A PERFECT SPY SYSTEM--CAPTAIN NAUDE AND HIS FEMALE SPIES OF GREAT
SERVICE--THE ATTITUDE OF THE AMERICAN CONSULS.
During the last two years of the war, the Boers had a perfect system
of communication with Pretoria and Johannesburg. Captain J.J. Naude,
a young Boer about twenty-three years old, was chief spy, and it was
he who organized the force that did the work. In Pretoria he had seven
Boer ladies, all smart and daring, and all prominent in Pretoria
society. Their duty was to collect all information, official and
otherwise, about what the English were doing in Pretoria, and what
their intentions might be, have it typewritten and ready for delivery
every Wednesday evening. Every Monday, dressed in an English officer's
uniform, Captain Naude would work his way through wire fences, forts,
blockhouses and three lines of guards, into the town and stop at the
home of a Mrs. Van W----. Sometimes he would stop with one of his other
spies, at the home of a Mrs. M----. Another one of his spies, a Mrs.
H----, often drove with him in a carriage through the streets during
the day, and visited certain important places. The English soldiers
invariably saluted Captain Naude as he passed by them. In the evening,
at the house where he was staying, Miss M----, known as "Little Megs,"
Mrs. A----, possibly Mrs. J----, Mrs. M----, and Mrs. H----, would
assemble to talk over the situation, put everything in proper form for
Captain Naude, and then quietly return to their homes. These ladies
would in person deliver all letters brought in by Captain Naude from
the burghers in the field, and he would take back the answers. He
conducted his affairs in Johannesburg in the same way, but here his
assistants brought out a typewritten paper every week, telling the
people what had happened in the field, which the English tried to keep
concealed. These typewritten papers would be posted up early in the
morning, and before the English authorities could find and tear them
down, hundreds of people had read them.
Little Megs, who since the surrender has changed her name to Mrs.
Jan--, took desperate chances on many occasions, and actually supplied
the Boers near Pretoria with ammunition, clothing, boots, etc. Her
father's farm was a few miles out of town, and she would get a permit
to go there and back and bring in vegetables. She always drove out with
four horses to her cart, and came back with two, leaving the others
with the commando. Sometimes, English officers would accompany her,
and often she felt much alarmed, but her coolness and nerve always
brought her out all right. Several times she was under heavy fire,
being caught between the Boer and English lines. Many shot and shell
passed over her head and many came near catching her, but never did
she waver. When all was over, she would pursue her way and deliver
her contraband goods. She was in constant communication with a young
lady, a cousin of hers, in far away Cape Colony. This cousin was a Miss
Maggie Joubert, about twenty-three years old, and one of the pluckiest
and most daring young ladies in the world. Her people are wealthy,
but are Africanders to the backbone, and took the desperate chance
of losing their property in order to help the cause of freedom. Most
of our information as to what was going on in Cape Colony came from
letters written by Miss Maggie Joubert to her little cousin Megs in
Pretoria. Little Megs would give this information to Captain Naude,
and he, in turn, would bring it out to the commandos, so our lines of
communication were complete and our information genuine. Miss Joubert
would write on one side of the paper an ordinary family letter, and
leave the opposite side blank. On the blank side she would write with
lemon juice for her ink, and tell all about the English, where they
were, what they were doing, the location of forts, etc. She would
also tell all about the Boer forces, where they were and what they
were doing. She also sent these letters to prisoners in the far away
Islands, and kept them well informed. She knew at least one in every
place who knew her method.
For two years she kept this up, but about six months before peace was
made, the English began to suspect her, because she wrote so many
letters. To one of her letters to little Meg in Pretoria they applied
the hot iron, and out came the lemon juice as black as ink. This
exposed her, for the English now read all about the movements of their
troops in the Colony, their location, etc. Two police were sent to
arrest her at once. She was carried away to Wellington, and locked up
in a cell. After remaining there for a week, she was taken to the Paarl
and imprisoned. Neither her people or any one else was allowed to see
her.
After a few weeks she was tried by a military court. This court tried
to find out from her whether she had given any information to the
enemy outside their lines. She always answered: "You have my letters,
and must find out for yourselves." Little Megs was inside the English
lines, and she was never in any way suspected of being a spy. The court
found Miss Joubert guilty of treason, and sentenced her to five years
hard labor. She told the court that she could stand just as much as
they could give her. She was returned to her cell and very closely
confined.
[Illustration: MISS MAGGIE JOUBERT
The beautiful Boer Spy who was imprisoned in an English cell for six
months.]
Lord Kitchener commuted the sentence to six months' imprisonment
without hard labor. The matron of the prison secured her some silks
and she spent her time making fancy articles. In the evening she would
sing the Volkslied (National Anthem) and then say the Boer prisoner's
prayer, one verse of which is as follows:
"When shall I be, shall I be returning
To my dear old plaats, to my good old home
Where the duiker, spring-bok, and Koedoe roam
And the hot fire of freedom is burning?"
Miss Joubert's daily rations consisted of one bottle of milk, one
pound of bread, and one pound of meat. This food without change for
six months, proved too much for her. She fell very ill, and how she
lived to the end of the time, she cannot explain. She was considered
a dangerous character, and a close damp cell must be her home, and in
that home she was doomed to live or die on food that would probably
kill a Kaffir.
Major Benson of the Intelligence Department, by way of consolation,
told her that after enjoying the blessings of English liberty for two
years, she had acted like a cur, and therefore deserved to suffer. She
replied that she was proud of all her acts, and she was ready to suffer
for them.
Several other ladies are lying in prison cells to-day charged with
giving the Boers information, and probably will remain there until
death comes to their rescue and frees them. Miss Joubert and her
comrades who have been locked within prison cells all know what it is
to be grossly insulted by the English officer, and all have suffered.
Little Megs and her associates in Pretoria, and Miss Joubert and her
companions in Cape Colony are all noble and grand women. The flame of
patriotism glowed in their hearts. All were ready to be sacrificed to
save the Africander people from being shackled with the chains of the
slave. All spurned danger and faced death itself. They are patriots,
and their names will endure.
Captain Naude, the commander of the lady spies in Pretoria, was well
known in the town, and his young wife and his people resided there.
The English knew him, too, and they were aware of the fact that he was
coming in and going out. They had a standing reward of $10,000 for
him, dead or alive. Every few days every house in Pretoria would be
carefully searched, and the three lines of guards put on the lookout
for him.
Nothing was left undone to catch or kill him, yet he went in every
Monday evening and came out every Wednesday evening. He is the coolest,
most determined and daring young man I ever saw, and I believe he
is the most wonderful spy known, when all the circumstances are
considered. He wore a slight mustache, an English officer's uniform,
could talk but little English and would drive in an open carriage
through the principal streets of the town in open daylight; yet he was
never caught, though hundreds of detectives were watching for him. Many
letters has he taken in for me, and he never failed to bring me back
the answer. In my eyes he is a marvel, and the Africander people are
heavily indebted to him for the services he rendered to them and their
country. Long may he live.
I must say a few words about the American Consuls in South Africa.
I was in that country eight years, and during this time I naturally
became acquainted with some of them. In the first place, I must say
that their pay is so small that it is almost impossible for them to
make both ends meet, it matters not how economically they live. Good
men and smart men will naturally refuse such an appointment, unless
they have spare money of their own to spend. The first consul who was
sent to Pretoria was C.E. Macrum, and he was a good and smart man, and
an excellent one for the place, as well as a genuine American. He was
perfectly conversant with all the causes that led up to the war, and
he knew that the English forced the Boers into it for no other reason
than to take the Johannesburg gold fields; therefore, a few months
after the war began, he was recalled. Young Adelbert Hay, son of John
Hay, Secretary of State, was appointed in his place. When he arrived
in Pretoria it was plain that he was an Englishman, both in heart and
soul. I have an idea that he was so educated before he left Washington
City, judging him by his conversation. He had not been there more than
two months before he changed, and became pro-Boer both in heart and
soul, and so remained till death. He was thrown in close contact with
the English in Pretoria, soon learned what an Englishman really was,
why he was fighting the Boer, his methods of fighting, etc., and he
became thoroughly convinced that all he had been taught to believe
about the English, and the war, was utterly false. He learned of their
barbarity in war, their treachery and unscrupulousness, and he saw
their treatment of the Boer women and children in the prison camps,
which he declared to be sickening. I don't know but if the whole truth
were known, I think it would be found that the powers that be in
America came to the conclusion that young Mr. Hay was not the proper
man for his position in Pretoria, and he therefore resigned. When the
news of his sudden death reached South Africa, the Africander people
felt deeply grieved, and at several of their evening services his name
was affectionately mentioned in their prayers.
W.D. Gordon, the Consular Agent in Johannesburg, is unquestionably the
ablest and strongest representative that the United States has ever
had in South Africa. He is a genuine American, a successful business
man, and as Consular Agent he carefully guards American interests and
American citizens, while by his honesty, uprightness and openness,
he commands the respect of the whole people. The English respect him
because they are afraid of him, and know that they can neither deceive
him nor win him by flattery. He receives no salary as Consular Agent,
yet the position costs him much time and trouble. No act of his will
ever bring discredit to the American people or his Country.
It was but a few weeks before war was declared that I met Consul
General Stowe of Cape Town, and although I was convinced that he was
American, yet I could not make out whether he was an Anglo-American
or a genuine Englishman. In a conversation with him in Johannesburg,
he told me that on hostilities breaking out, he intended to come to
Johannesburg and hoist the Stars and Stripes over Heath's Hotel as his
headquarters. Now, Heath's Hotel was the chief rendezvous of the most
rabid Englishmen, and it was very much feared that when war once began,
the Boers would destroy the building. Consul Stowe was determined to
prevent this, if possible, by placing his august person in the door,
and waving the Stars and Stripes above his head. Of course, the Boers
never had any idea of destroying this hotel, or any other property, but
the English press tried to make the world believe otherwise. By way of
retort, I told Consul Stowe that if he hoisted the American flag over
that hot bed of rebellion, we would set fire to the other and adjoining
buildings, and that if he were unfortunate enough to be caught in the
general conflagration, he would have no one to blame but himself. He
changed his mind then, and said that, after all, he thought he could
be of more service in Cape Town than in Johannesburg. During the war,
Consul Stowe was very prominent in English circles, and no doubt he
served them well. On one occasion, on the 4th of July, an American
lady intended to give a dinner to some Americans, and she thought of
inviting some English also. As some of the latter were sure to come,
she thought it would show courtesy if she put up a British flag as well
as the American flag. She spoke to Consul Stowe on the subject, and
he told her that most certainly she must hoist the British flag. He
further told her, that she must float the British flag on top of the
pole, and the American flag below it on the same pole. This will give
the American people a slight insight into the character of the American
Consul-General at Cape Town.
On another occasion, he concluded to visit Pretoria for reasons best
known to himself. Above the finest carriage in the long train, he
hoisted the American flag, and then he, etc., etc., were ready to move
out. All was smooth sailing until far into the Free State. Suddenly
the train stopped, firing was heard, and the Boers were all around the
unfortunates. Soon the white flag was hoisted and the train captured.
Captain Daanie Theron, the famous Boer scout, the little man so dearly
loved by the whole Africander race, with his hundred daring patriots
had committed the terrible offence of firing upon a train floating the
Stars and Stripes, and capturing the American Consul-General of Cape
Town, the great Colonel Stowe. He captured something else, too, for
there were on that train about seventy-five English soldiers, and they
fell into his hands, together with their rifles and ammunition. In
Colonel Stowe's carriage there were some lordly looking individuals,
too, but as all were Colonel Stowe's private secretaries, Captain
Theron did not disturb them. He allowed the carriage floating the Stars
and Stripes to proceed on its journey to Pretoria. I never heard, but
it is safe to say, that he landed his secretaries in Pretoria, and that
at a swell banquet many stirring and patriotic speeches were made.
Of course, the English press was full of glowing accounts of the way in
which the savage Boers had insulted the American flag, but not one of
them thought to mention anything about English prisoners and private
secretaries. No doubt Colonel Stowe was a great credit to the American
Government, but I would not like to add "and also to the American
people," because I am not seeking trouble.