting experience to which scouts are always more or less subjected to.

for the poor, and her impulsive temperament have won for her the affection of all brought into contact with her. To visiting colonials she has been particularly courteous, and she arranged a special entertainment for the colonial troops in London for the Coronation. She is the daughter of a Mr. Holdsworth, and was married to Sir Joseph Dimsdale in 1873.

Tbe Bishop of Winchester. The Right Rev. Randall Thomas Davidson, D.D., Bishop of Winchester, who is the probable successor to the Archbishop of Canterbury, was born in 1848, and educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Oxford, where he graduated B.A. in 1871, and M.A. in 1875. Ordained in 1874 to the curacy of Dartford in Kent, he was appointed in 1877 chaplain and private secretary to Dr. Tait, Archbishop of Canterbury. This position he held until the Archbishop’s death in 1882. On him devolved in a large measure the arrangements connected with the great Lambeth Conference of 100 Bishops in 1878. In 1882 he became

sub-almoner and honorary chaplain to the Queen, and one of the six preachers of Canterbury Cathedral. In 1883 he was appointed to the Deanery of Windsor, and became also Resident Chaplain in Ordinary to the Queen, and Registrar of the Order of the Garter. In 1891 Dr. Davidson was consecrated Bishop of Rochester, and in the same year he became, in succession to Bishop Philpott, Clerk of the Closet to the Queen. This office he still holds. In July, 1895, on the death of Bishop Thorold, Bishop Davidson was nominated to the See of Winchester. He attended Queen Victoria in her last moments. The Kind’s Prizeman. It is fourteen years since the Blue Riband of marksmanship was won by a Londoner, but the King’s prizeman at Bisley this year is Lieutenant E. D. Johnson, of the London Rifle Brigade, and he is much to be complimented on his success, for the conditions under which the shooting took place were the worst ever known in the history of the contest. There were moments during the afternoon when competitors had to make an allowance at 1000 yards of 30 to 40 feet for wind, and Lieutenant Johnson himself informed a news-

paper representative that in firing his last round he not only had three feet of wind provided for “on his rifle,” but he’ actually aimed at the left edge of the target on the left of that upon which he hoped to make the bull’s-eye fhe ehief event of the National Rifle Association meeting has now been won by England on 26 occasions. Scotland 14, Wales, Guernsey and Canada once. each. The King s prizeman is only 26 years of age, and is a chartered accountant. He was born at Leicester, and educated at King’s College School. He joined the Cadet Corps of the London Rifle Brigade at an early "age, commenced shooting at fourteen, and has been connected with the L.R.B. ever since. He is the champion shot of the City of London Rifle Association, but has not hitherto achieved any noteworthy success at Bisley. The lieutenant has the distinction of being not only the best shot in the kingdom, but a man who was rejected by the military authorities for service in South Africa! According.to one of his friends, Johnson offered himself as a trooper in the C.1.V., and was refused. Nothing daunted, however, he went to South Africa on his own account, and joined the Rough Riders, with whom he took part in many engagements, and was mentioned in despatches for gallantry. o O O o o

Holbein started from Cape Grisnez, and was taken out of the water within a mile of the Dover Parade. He had been immersed for over 23 hours. He had a great struggle to advance against the tide at the finish. Mr. Toole’s Jubilee. An interesting event was the jubilee of Mr. J. L. Toole’s appearance on the London stage. The veteran actor is the youngest son of the celebrated toastmaster, who served in the East India Company for many years. The City of London was the school attended by Mr. J. L. Toole. Afterwards he became a clerk in a wine merchant’s office. It was in 1852 that he determined to change his profession, and left the stool for the stage. Fortunately after events

proved lucky. Otherwise the English stage might have been deprived of an artist whose cheery humour, inexhaustible fund of gaiety and personal charm served to exhilarate it for nearly half a century. Mr. Toole has played in almost every theatre in the United Kingdom, and has travelled in

the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

a President Roosevelt’s Accident. President Roosevelt met with a very serious accident on Thursday. He was driving in a landau, the driver of which attempted to cross an electric tram line.

The two front horses cleared the line when the car crashed into the right-hand wheeler, throwing it against the landau and tilting the vehicle at an angle of 45 degrees. His faithful body - guardsman, Craig, to whom he was much attached, was thrown under the wheels of the car and frightfully mangled, being instantly killed.

The driver of the landau’s skull was fractured and he has since died. The Governor of Massachusetts and Mr Corteleyon, President Roosevelt’s private secretary, caught hold of the President, who was not thrown out, but struck his face on the door, raising a lump as big as a fist. The other passengers were hurt, but not very seriously. President Roosevelt showed admirable coolness. He was much affected at the death of Craig, whom he greatly esteemed, and instantly ordered reassuring telegrams to be sent to Miss Roosevelt, White House and New York so as to avert a Wall-st. panic.

A full account of the accident appears in our cable news.

Sir E. Cassell’s Phllanthrophy. The "gospel of wealth," as preached by Mr. Andrew Carnegie and practised by him also, as well as many other rich men in America, is not so well known in England, nor in any other part of the world for that matter. Hence the magnificent gift of a sum equivalent to about £200.000 made to King Edward by Sir Ernest Cassell to be used for philanthropic purposes, excites more interest than a similar act of beneficence probably would in America. The spec’al object to which the money’ was to be applied being discretionary with the King, His Majesty has shown his practical sense by’ deciding to use it in founding an institution for the free treatment of consumption, a disease which has worked as much havoc in England as it has in the United States, and is equally dreaded there. Sir Ernest, the donor of this money, is a well-known London merchant. By birth he is a German, and was educated at Cologne. He is a widower. Sir Ernest, who has been prominent in various works of philanthropy’, received his K.C.M.G. in the Melton Mowbray’ country as well as in Grosvenor Square.