THE POISONING OF MAUDE.

Taihape Daily Times, 13 February 1919, Page 3

THE POISONING OF MAUDE.

CONQUERER OF BAGDAD

An interesting account of the last hours of that great soldier, General Maude, the conqueror of B'agdad, is given by Eleanor Egan, in “'The War in the Cradle of the World.’’ Bhe was at the last meal at which he was present, and he came in late. Bhe writes:

“He looked tired and drawn, but I imagine nobody ever thought seriously of illness in connection with him. He was so splendidly stalwart. Even then he was in excellent spirits, as he usually was, but he rather startled us with an announcement that he w r as not going to have any lunch. “ ‘About once a. month,’’ he said, ‘I find it does me good to go without food in the middle of the day. ’ ‘ ‘ Then he leaned on the back of his chair, and made some characteristically humorous inquiries. . . He excused himself presently, and went down along the terrace to his room ‘‘ As soon as he had gone I remarked that he looked very ill, but was assured that he was merely tired. His military secretary did say that he ‘would soon be done for’ if he didn’t give himself a short leave. He had not had a day’s leave since he took command of the Army.” WAS IT A HUN CRIME?

He was seen by the consulting medical officer to the expedition, and told that he must go to bed. A little later it was known that he had been seized with cholera in its mostj virulent form. The writer came back from an excursion and found her servant crouched in the doorway of a cabin:

“His face was buried in his arms, and he was weeping.

“Oh, lady sahib! lady siabih! England’s great man!” “That was all. I thought it rather w’Cjnderful. “He was poisoned, probably by the Germans, with a cup of coffee and milk at a native entertainment. The disease developed within the right period of hours after he had drunk that coffee and that milk. It is not true, as has been said, that the coffee was a cup of particular ceremony, and that he was compelled by respect for custom' to drink it. It Wias placed before Kim as a usual and tobe expected courtesy He could drink it or ho could not. . . I have been asked so often, ‘Why —why did he do it?’ Why? Because he was a gentleman. ’ 5

It is a curious fact that he had refused to be inoculated, saying that “it would be a waste of serum, because no man of his age 'ever got cholera. ’ ’