p. 120

OverviewTranscribeVersionsHelp

Facsimile

Transcription

Status: Complete

Out at Sea, October 30, 1911.

It was impossible after leaving Pretoria to write up the record of or daily proceed-
ings. I must now recall the events from memory. Our stay at Pretoria had been too
hot to make it a very enjoyable one. Our hotel was fairly comfortable and we liked
the people but the climate was not agreeable and the residents told us that all Pre-
torians felt tired all the time. So did we. As we had come from Victoria Falls quite
tired out we had not rested much and we therefore went to Johannesburg with a feel-
ing of strain upon us. Miss Cameron and Mrs. Boersma went to the Carlton Hotel, Mrs.
Jacobs to Mrs. Van Gercum's and I to Dr. and Mrs. Krause's. As Mrs Wynaendts Francke
of Holland with her husband were visiting the Van Gercum's just before our arrival
and as she is Dr. Jacobs worst and most intolerant enemy, I think the Doctor felt the
cold of an antagonistic atmosphere. At any rate she did not stay long but was soon at
the Carlton. As for myseld [myself] I was very glad to be in a private house where I stayed a
whole week. There were the advantages that callers could not get at me and that I
had a nice clean roon [room] and good bed. The disadvantages were that the W.C. was in the
back yard as the sewer had not yet come to that part of the City and that there was a
place to write. I also found that I must be something of a burden as I noticed that it
was planned that we should take at least one meal out. I found however that I gained
much information by being in such close touch with those who knew. Dr. K. is called
the best criminal lawyer in S. Africa but the reputation does not please him as he
would like something higher. During the Boer war he was in England for what reason
I do not know. While there he wrote a friend and said that a certain man was writing
lies about the Boers for the English papers and that such a man should be suppressed
legally if possible, but suspressed anyway. That friend was arrested by the British
and the letter found among his possessions. Dr. K was arrested in London and
put in prison where he was kept for two years. When he came out the war was over. His
father was a clergyman and his house had been burned by the British including many old
souvenirs from Holland which had been brought to S. Africa by his forefathers. There
was also a valuable library which went up in flames. There were many interesting con-
versations and the chief wonder to me was that such a man apparently felt little bit-
terness. Yet the British would not permit him to secure the kind of legal work which
paid best.

There are two clubs in Johannesburg and they think they have differences of tac-
tics but what they have is a violent and narrowminded hatred of each other. They trid [tried]
to arrange for our visit by a joint committee and altho I did not get hold of much of
the details I am sure they had hard work to get on. I arrived on Monday morning and
was met by Dr. and Mrs. Krause and had lunch at the house with them. That afternoon
at four I met the joint executive Committee at the Carlton where we had tea. I talked
with them about the proposed convention in Durban and found that one club had elected
a delegate (Mrs. Krause) and the other finally consented to do so but it took a
good deal of persuasion. The next day we were treated to an excursion to see the
dinamite [dynamite] factory a long distance away from the City. We were taken in two motors
and came to the place about noon. It is a vast space enclosed by high barb wire fen-
ces and securely guarded. After showing our permit we were allowed to enter. The
superintendent, a young and canny Scotchman with a clever Irish wife live in a beau-
tiful house, tastefully and luxuriantly furnished and surrounded by beds of plants,
flowers and bushes mostly of varieties unknown to us. We has [had] lunch there and the des-
sert consisted of pineapples, and strawberries. After lunch we were shown over the
factory. Each operation is conducted in a separate building in order to limit the

Notes and Questions

Nobody has written a note for this page yet

Please sign in to write a note for this page