•; SEaSI
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A West Point Hero
%
' t, *•
with the Boers.
By CAPTAIN FRITZ DUQDESNE:
SCi’v
■#.
W'/H"
I
M \GTNTF: a man a little over six feet
in hc:i;ht, straight 2S an arrow, broad
hoj!dpred, arh!-tic. with the steady
tep of a trained sold.er, a pair of leen
blue eye*, a tpl rndid head covered
b •• a bUv k fell hat. under which
showed b^u•k sire.iked with Krey,
a bi’.’.e mi'itary sir.!, and
D rift, which was on the northern
boundary of the Transvaal, and
crossed the Limpopo River into Brit
ish teriitory.
Blake informed the eng;ineers that
he had been over the territory in ques
tion, and in his opinion it contained
neither g''»Id nor diamonds. A thing
which sfrtjck him forciblv was the
.lib
a l i^cht i lack of real mining knowledge on the
, 1 u 1^1.- 1,. engmeers, who pretended
atm that hur^: hrirlfs-,ly at ni^ s.vie be
Hv«ry inch a ?cKi;er. He looked it.
3nd he wa*. for he was Colonel John
to be experts, and who alleg:ed that
the>' had once been employed on the
Comstock Lode in the States. This
Franklin E'.ake, a graduate of Weft, Lode was very familiar to Blake, and
the '^ixth Un'tcd conversation, was evidently
not tainiliar to the engineers. This
excited the Colonel’s suspicions, but
why these men were trj-ing to fool
him was beyond his conception, until
they crossed the drift into Rhodesia.
It is reces'Try here to tell of cne
of the mo?t nefarious practices that
ever disgraced humanity, so that the
readtr will understand something
about the L D, B (illicit diamond
buying) business cf South Africa, and
what It meant to the liberties of the
ordinary individual.
When Cecil Rhodes was made (he
dictator of Cape Colony and the
shaper of South Africa’s dcitinies,
by the clique ot internatioaa! freeboot
ers, who were capable of “Jamuon
P-int, an ottuer o;
.Stat's (';.va!ry, oiio time commander
of tlie X.iVi.'O Indian Scouts, and a
man w!;h a rccord for fighting
amongst t’le nghter? m the Southwest
and al. fig ti’.e R;o Gr.inr!e.
After mai. ng »n hercic record :n
tl^e V 111 ted State*- Arinj he took up
liilroad rig for a few ye;rs in Michi
gan. Although successful he longed
for the life in wl.;c!i he had spent his
youth, and which fast dying in
the Southwest, the I:fe of fascinating
danger m a virgin country.
after the Matabele war. when
nU S«uth Afcica was in a turmoil, the
lure of peril took Colonel Blake into
Rhod«ii^ which he was led to believe
was fabulouRly r'^h if gold, and v. h;ch
was being used ♦o jftflatc Kaflir stocks
and South Airicin values generally by
stock jobbers m i!:e w’orld’s ex
changes. T';e Rhor!f'’a b^'orn h;tu
just comnie.'ic'.and t’le internat'otu’i ,
s'i^riners who made South .Africa tlinr |
head quarters were just stnrting to j
f^unt the money they w^rc pctt;ng >
u!-'’;r fai^e pretenses, w'.cn the let* j
tri' of Colorel Franklin Blake to the ;
.American and Briti;h Fress exposed
the rottennes.' of the who’e plot to I
rob the c'nf.d'r:.? publie of two na-
tons, lie hc«d I':, barrenness of Iht I pr«sagcnled Great
Britain into the lr?t Boer w.it, he saw
il-.at laws were passed that made il a
crime for a man to have an uncut
diamond in his pos.«ession outside the
Kimberly mines, and all diamonds in
side the Kimberly mines were the
9
Charter Comp-iny’s territory, as far
ts g--'^ r.nd .i:ar:.o:idf were concerncd,
and put a stop to tlieir illegal profits.
It was while Blake was doing this
that agtn*' of tho Kho lesion Interests
' ffered him ^iVe after bribe, each ; pj'operty of his company. Naturally
time n rrraiins: the amornt, until it ftop to effort.'^ on the part
■ ot individii.'ils to (jiscovcr diamonds
Each man knew !i wae a
struggle for life.
rriched the tidy sum of twenty thou
sand p'lund'i. to cease exp'-i'-ng them
and th'T scheme. Blake wou’d not
VC
anywhere in the British Territorv',
■\vhich wa* in control of the Charter
Company, for that company dictated
Hsti-.i to them and when they found mining laws of C:ipe Colony,
It a man was found w’ith an uncut
diamond in his possession and he
could prove by a number of disinter
ested persons, or persons whom he
did not know, that he was seen to
find the stone, and he had not previ
ously placed it where lie found it, then
the stone was declared his property.
.A- n rrn^pcctnr cannot afford to take
a half-dozen disinterested or unknown
persons with him to prove he legiti
mately found a diamond, he was forccd
to smuggle his find out of the country,
even if he discovered it on his own
farm. Such hiws naturally were brok
en and all over the country L D. R.
iren, who would take the chance,
bought the uncut stones and smuggled
them out. Barney Barnato, whose real
name was TLirris, ?.nd who was known
i)y h."lf a dozen other names in dif
ferent places, laid the foundation to
his fortrne in the I. D. B. business.
To prevent the I. D. B. there was a
wrll orgnni/ed secret service main
tained, like the Pinkertons, apart from
the stale police, by the diamond inter
ests. This led the way to horrible
and unjust abuses. The diamond de
tectives, who were recruited from
every nationality, kept their jobs by
making arrests, and they saw that any
man whose activities opposed the dia
mond interests, politically or other
wise, was found with an uncut dia
mond in his possession. q
that he was incorruptible, attempts
were mace on his life upon two oc-
ja^icns.
Friendless Among Crook*.
.\bo--it this time, and at al! times, in
f • t. most of t!!» Americans who were
f.. ;nd .n So';rh .\‘r;-a were there be-
cr:use it was a 1-n^ w?y from the
hand the Ameri'-an law. Crooks,
.s-hrmerc, 'nki'rs, smugglers, dcfaniters,
smarmed the U'd, -i-id 1’! I t, on ac-
i-ount ■ f h's =p:cndld honesty, had no
friend- amor/-t tiiem. Xo one had
ever heard of t!’is fire spe:i*''.en of
American s^ Mi^r *e!’ing a lie. lie was
ri*rf.frniz'*d by r.ll as a true and honest
p*n^l'‘:'^’n. '-*3*u’'ally the men picked
' ut to I’-l‘ke av.d his articles
in the pre'^s w^ re ?rme of his own
countrymen, who were wilHng to per
form any Ncrvire as long as there was
a prospect of makmg mon'-y Accord-
i- j-ly a scheme to murdt‘r Blake was
hatched and nearly carricd out. Had
!f "'/t been f'r h.s extraordinary couj-
2ge ?nd a Mve mentality Cf.lonel John
I'ranklin RIaVr woi ld never have com-
n.itidfd t;'.e Trl^h Brirrade in the Boer
v-'.tr, and t’-.r part of this story
could not be writ‘*n.
One day Blake receiver! in his mail
a letter from what appeared to be a
r'liable firm, cnyinp: that his articles
in the press had exitcd th^-ir atten
tion, and that t\\' of ih^ir mining
engineers, were about to '•xamijje a
property in Rhode5ia, and that they j tcrests. the detectives supplied the evi
would give him anv rrn^nnable fc" ; flcnce. and the unfortunate victim was
for making a report,'which of course. Isetitenced to work on the
, . u * • 1 ; Breakwater at Cape Town for fifteen
had to be strictly '■'^rr? t according , y^ars, an effective elimination, and an
to his views. The arrangements were j ideal way to prevent competition. I
made by letter, and Blake met the ' never heard of a man proving that he
two engineers in Johannesburg. They | diamond to the satisfac-
. - ^ ! tion of the court, although the pre-
stnrted for the property that was said ; carbons exist in many parts of
to be cifitated at tl-.c nor:h of Rhode’s 1 South Africa.
7
How the Frameiip was Arranged.
The objectionable individual was ar
rested by a couple of detectives who
searched his clothing, and of course,
found prima facie evidence in the
shape of the fatal uncut stone, even
if the arrested party had never seen
one in his life. He was tried by a
jury of his peers, selected by the in
It was the gentlemen w’ho made this*
v'system who engineered the Boer war
in the “interests of justice,” and divi
dends, and it was the same system
that tried to eliminate Colonel Blake
and his attack on tkeir stock jobbing
schemes.
In Rhodesia the engineers examined
maps and dawdled away their tifne.
Blake knew that he was with them for
no real purpose, and he was mystified
at their actions, but he dccided to see
it through for the fun of it, and he
kept a keen eye on the action.'; of his
companions. One morning v.hen he
was ."^having before a mirror that was
hanging on a tree trunk, he saw re-
fleeted in the glass the suspicions ac
tions of Engineer .Max r'chstcine who
was fumbling with Blake’s hunting coat,
which was hanging on n bush at the
re^r of its owner. Distinctly he saw
the en::ineer thrust something through
the lining of the garnujnt. lie said
nothing, and when* he finished shaving,
he put on the coat and went behind
some bushes where he examined it.
At first he found nothing, but on a
further search he found a used cart
ridge with a cork at one end, in the
lining of his coat.
When he opened it he was dumb
founded to find half a dozen uncut dia
monds. In a .«;econd he saw through
?he 'whole thing, and he knew he was
in for trouble, and also that he was
far from the Transvaal border. He
threw the diamonds away and returned
to the camp, keeping still but ready
to fight on the slightest indication of
danger.
Wherever he went he kept his eye
on the engineers. He w-as sitting at
the compfire boiling co.Tee with the
two men. who were examining maps
before him, when a moving shadow
of a head and upraised arm frorii the
rear fell across the ashes. He whipped
out his Luger and sprinAing forward
turned to defend himself. Too late,
for the native policcm.^n who as be
hind him felled him with a ritle butt.
When he regained consciorsness he
was a prisoner, handcuffed to a tree.
Before him there was a prospect of
fifteen years on the Breakwater, for
he knew that his captors would go to
any extreme to secure his conviction. |
it would do iiim no good to protest |
to the American Consuls in South i
Africa, for they were tho supine tools I
of the financial clique, and a complaint t
from a citiren of the United Stales !
was never heeded when it happened j
to be against the financial rulers of
the country.
There was one way out of it and
that was escape. The engineers had
left whilst he was unconscious, and
he was guarded by the Kaffir poiice-
inen and a trooper who had arrived in
tlic meantime to take him to the near
est prison. The blood that had flowed
from the wound in his head made
by the Kaffir rifle, had drie(*- on his
face, and flies were swarmitig around
him to feed on it. He called the at
tention of the troopers to this and
asked to be allowed to wash. The
trooper loosened one of his handcuffs,
callcd the Kafifir policeman and toFd
him to take the prisoner to the river
and allow' him io wash his wound.
Blakc walked to the stream with the
black man behind him. One handcuflF
vyas still on his wrist, the other dang
ling from the end of a connecting
chain. ^This was a splendid weapon
if he could only get near enough to
use it on the guard. At the river bank
the guard stood within tw'o yards of
him as he washed his face wound.
A crocodile watched him through the
clear water. In apparent fear he
pointed to it and cricd for the guard to
shoot. The guard only drew closer to
him. He was within arm’s length.
Blake w'atched his chance, and swing
ing his handcuffs he struck che Kaf
fir a terrible blow across ib.e head.
The rifle fell from the black’s hand
as he was momentarily stunned. In
an instant he recovered and seized
Blake around the body. Blakc fearing
he would cry out and alarm the troop
er, caught his antagonist' by the
throat. I'ach man knew it was a
struggle for life and each determined
on the (!eath of the other. Below them
in the river the crocodiles waited to
pounce on any living thing that cattle
within their reach Both the antagon
ists feared the river edire, and as they
fought hack and forth each tried to
throw his enemy into the fatal water.
At last Blakc got the hand free that
had the swinging metal cuff and he
brought it down on the head of the
Kaffir time after time tft rapid suc
cession.
They were on the brink of the river
bank; blood flowed from the w'ound^
in the black’s head but he showed no
signs of weakening.
Blake had almost expended his
strength when the edge of the bank
they were struggling on crumbled,
and down they both went into Ihe
river. For a moment they struggled.
A tail splashed through the water, a
huge pair of jaws opened beside them,
and the struggling Kaffir was tugged
out of his antagonist’s grip by a
man-eating crocodile. Blake made for
the bank as fast as his exhausted
condition would allow. The black
was dead but the trooper remained.
Now to .get his horse and escape over
the border.
By this time the trooper became im
patient at the delay of his prisoner
and the guard and he whistled. Blake
could not answer him for his mouth had
been terribly battered in the fight and
some of his teeth TV’ere missing. He
heard the trooper coming toward the
river through the bush. He seized
the rifle the Kaffir had dropped and
waited. A little later the leaves opened
and the trooper stood in full view,
a splendid mark at the top of the bank.
'‘llanrls up!” cried Blake. The troop
er knew he was at (he end of a gun
that stood for no arguments and he
obeyed the command. Blake marched
him back to the camp, made him tie
his own letrs and rlirow the handcuti
keys behind him I’lake was now able
to remove the chain fetters from his
hand. This done he placed them on
the trooper, whose arms he took and
threw into the river. Then mounting
his horse rode towards the Transvaal
border. He had recovered his Rem
ington repeater and Luger pistol, and
so was well prepared for trouble, al
though he did not expect it.
He was within sight of the Kopjes,
South of the Limpopo, and within an
hour’* ride of the frontier when the
thunder o£ hoofs behind him told that
he was ibeing pursued. He listened,
there were more hoofs than he could
count, beating the ground, probably
ten. He put his heels into his horse’s
sides and set off at a gallop across
the veld which was becoming more
open as he rode south. It was no
use making a stand, numbers were
against him, so there was nothing to
do but ride and get inside the Boer
territory before he could be overtaken.
Once in the open country he was
seen by his pursuers, who redoubled
their efforts to overtake him, and were
gaining on him for his horse was com
mencing io show fatigue.
He could see that the horsemen
were B. S.^ A. police, two of whom
rode exceptionally good mounts v/hich
w^cre' leaving the others behind and
reducing the distance that separated
them w'ith disquieting rapidity. Blake’s
poor mount frothed all over as he
urged its wild gallop. On, on, he
went but slowly and surely the two
horsemen behind closed in on him.
He was one thousand yards ahead of
them when a bullet whistled past him
and fountained the dust ahead, fol
lowed by the crack of a rifle. He
turned in his saddle in time to hear
a second bullet pass him. His horse
staggered and he turned in time to
see the blood pouring out of a wound
in its neck. This was seriously close,
and hailing he sprang froin the saddle
and took a kneeling shot at the troop
ers. A horse staggered and fell,
throwing its rider. A second shot
emptied a saddle. This halted them
and Blake emptied the magazine of
his Remington info the ranks of the
inc*n bfhind as they returned his Ere.
The bullets shot around him and not
caring to risk being outflanked he
mounted, and once more urged his
horse toward the border and safety.
It was a wild ride on a bleeding
horse, as shot after shot followed him
Ironx the trooper's ntlcs The river
showed before him. What luck. Half
a do^en heavily armed Boer police
were camped on the opposite bank.
He dashed through tho water at the
drift and was in the Transvaal. The
troopers galloped into the stream and
were nearly across when the stern
voice of a Boer commandant cned
“Halt!” and as hi.s coinmand was
supported by six threatening rifles,
they dropped the pursuit.
Organizes the Irish Brigade.
When war broke out between the
Boer.s and_ the British, Blake volun
teered to tight for the African cause.
He hoisted a green flag and callcd
for all the able-bodied Irish in Soutli
Africa to stand in line with the perse
cuted little republics which he likened
to Ireland in their struggles againsi
(jreat Britain. Before a week passed
he had raised the famous Irish Bri
gade, which was destined to fight
shoulder to shoulder with the Boers
•and mtlict many a bloody defeat on
the British. These would fill a vol
ume, and as I am not writing the his
tory of the Irish Brigade, it is impos
sible to tel! of "all Blake's extraor
dinary deeds.
We were before Ladysmith, thr
British had been defeated in a nuin
ber of fights, and were making a last
stand before they were to fall back
and allow themselves to be beseigci!
by a sixth of their number. The fight
ing was furious On every side be
fore us the British dead were lying
in heaps mixed w'ith the carcasses oi
their horses. Shells screeched through
the air and sent their whistling frag
ments burning into the quivering flesh
of the opposing forces. Rifle bullets
thudded and splashed against the
rocks, sending tip cloitds of smoke
Ijke dust, that blinded and choked the
fighters. The bugles of the British
blared orders, and the mouths of the
Boer officers roared commands above
the thunder of the cannons. Men were
hacked to fragments by the invisible
messengers of death and the smell of
blood mixed with the chemical ef
fluvia from :he Ij'ddite shells.
7,'here was a lull around the Boei
"Long Tom.” The amunition was ex
pended and the way to the fresh sup
ply was raked by the British shells
and x-aiiged by their infantry. They
thought «:hat the big gun was silenced
and prepared to charge.
“Take the gun out of range!’* cried
General Lukas Meyer.
■‘Leave her!” cried Colonel Blakc.
“Wc’Il get the shells.” and acting
on his word he rode through a storm
of builds and bursting shells followcc.’
by some of his brigade and the Beer
commando ‘he was attached to. A'
the brave fellows rushed across the
danger ::one, one-half their number fel!
hut the gun wa’s served and the charginr
British were driven back in a panic
behind the defenses of Ladysmith.
l'>iak'e would have been rewardef
with a medal for bravery had the
Bip;
ni,,-. ca:
•6 praye
Boers such a thing r ,
expected to be bra T i'v'''’
cunistances, and '
crystalized but cc'ns^. ■' '' •'“-
a sartorial medai r,' ' '
»l?hem and was left ".i--
ization. Blake *gc, : .V ' -
the confidence ci : ' “■
for there was never ;
ture decided on tha"' •
not asked. The'n-'
act he took part in « - ■
was a duel with ar • ‘
The siege of Ladvsjr'-.-’ a '
days went into week^ ■ ’ ■
into months. The m ! ''
ing went on with t!: ..r'-‘
Sundays, when ihc I'.i, .■ ^
the British strength ■ ■i
fenses or made a ^ r'- ;
unmolested until ti ?* •
amongst the praying L V’"
The British got so ii--
day inactivity of Vhe' ^ ''''
they pulled thems.rlvc
Saturday night, had t .
horse flesh and pre-" V
Sunday recreation, sh-.
praying Africanders.
Early one Sundr.v r---
and some of his Irish I;
a dozen or so of :
burghers decided to ^ *
mies” a lesson, so tlu-v
of the laager and ni’rt
toward the besieged tr.
■ As they expected, b- fv
sharpshooters marched
of the protection of
into the road that led o
Boer position. From t; ■
Boer camps around
the soft chant of the mor;-'
Silently the British cr.-p
the vigilant eyes of P.Vv - '
were positioned oa each r . t
road. As soon as the}' i-
of the waiting burgh''r>;
the road, cutting oil s;: j, .
ffeat. A tinge of
eastern skj', a hymn r. ■ ’'
praise of God. The Eriii-h
on. Blake raised his h^r.d, a;
needle of flame ano a t
his Luger pistol signalled ■; e d*>
of the British sortie.
The British Surrcnder-
A shower of ^vLauscr hr"*;,
across the veldt, spread;ir_ =. ,
death amongst the British, f’,- r
ing was splendid and tht r- -
were almost wiped otu before ti
recovered from the pm-v- ;;Vf
fatal shot. Resistance v.-?s h ;!?!■
A few shots canie in rei^iv f- ,‘r;-
British, and then they hiy v.-n--i.,
the revealing light oi day t-^ tc'.f
story. The soft hymns
from the Boers' laager as th'* rv ! .
shot it’s long beams ti;a
kopjes. The hiding British •%;
move. A sword on v>L , .. .
a white handkerchief \
above a rock. Blake
it and then signalled to -oni" •
men to come. Th^ u:.-
dered and gave up thfir ar--.
colonel of the surrendered . r.
over his sword.
Blake refused to take it. --iy;
“Give it to one o: the burxhtrs
a souvenir, we’re ro u--- '
This enraged the iiriii'’
“Xo, you Yankee dog, y ..: ;
at men from a ir.iic. 'm:? c d s:
isn’t in yonr line. It's h'’: . ., ”
Blakc looked at him. “Tiiat yov;
a prisoner protects you/’ i'.'*.
■’and \'ou know it.”
“1 don’t I I’d give my ii '? to
you through. Take a ?'A' r-; ■; ;
liave it ill you, and we'll 'C- ' -
Blakc walked away, s'f •
tivc was ill a very voI:a; ■ . '
mind and inclined' to be i:'“ '
“You turn your bach, yc
a
“Stop!” said Blake, q .
calmly.
“1 wish I could fight you v ' i/.
said the Englishman, hold.i:^ ir
sword. “'V'ou dare noil ’
“Give him his v.iih, Coi.M '
.jne of the Irish Brig-.::e.
‘’Yes, give him his ■
rest. “Give him his v.i
"1 haven’t a swov^!.
would!” answered Blak.. '
did not carry swords
A Boer who had b;
dentilicatioa cards :r ‘
^;ave the information t: 'it ■;
who was carrying a .;v,
killed. He ran oft, :
returned with a b;a: : ■
.aid handed it to Bi.ikc,
“Fight! Show y-'ur i'.i:
the British Color.e!.
"Yes,” sa:d iJl.ike, sy '
fight and show my ph'-
conditions, that, if I i ' '
•'rs shall be allowed : ' -
Ladysmith free men. ; o
lingiishman, will be ‘
•ban your personal \ani-v.
Their prisoners wcie ' ‘
one side of the road :.:i'
on the other.
Prayers still came f
laager.
“Readj’l” cried Blnk-,
Facing each other on
:hey measured sword'. T- . •
'.he men fenced a;id
ability and then openeii t. “
est, each cahnly d ;e-'^ ■ ^
)thcr’s destruction. ^ -f
in the morning su"
■guarded and harked.
Backward and ^lrwar^
.\ cry went up from
"I quick blow from ihe
>word brought biO"-’ *-
arm.
A smile swept_ ove,
man's face. “I ''■ii’-
“Like hell!” san’^ 1'
lightning stroke h
down on liis cncni'
groan the Kiigl--'-''''''"
“They’re your pr;s.
Blake, and the h>:.’- ■ ■
'he Boer laager.
'opxnqlit, loro. V\
T.e
0 tr
^ WL
Mrs.
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Hreat:
'^’rapp