Lincoln County leader., February 02, 1900, Image 2

HEROES OF TWO WARS
ROBERTS AND KITCHENER, WHO
HEAD ENGLISH FORCES.
One Heaped Undying; Fame in the
Celebrated March to Kandahar, the
Other Won Glory on the Bloody
Bands of the Soudan.
The seriousness of the war situation
in South Africa has stirred up England
as she has not been stirred up before
in three-quarters of a century and has
led to her ordering to the scene of hos
tilities two of her ablest generals,
Field Marshal Lord Roberts, and MaJ.
Gen. Lord Kitchener, the one the hero
of Kandahar, In Asia, and the other
the hero of Oiudurman, la Africa.
Lord Roberts, who will assume chief
command in South Africa, Is the Idol
of the British army, and Is popularly
known as "Bobs." He is regarded by
the military authorities of the leading
countries of Europe as the foremost
FIELD MARSHAL ROSERTS.
British commander of the Victorian
era, his celebrated forced march to
'Kandahar constituting one of the fin
est feats of English arms In modern
times.
. Lord Frederick S. Roberts was born
in 1832 and was educated at the Royal
Military College at Sandhurst. He was
only 19 years old when he went to In
dia and entered the Bengal artillery as
a lieutenant Here he labored un
known to fame until the Iudian muti
ny, when he was attached to the col
umn which was sent to attack Delhi,
the forces of the rebellion. The posi
tion of the small British force before
the capital of the Insurrection was for
months a perilous one. Fighting was
of daily occurrence, the mutineers hav
ing an Inexhaustible supply of ammu
nition. Roberts came- under flre for
the first time 4a a skirmish, when eight
of his party were killed and thirty
wounded. Soon afterward, in another
of the engagements near the walls of
the city, the young lieutenant was hit
by a bullet near the spine as he was
helping the drivers keep the horses
quiet while limbering up the guns. A
leather pouch had somehow slipped
behind his back and prevented the bul
let penetrating deeply.
At the Relief of I.ncknow.
After the capture of Delhi Roberts
Joined the army of Sir Colin Camp
bell, which advanced, to the relief of
Lucknow. When the relieving army
got close to the rebel lines outside
Lucknow Sir Colin, wishing to let the
British commander, Outram, know of
his progress, wanted a flag raised on
the mess house. Within plain view of
the mutineers, Lieut Roberts climbed
to the top of till building, and, amid
a rain of shot, raised the flng on the
turret nearest to the foe. It was shot
away, and he replaced It. Again It
was shot away, and he raised it again.
But it was not for tills deed that Rob
erts won his Victorian Cross. That
was done at Khodagunge, Jan. 2, 1838.
He saw In the distance two sepoys go
ing away with a standard. Putting
spurs to his horse he overtook them.
They turned and presented their mus
kets at him, and one of the men pulled
the trigger. It snapped, missing fire,
and the sepoy was cut down by Rol
erts' sword. The other mutineer rode
away, and the young lieutenant
brought the standard hack to camp.
The samo day he rescued a wounded
comrade under almost similar circum
stances. In the years that followed the muti
ny Roberts saw almost continual serv
ice. He was at Umebyla, In the fron
tier campaign, In 1S03; In 181S7 he had
charge of the embarkation of the force
for the Abyssinian campaign. In 1871
and 1872 he was the senior staff otti
cer lu the Lushal campaign, and from
1875 to 1878 he was quartermaster
general. All his promotions were "for
merit."
It was toward the end of 1S78 that
the great opportunity of Gen. Roberts'
career came to him. The Ameer of
Afghanistan rebelled against the au
thority of Great Britain, and Roberta
was sent at the head of the army to
nubdue him. llo carried the enemy's
stronghold at Pelwar Kotal with a
uplendld rush at odds of almost 10 to
1. The next year the news of Sir
Louis Cavngnarl's murder lu Kabul
horrified all England, and Roberts was
railed upon to lead another avenging
force. With 0,000 men he cut his way
straight through the hostile land, and
In thirty days placed the British flag
above the citadel of Kabul, after rout
ing the Afghan army, which outnum
bered the British by twelve to one.
Then after re-enforcements had been
sent to him he began one of the most
famous marches in history over tow
ering mountain ranges and through
hostile territory, straight from Kabul
to Kandahar 300 miles in twenty
days. At the end of the march h
crushed Ayoob Khan, and the whoU
empire rang with the praises of th
man who a few months before had
been almost unknown.
Since then Roberts has advanced
through successive stages to the po
sition of commander-in-chief of th
forces in Ireland. Now In his sixty
seventh year he is called upon to face
the hardest task of his military ca
reer.
Kitchener, Hero of the Soudan.
Lord Kitchener, chief of staff t
Lord Roberts, is England's latest and
most popular war hero. His success
ful conquest of the Egyptian Soudan
won for him a fame in England to b
compared with that of Admiral Dewej
In this country. In return for th
services Gen. Kitchener rendered hif
country In Egypt he was raised to thi
peerage and was voted a gift of $150,
000 by the House of Com.aons.
He was born in Kerry County, Ire
land In 1851, and at the age of twentj
received his commission as lieutenant
of engineers. For a long time he wa
in the civil service in Egypt, but in
1882 entered the regular service in
Egypt under Sir Eveiyn Wood, who
was then engaged in the reorganiza
tion of the Egyptian army. He re
ceive an appointment on the intelli
gence staff when the troubles in tin
Soudan made necessary the dispatch
of trustworthy English offlcers tfl
Dongola in advance of Lord Wolse
ley's Nile expedition fifteen years ago
There Kitchener was always the on
selected for any work that demanded
great force of character, combined
with tact and resourcefulness In deal
ing with Intrigues of disloyal official!
or winning over the chiefs who waver
ed between fear of Egyptian powei
and a hankering after the good thing!
promised by Mahdisin.
With the Nile expedition Kitchener!
promotion was rapid. He became on
of the two majors of cavalry in 1884
was made lieutenant colonel In 188"
and became colonel in 1888. He was
in commaud of a brigade of the Egypt
ian army in the operations near Sua
kirn in December, 1SS8, and was pres
ent in the engagements at Gemaizab
and at Toski, in 1889.
At the beginning of the campaign ol
1890 for the reconquest of the Soudan
MAJ. GEN. KITCHENER.
Kitchener was made commander-in-chief
of the forces in Egypt. He led a
successful expedition up the Nile
against the Khalifa, safely conducting
his troops up cataracts and through
marauding tribes and burning deserts
until Omdurmau was readied. Here
was fought a terrific battle between
the Anglo-Egyptian troops and the
dervishes, the latter being cut down
like grass before the scythe. In one
charge the dervishes lost 4,000 men
and when the battle was over 10,000 of
their dead and dying strew the ground.
The Khalifa and his chiefs were fugi
tives and have recently been killed.
Kitchener, on returning home after
this brilliant expedition, became the
popular Idol. He is the youngest iua
Jor general in the British army.
Not a General's Kgg.
The freshuess of eggs Is carefully
graded In this country, but our distinc
tions are surpassed In delicacy by those
long since in vogue among the British
residents of India.
Soon after Arthur Wellesley, after
ward the Duke of Wellington, was ap
pointed a major-general for his great
services In India, he happened to stop
In Calcutta. At breakfast the hero was
served with boiled eggs. He took one,
broke the shell, and dropped it with an
air of disgust
"Laurell," he cried to his valet "what
do you mean by giving me a bad egg?"
The valet hurried to his master, and
examined the egg with the utmost seri
ousness. "I entreat your forgiveness," said he,
"but It's all a mistake. The stupid ser
vant has gone and given you aa aid.
de-camp's egg by mistake."
Art.
"Spreader pawned his overcoat to get
canvas to paint a picture."
"Did he sell the picture?"
"Yes; what he got for it Just enabled
him to get his overcoat back." Indlaa
apolla Journal.
WORLD'S RICH MEN.
MILLIONAIRES FOUND IN AL
MOST EVERY LAND.
Germany and Austria Prominent In
the Golden Book Great Fortunes of
Russia, China, Africa, India, America
and Spanish South America.
Germany is, not generally regarded as
a land of rich men, and yet the golden
book should have a very large section
devoted to Germany and Austria-Hungary.
It is true that most of the names
would have Prince before them, but,
being of royal blood does not alter the
fact of wealth. Without couuting the
private properties of the sovereigns,
who ought not to be included, there
are a dozen or so Teutonic Highnesses
whose wealth, not merely In lands, but
In money, Is enormous. For example,
that of the father of the present Prinoe
of Bulgaria was counted by many mil
lions sterling. Many of the dethroned
monarchs, again, are very rich, for rol
en exil has ceased to be a synonym for
poverty. No one, of course, knows the
exact wealth of the Orleans family,
but it is very great, and even the Bour
bons are well off. Don Carlos, in spite
of the money he has spent on Spanish
and other adventures, is a millionaire.
The Russian Empire would also make
a good show, for although the great
landed proprietors have suffered of lnte
years, many of the merchants and
financiers have done exceedingly well.
If rumor Is to be trusted, some of the
officials are also very rich. Fabulous
sums areattrlbuted toone in particular.
The millionaires of Africa would, we
suppose, be confined to Kiinberley and
the Rand; but possibly there are some
large fortunes in Cairo among the
Levantine colony. Asia will probably
make a very respectable show In the
golden book. It is true that in the
Turkish and Persian empires million
aires are never long-lived, and this
fact tends to their non-existence; but
for all that, some of the Smyrna Greeks
and Damascus Jews ought to be able
to gain admission. India, on the other
hand, if the native princes who do not
possess sovereign rights are counted, as
they must be, contains a great number
of extremely rich men. Not only are
there merchants In the great cities who
are worth several millions In personal
property, but there are also four or five
great Zemindars who have Incomes
which represent the interest on two or
three millions sterling. The reaction
against thinking of India as a place of
wealth has, in fact, been carried too
far; and we are apt to forget that
princely fortunes are still made and
kept there.
The truth about the Chinese fortunes
would be most curious If it could be
discovered. Unfortunately, it Is the
land of the crypto-mlllionalres, of the
men who live in little low houses and
hoard gold Ingots in the shape of
Naples biscuits. It is known, however,
that the Empress Downger Is among
the richest, If not the richest, persons,
alive; while LI Hung Chang, unless he
lias lately been plundered, which is un
likely, must also have vast wealth. Out
Bide China the Chinese are often very
rich, and dare to show their wealth.
For example, It is always said, and as
far as we know with truth, that several
of the Chinese merchants of Singapore
are men of enormous riches. With the
American millionaire It is hardly nec
essary to deal. Whnt place Is not full
of the report of his dollars? It should,
however, be noted that, though one or
two of the American fortunes are be
yond the dreams of avarice, the number
of "warm men" Is, In proportion to
population, not so great as It Is here.
There are, that Is, not so many great,
but far more small, millionaires In
England. The man who reaches the
.$5,000,000 mark is apt either to lose it
all again, or else to turn It Into $50,
000.000 or $100,000,000.
Spanish South America Is not, as a
rule, regarded as a place for rich men,
yet, as a matter of fact, Chill, Mexico,
Brazil and the Argentine have all with
in the last thirty years produced for
tunes on the great scale, and not very
long ago the greatest heiress In the
world was said to be the only daughter
of a South American millionaire.
Loudon Spectator.
SHIPS CLAIMED BY THE WAVE'.
Great Britain's Losses by Shipwreck
the Siiiultcst in the World.
Losses at sea sustained by the mer
chant service of the world In the last
year are set forth lu a report prepared
by the British government, copies of
which have been received here. Great
Britain, with over 12,000.000 tons
afloat, has the lowest percentage of
losses.
Startling figures are presented as to
the number of steamers and sailing
craft reported "missing" and now re
garded as lost by Insurance under
writers. No less than twenty-four
steamers sailed out of various ports
last year aud have never been heard
from, and seventy-nine sailing vessels
cleared aud never reached their destlua
tlon, both classes representing a total
tonnage of 72,773. In addition nluety
slx ships, representing eighty-five sail
ing craft and eleven steamers, had to
be abandoned at sea.
As a result of all the losses the gross 1
reduction In the mercantile merine of
the Avorld Is shown to be 1,141 vessels
of 820,725 tons, excluding vessels of
less than 100 tons.
Great Britain's rate of loss is 2.23 per
cent, the next on the list being Germa
ny, with 2.33 per cent Germany and
the United States are now making a
"neck-and-neck" race as regards the
total number of vessels owned, the
latter having 2,113,677 tons and the
former 2,113,981 tons. Austria-Hungary
is third In point of rate of loss, with
3.18 per cent, and then come Russia,
with 3.03 per cent, and the United
States, with 4.14 per cent. The other
nations are In the following order:
I tally, 4.34 per cent; France, 4.48;
Holland, 4.02; Spain, 5.01; Norway,
5.55, and Sweden, 5.CG. New York
Herald.
FASCINATING CAIRO.
The Host Picturesque and Interesting
of Oriental Cities.
From its founding in 9G9 by the
Fatimite califs, as an offshoot of the
tented settlement of Fostat, to the pres
ent rule of Abbas Pasha, seventh Khe
dive, or viceroy, of the dynasty of Me
hemlt All, Cairo capital of Egypt,
metropolis of the African teaching has
had a romantic history. Scene of fa
mous exploits of great personages,
from Saladin to Napoleon, of sanguin
ary conflicts between Christianity and
Islamlsm, and the memorable massacre
of the Mnmplnkps; orndli of rpHjjnn
aud cults; home of the "Arabian
Nights" tales; the place where lasting
principles of philosophy and science
were conceived, aud where Bible
scenes were laid, Cairo has become the
meeting-ground of winter Idlers from
every clime.
Cairo looks old, but comparatively Is
not; Alexandria has the appearance of
newness, but was twelve hundred
years old before the first stone of the
present capital was laid. But the
Cairo of to-day Is only the develop
ment of Fostat, Old Cairo. New Baby
lon, and Heliopolis, probably. The:e
has always been a great city there or
thereabouts, changing in appellation
with Its locale.
The visit to Egypt has become almost
as essential to Americans and fully
half of the eight thousand winter visit
ors are from the States as the pilgrim
age of good Mohammedans to Mecca.
The Mohammedans' religion takes
them but once to the sacred city of the
prophet, but pleasure draws those fa
vored by fortune to the Nile capital
time after time. Cairo Is more than In
teresting; it Is fascinating. The anti
quarian, the student and the savant
have always been at home there; and
the Invalid, real or imaginary, seeking
a climate, finds lu and about the khe
divaJ city the superlative of air and
temperature.
Artists never weary of reproducing
Cairo's picturesque scenes and vivid
colorings. The blue of the skies, the
splendor of the setting sun, the Turner
esque afterglow, and the delicate
browns of the desert, seem to be best
suggested In water-colors. Like Venice,
Egypt demands a master, hand In oils.
The traveler of impressionable na
ture yields to the fascination of Cairo's
quaint Eastern life, as perfect as if met
far beyond the Orient's threshold, and
doubly satisfying, because found with
in a half-hour of the creature comforts
of hotels conspicuously modern. To
walk the streets of an Oriental capital
wherein history has been made, be
tween meals, as it were, and delve by
day In museums and mosques perpetu
ating a mysterious past, and dine de
rigneur In the evening, with the best
music In Europe at hand, explains a
charm that Cairo has for mortals lik
ing to witness Eastern life provided
they are not compelled to become a part
of It If Egypt disappoints, the inde
cisive idler can In four or five days be
back in Faris or the Riviera. Century.
"Witch" Hazel.
According to Median's Monthly, the
correct name for Ilamamelis Vlrginiea
Is not witch hazel, but wych hazel. Our
plant has no connection with the magic
of the water hunter. The blackthorn
of England, Trunus Spiuosa, was the
wood used in these divinations, or
whatever these superstitious practices
may be termed. Hazel had a very wide
meaning In the olden times, and the
elm, as well as the nut now known as
such, was hazel. One of these elms
now known as Ulumus Montana, was
the favorite wood for making wyches,
or provision chests, and was therefore
known as the wych hazel. In the pres
ent day it is the wych elm. Our Ilam
mamells received from the early set
tlers the name of wych hazel from the
resemblance of the leaves to those of
the wych hazel or elm of the old world
Language reformers imagining that
wych should be spelled witch are re
sponsible for the confusion. Wych
hazel Is the correct term for our plant
How Diamonds Ar Cut.
Diamonds are cut in three different
forms-the rose, the brilliant and the
table, of which the second Is the pretti
est It is a double pyramid or cone
of which the top Is cut off to form a
large plane, and at the bottom directly
opposite to a small plane.
By the time a man Is able to supply all
his wanU he doesn't want very muck
aOOD-LOOKING MEN WANTED
Kandsome, Vigorous Persons Desired
for Positions of Importance
"We hear a lot of talk np
women getting all the best positions as
iems, bieuograpuers, ana so on," te
narked the undersized little man to hla
mum. ii never seems to occur to
eople that good-looking men got all
;he best jobs in men's work. But they
lo. A tall, portly, well-dressed maa
Jvill make his way with half tim i.-i...
-..v. isiuiUH
f an insignificant-looking, carelessly
s nwv. iu uiiiuiy-ume casea
ut of a hundred a successful politician
professional man, or business man Is
landsome, or big and 'fine looking,' as
Jiey say.
"A few days ago a friend of mine lost
i Job that pays $10,000 a year simply
jecause he is homelv and wniri. i
v uuiy
120 pounds. A manufacturer wanted a
luperlntendent In one of his mills. He
wrote to an editor, an old friend, in
Chicago, and asked him to recommend
lomebody. The editor wrote back:
James Gregory is the very man for
rou. lie has had experience, he Ig
.'lever, and I cau recommend him
.'rom twenty years' acquaintance.' The
Manufacturer telegraphed immediately
tor Gregory to come and take the place.
Gregory reported for duty at a uianu
.'acturlng town 200 miles away, n
svore his best clothes and av.is through
:y well groomed. But Gregory is small
md pale and looks like a school boy.
" 'I am James Gregory,' he said when
a firrtYd nt the nip.nufncttirer'3 clllcc
" 'Oh, are you? Well, ah! the fact &,
in! the fact Is, Mr. Gregory, I didn't'
ixpect ' Aud the manufacturer
ihook his head In despair.
" 'Expect what?
" 'Well, I thought you'd be a big, fine
looking fellow. The fact is, you won't
lo at all, Gregory. I'm sorry, but you
won't do at all. Why, the men won't
je bossed by a man who doesn't weigh
aiore than two sacks of flour!'
"That ended it. Gregory lost the job,
ind he was an expert, too, as far ai
inowledge of the work In hand was
loncerned." Chicago Inter Ocean.
HOW HE GOT HIS CLOCK.
Saved a Man's Life Who Was Dyln,
of Quinsy.
In the hallway of a Philadelphia
Joctor's house stands a fine example of
i grandfather's clock, the possession of
tvhlch the medical man owes entirely
to a pinch of snuff, says the Philadel
phia Record. Some years ago the doc
tor In question set his heart upon such
i timepiece, and devoted two of bin
vacations to clock-hunting. He visited - (
oiauy New Euglaud farmhouses with
out success, as old "furniture has been
pretty well gathered up by the dealers
'down east," and then carried his
juest into Delaware and Maryland,
where he found many old clocks, but
none of them for sale.
He was about to return home dis
jonsolate when he was called into con
jultatlonoverapatlentdylng of quinsy,
rhe resources of medicine had been ex
hausted, when the Quaker city doctor
bethought himself of an old snuffbox
he had picked up during his wander
ings, In which still lingered a modicum
of snuff, pungent as of yore. With this
powerful tobacco the doctor assailed
the nostrils of the sick man, who, sneez
ing violently, broke the abscess in his
throat that was choking him to death.
Stimulants were administered and the
sick man recovered.
The Philadelphia doctor left the place
the morning after this remarkable
operation, but he had not been home a
week before the grateful MarylandeP
sent him a grandfather's clock, ac
jompanled by a card, upon which was
written: "This clock, which struck tho
hour of my birth, would have also
narked the hour of my death If your
jklll and knowledge had not stayed the
Hand of the destroyer."
Knrly Dictionaries.
The first dictionary recorded In liter
ary history is the standard Chinese dic
tionary, compiled by Pa-out-she, who
lived about 1100 B. C. It contained 40,-
000 characters, each of which stood for
1 word, mostly hieroglyphic or rude
representations resembling our signs of
the Zodiac. This was four centuries
before writing was employed by West
ern people. Antlclldes, a contempor
ary of Alexander the Great, published a
Greek dictionary of the words In an
cient writings 330 B. C. Another Chi
nese dictionary was produced about
150 B. C, and Varro's Latin compila
tion of an English dictionary were
made by Bullokar In 1G10, and by
Cockerham In 1G23, although a glossary
of old English words was prepared In
or about 075.
Soent of Lobsters.
Lobsters can smell as well as animals
that live upon the land. A piece of de
cayed meat suspended in the water In
the locality where lobsters are abun
dant will soon be surrounded by
greedy, fighting crowd.
Alcohol in Lemon Extract.
Lemon extract has become a favorite
beverage with the Poncha Indians,
owing to the quantity of alcohol which
It contains, and it Is said that they
have been able to get roaring drunk on
a fifty-cent bottle.
At 2 cents a mile a trip to the sun fJ
would cost' $1,S2S,G04.40. Wre under
stand there will be no cut-rate excur
sions this season.
7