hefranchise?Howcouldtheyexpectitaftertheraid?WouldBritainobjecttotheenormousimportationofarmsandobviouspreparationsforwar?Theywereonlyprecautionsagainstasecondraid.Foryearstheraidstoodintheway,notonlyofallprogress,butofallremonstrance.Throughanactionoverwhichtheyhadnocontrol,andwhichtheyhaddonetheirbesttoprevent,theBritishGovernmentwasleftwithabadcaseandaweakenedmoralauthority.
Theraidersweresenthome,wheretherankandfilewereveryproperlyreleased,andthechiefofficerswerecondemnedtotermsofimprisonmentwhichcertainlydidnoterruponthesideofseverity.CecilRhodeswasleftunpunished,heretainedhisplaceinthePrivyCouncil,andhisCharteredCompanycontinuedtohaveacorporateexistence.Thiswasillogicalandinconclusive.AsKrugersaid,'Itisnotthedogwhichshouldbebeaten,butthemanwhosethimontome.'Publicopinion—inspiteof,oronaccountof,acrowdofwitnesses—wasillinformedupontheexactbearingsofthequestion,anditwasobviousthatasDutchsentimentattheCapeappearedalreadytobethoroughlyhostiletous,itwouldbedangeroustoalienatetheBritishAfricandersalsobymakingamartyroftheirfavouriteleader.Butwhateverargumentsmaybefoundeduponexpediency,itisclearthattheBoersbitterlyresented,andwithjustice,theimmunityofRhodes.
Inthemeantime,bothPresidentKrugerandhisburghershadshownagreaterseveritytothepoliticalprisonersfromJohannesburgthantothearmedfollowersofJameson.Thenationalityoftheseprisonersisinterestingandsuggestive.Thereweretwenty-threeEnglishmen,sixteenSouthAfricans,nineScotchmen,sixAmericans,twoWelshmen,oneIrishman,oneAustralian,oneHollander,oneBavarian,oneCanadian,oneSwiss,andoneTurk.TheprisonerswerearrestedinJanuary,butthetrialdidnottakeplaceuntiltheendofApril.Allwerefoundguiltyofhightreason.Mr.LionelPhillips,ColonelRhodes(brotherofMr.CecilRhodes),GeorgeFarrar,andMr.Hammond,theAmericanengineer,werecondemnedtodeath,asentencewhichwasafterwardscommutedtothepaymentofanenormousfine.Theotherprisonerswerecondemnedtotwoyears'imprisonment,withafineof2000poundseach.Theimprisonmentwasofthemostarduousandtryingsort,andwasembitteredbytheharshnessofthegaoler,DuPlessis.Oneoftheunfortunatemencuthisthroat,andseveralfellseriouslyill,thedietandthesanitaryconditionsbeingequallyunhealthy.AtlastattheendofMayalltheprisonersbutsixwerereleased.Fourofthesixsoonfollowed,twostalwarts,SampsonandDavies,refusingtosignanypetitionandremaininginprisonuntiltheyweresetfreein1897.AltogethertheTransvaalGovernmentreceivedinfinesfromthereformprisonerstheenormoussumof212,000pounds.AcertaincomicreliefwasimmediatelyafterwardsgiventosograveanepisodebythepresentationofabilltoGreatBritainfor1,677,938pounds3shillingsand3pence—thegreaterpartofwhichwasundertheheadingofmoralandintellectualdamage.
Theraidwaspastandther