Ancestry24

Friederich Wilhelm August Pagel

Born in Plathe, Pomerania, Germany on 5 February 1878, and died in Knysna, 13 October 1948.

Friedrich, the ’strong man’ and circus proprietor, was the son of Antonie Fraudnich and August Pagel, a huge strong man.

Friedrich inherited his father’s great size and strength which he enhanced by working at a smithy at Plathe. He qualified as a blacksmith when he was seventeen, but became a ship’s stoker and travelled widely and adventurously, finally deserting his ship at Sydney, Australia, where after miscellaneous menial occupations he developed a ’strong man’ act and became an unsuccessful side-show.

In Tasmania in 1899 he met and married Mary Dinsdale (1865 to 24 December 1939), a Yorkshire woman from Leeds with a keen monetary sense. She repaired and improved their joint fortunes, while Pagel, in circuses in Australia, gained increasing renown for his act, which now included a lion called Hopetown. In 1904 they visited Europe with the lion, and in England assembled material for a circus, travelling via the East Coast to Durban where they landed in February 1905. The circus toured Natal and continued to Johannesburg where Pagel extended it with trapeze and other acts.

A successful season enabled him to begin a tour of South Africa, followed by one to Rhodesia, which ultimately established his circus as a national institution. With his phenomenal feats of strength and his command of ferocious carnivores, Pagel became a popular and respected figure, particularly in the dorps. During the post-war depression when the theatre languished and the cinema existed only in the hands of touring showmen, with disreputable films, the circus was the most popular form of public entertainment, but hazardous financially.

Pagel and his wife (who supervised the box-office) went to India and Burma early in 1906 to purchase tigers, elephants and other animals for a new circus. This was enlarged by numerous turns, including Madame Pagel herself in an act with lions, tigers and leopards. Opening in Durban Pagel’s greatly extended circus toured the country successfully until the First World War (1914-1918) when, as an enemy alien, he encountered insuperable difficulties; feelings ran high despite the fact that Madame hung her marriage certificate above the box-office to dissuade hostile mobs. Early in 1918 Pagel was interned for a brief period at Pietermaritzburg.

He became a South African citizen after the war and again went to the East to collect animals for a new circus whose attractions proved acceptable during increasingly depressed times. Profits were safeguarded by the avarice and violent language of Madame at the till and elsewhere. She also secured unprecedented publicity by driving in an open car accompanied by a large-maned lion which went with her on foot on a leash.

Since depression now deprived him of audiences in South Africa, Pagel ventured on a tour of East Africa in 1933; this, beginning disastrously, continued unsuccessfully and as he lacked permission to import his animals into the Union he took his circus to the Far East, where it was equally unsuccessful. Pagel bought a few animals in Java, returned with the circus to Lourenço Marques, and finally brought it to Pretoria whence he resumed his tours of the Union and Rhodesia. By then, Madame was seventy years of age and ill, She became a chronic invalid in 1938 and died on 24 December 1939 on the farm for training animals which Pagel had established at Pretoria North. Her nurse, Miss Cecil Schulz (died on 26 May 1976), daughter of Dr Aurel Schulz, remained on the farm to manage Pagel’s business interests. In 1940 they were married and toured together with the circus.

With a greatly extended and varied programme, Pagel operated widely and successfully during the Second World War (1939-45), much money being raised for war funds. Entertainment in general was now highly sophisticated, but the circus held its own, even playing for two weeks at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg, until hampered on tour by the poliomyelitis epidemic of 1947-48. While performing in the Free State in May 1948 Pagel suffered a cerebral haemorrhage from which he only partially recovered, his speech being affected; but the show went on.

In July 1948 he insisted that the circus should celebrate his 50th anniversary in the ring at ‘jubilee’ performances in Pretoria; but he himself was ill on his farm in Pretoria North and although he later accompanied his circus on tour he died of heart failure at Knysna three months later. He was buried on his farm while, in the tradition he had established, his circus continued its itinerary before it was ultimately disbanded.

Pagel was a quiet, softly-spoken man of temperate habits and an original philosophy. He suffered severe injury on several occasions from attacks by animals without losing confidence in handling them. His training methods were not cruel, and long after his death circus-goers testified that his lions lovingly licked his face and showed no fear. Pagel re-created the prestige of the circus originated by Frank Fillis and provided the public at all levels with relatively cheap entertainment when and where it was most needed.

There is a portrait in oils of him by Dorothy Kaye in the Africana Museum, Johannesburg. A bust of Pagel done by Coert Steynberg is to be found among the latter’s private collection in Pretoria North.

Source: Dictionary of South African Biographies – Volume IV (Copyright: Media24 Digital)

NANA  SIR OFORI ATTA, Natural Ruler of the Gold Coast, West Africa, is the Paramount Chief, and has a number of chiefs under him. He is well educated and is a good and eloquent speaker. Nana Sir Ofori Atta is an advocate of progress, but he is anxious that his people should progress along the right lines. Yet he is opposed to breaking contact with the past. He has no wish to cut himself and his people away from the traditions of his country. He is anxious to prove to the world that before the advent of European administration Africans had their own civilisations. It is his firm belief that the customs and institutions of Africa should not be impaired in any way, save only that some will require to be polished and improved as time goes on. Nana Sir Ofori Atta takes a very active part in the politics of his country. He is highly respected by the Government officials of West Africa and the Colonial Office in England. His people and chiefs look upon him as a father, they love him and they respect him. He is, in fact, popular with all sections.

King Oba Alaiyeuwa Ademola II. is the natural ruler of the Egbas in Nigeria in West Africa. These people are well known for their home industries, cocoa growing and other valuable commodities. They are very industrious. King Ademola has great power, wisdom and a keen sense of justice. He, like many other African Kings, fought hard to retain the liberty and independence of his subjects. When the world war broke out black men from all corners of Africa and other parts of the world, including the Egbas and Yurubas, were invited by the Great Powers to assist in fighting the enemy and thus make the world safe for democracy, and for the protection of small nations. Africans answered the call by the thousands and died by the hundreds on the battlefields and the seas. The war is over; the enemy is beaten, but the promise was never fulfilled-the Egbas suffered the same fate as their brothers in other parts of Africa-they lost their independence, at precisely the same time (1914) as their sons were dying in Flanders and other war zones to make the world free.

Treaties made by European Powers with the West Africans, like those made with South Africans, were not honoured. The only difference between the lot of the Africans in the West and those in the South, is that the Africans in the West have not as yet been restricted in the same degree as those in the South from acquiring land.

This glaring injustice; this breach of faith is allowed, no doubt, because the natives are helpless, and because they are helpless they must be a child race, who must be treated, without consent, as somebody else thinks fit whether right or wrong. Indeed, others contend that even our mental capacity is inferior to that of the European, yet the facts are:-When Alexander the Great was adding victory upon victory, and sweeping through Babylon, Cabul, Chaeronia and Gaza, and learning the rudiments of government at the feet of Aristotle the philosopher; when the western world was only beginning to find its feet and commencing to mould a civilisation for the first time, Ethiopia was in its glory, and had reached such perfection in its civilisation that its culture flourished and dominated the world four hundred and fifty years before. The question is, is Ethiopia or Africa of .to-day mentally inferior than the Ethopia of yesterday? Is it not rather just the same old story of-Empires come, and Empires go. At any rate the Egbas of Nigeria, like other races, have proved themselves on the battlefields of Europe; and with other tribes of Africa they have distinguished themselves in the leading universities of Europe and graduated in arts and sciences with honours. The question of inferiority of the Africans therefore is to be doubted.

Oba Alaiyeluwa Ademiluyi is the traditional High Priest King of the Yoruba Country, which has one of the most ancient dynasties in Africa. In the mediaval times there was much trade in Yoruba States, most of the business being done with Timbuctoo. A lot of the people of this country adopted the Islamic faith about the seventh century. The chief industries were iron works, agriculture, pepper, ivory, cloth weaving, leather making, carving and bead-work. From iron several articles were being manufactured, both for local use and for export purposes, such as agricultural implements, iron ornaments, weapons of war, utensils and such. The two great mining areas were in Nupe territory and in the Kakanda district at Ile Ife in Yorubaland. Another mining field was near Ilorin. Glass industry was chiefly carried on in Nupe.

The art of sculpture seems to have reached its zenith of development at this period. The chief industries at Ashanti and Gold Coast and Dahomey were gold, diamonds, precious stones, ivory, pepper, agriculture, bead making and carving. Corals were obtained from the sea, and of these all West African royal crowns, beaded thrones, beaded staves, and all other works of beads were usually manufactured. The rights of mining belonged to each and every individual inhabitant of West Africa, although it might seem that some portion of any precious metal mined or dug out used to be offered by the owner as a present to the King. Before the advent of Europeans or Arabs the people of West Africa worshipped God whom they called ” Olorun ” meaning ” One Supreme Being.”

The number of Christians in Yoruba is increasing. Many young people are sent to Europe and America for higher education. Like the rest of Africa, Yoruba and, indeed, the whole of West Africa except Liberia, has been made a colony of some European country. The people are no longer masters in their own land; their Kings having sought protection of European Kings. With such laws as the Crown Land Bill of 1894 (Gold Coast), the Land Ordinance of 1897 (Gold Coast), and the Forest Bill of 1911 (Gold Coast), the Foreshore Case of 1911, Lagos, and the Ikoyi Land Ordinance of 1908, Africans like the late Hon. Casely-Hayford, the late Hon. J. Sarbali, the late Hon. Safara Williams, Mr. Herbert Macauley, and others had a severe and unavailing fight in their efforts to retain some of the rights of their people.

Mr. Paul Xiniwe went to Lovedale in 1881 as an advanced student on the recommendation of Rev. Edward Solomon, of Bedford, from whence he came. He had worked previously on the railway as timekeeper and later as telegraph operator. At Lovedale he entered the students’ classes in January, 1881. In the second year he obtained the seventy-fourth certificate of competency at the Elementary Teachers’ Examination. He became teacher in the Edwards Memorial School, Port Elizabeth. His school was said to stand high in the classification of schools of the district in efficiency. After some years he tired of the teaching profession, and having saved some money, resigned in order to become a business man. He bought property at East London, Port Elizabeth and Kingwilliamstown, and opened stores as merchant and hotel proprietor. At Kingwilliamstown his property was conspicuous, being a double storey building and known as the Temperance Hotel. In a very short time the Temperance Hotel was known through the Cape Province. Paul Xiniwe took a very keen interest in the welfare of his people. An upright man, honest gentleman, and a thorough Christian and a staunch temperance apostle.

He married a Miss Ndwanya, sister of Mr. Ndwanya, a law agent who was respected by Europeans and natives at Middle-drift. Mr. Xiniwe was the father of five children. The eldest son, Mr. B. B. Xiniwe, was a law agent at Stutterheim for a number .of years; the second son is in Johannesburg; the third, a daughter, Frances Mabel Maud, is the wife of the editor of this book; the fourth, another daughter, Mercy, is the wife of Mr. Ben. Tyamzashe, a schoolmaster and an author; and the youngest son, Mr. G. Xiniwe, is a clerk in a solicitor’s office, Kingwilliamstown. Mr. Paul Xiniwe died at an early age leaving a widow and five children to look after themselves. Mrs. Xiniwe who, with her husband, had been to Europe as a member of a native choir, was a lady of .experience, tact, character and business acumen. Difficult though it was, she maintained her late husband’s property, and carried on the business and educated her children. This lady indeed commanded the respect of all who knew her, white and black. Paul Xiniwe was a man of his word. He swore he would never touch liquor. When he became very ill his doctor advised him to take a little brandy, but he made up his mind that he would not do so, although it was said brandy was the only thing that would save his life.

Mrs. E. XINIWE was born and educated at Middledrift, Cape Province. She married the late Paul Xiniwe, of Kingwilliamstown, They lived together at Port Elizabeth where the husband was teaching. After some time they went to Kingwilliamstown where they established a general dealer’s business and hotel, later branches of this business were established at East London and Port Elizabeth. Mrs. Xiniwe, like her husband, proved to be very good in business. Was also a very good musician with a fine soprano voice. She and her husband toured Europe with a native choir. They sang before Royalties. When Mr. Xiniwe died Mrs. Xiniwe took full control .of the business which continued to prosper in her charge in spite of her husband’s death. She was the mother of three sons and two daughters to whom she gave a good education, and a start in business. Her property was a big double-storey building on the Market Square in Kingwilliamstown. As her husband was an African pioneer in business, so she was the first African women to control successfully :such vast business interests in South Africa. Mrs. Xiniwe had many friends both in South Africa and England. She was the mother of Mrs. Skota, wife of the editor of this book, and Mrs. B. Tyamzashe, and Messrs. B. B., M. and G. Xiniwe. Her death was a great blow to many people in the Cape Province.

Mr. BEN TELE, who was born and educated in the Cape Province, was a successful law agent at Peddie. He was one of the leading men of his time. Was much respected by Europeans and Africans alike. He took a leading part in religious, social, educational and political affairs of his people. He was a great advocate for higher education for native children. He had been chairman of many important meetings and a member of many deputations to the Government. The chiefs of the Cape Province ‘recognised him as a loyal subject and a powerful leader.
1877 In 1879 he became teacher at Uitenhage. In 1883 he • was a clerk and interpreter in the Magistrate’s Court, Port Elizabeth. After some years Mr. Wauchope resigned the Civil Service to join the ministry. In this calling he made wonderful success. He was very popular and had great influence over his people. He paid special attention to their education and took keen interest in their welfare. He was very kind, a real gentleman and a true Christian. During the Great War, 1914-1918, he enlisted as chaplain to the Native Labour Battalion, and sailed with hundreds of Africans to France in the Mandi. The steamer was not destined to reach its destination, for it was sunk and few were saved. Rev. Isaac Williams Wauchope went down with a great many and his grave is in the deep blue sea.

PRINCE GWAYI TYAMZASHE was ! born at Blinkwater in the district of Fort Beaufort on the 22nd of January, 1844. He was the eldest son of Tyam. zashe; Tyamzashe, the son of Mejana, son of Oya, of the Rudulu clan, cornmonly known as the Mangwevu. Gwayi as a boy saw all the horrors of the early Kaffir Wars, and was with his mother, Nontsi, during the terrible Nongqause cattle-killing episode, while his father Tyamzashe was a head councillor at the King’s Court. At that time Sandile was the Paramount Chief of the Xosa Tribe.

After the great armed protest of the Xosas, under Sandile and his brother Anta, Gwayi and his parents became detached from the main fighting body and eventually fell into the hands of the missionaries at Dr. Love’s mission station-now known as Lovedale. The late Mr. Goven was then in charge of the mission and he soon induced the raw native fugitives to be converted. Govan actually went so far as to pay those natives who attended infant classes. Gwayi Tyamzashe liked these classes. He was followed by many other natives. The signs of progress moved quickly. Messrs. Smith and James Stewart came to Lovedale, and Gwayi and his friends soon found themselves on the highway to civilisation and education. At all times Lovedale was open to all classes of pupils, and Gwayi found himself rubbing shoulders with European pupils, amongst whom were William Henry Solomon (late Chief Justice of the Union of South Africa), his brother, Richard Solomon, Schreiner, Grimmer and others.

Soon Gwayi qualified as a teacher and taught for some years at Gqumahashe, a village just across the Tyumie River. Just at that time Tiyo Soga was reading for theology in Scotland. This caused Gwayi to leave teaching and return to Lovedale for theology. Before doing so, however, he went in for a University examination in which Latin, Greek and Hebrew were essential subjects. This examination was above the ordinary matriculation. It was a red-letter day at Lovedale when Gwayi Tyamzashe passed this examination; flags were hoisted and the day was proclaimed a exam holiday.

Gwayi completed his Theological Course in 1874 and was immediately called to the Diamond Fields. In 1884 Gwayi and his family, consisting of his wife and three children, James, Henry and Catherine, left Kimberley for the wild north-Zoutpansberg. His journey to that part of the country was a heart-breaking one; the story of which would fill a volume. Leaving Kimberley with two ox-wagons, several milch cows and a pair of horses, he slowly made his way north. There were no roads to speak of; the country was unexploed as yet; the drifts across the rivers were mere sluits and no bridges existed anywhere; the country was still wild, and, worst of all, the Dutchmen, who occupied the Transvaal, were hostile towards the black races. When Gwayi and his caravan arrived on the Witwatersrand-as Johannesburg was then called-he was arrested for having no ” pass.” He was handcuffed behind his back and hurried off to Pretoria in front of four fiery horses of the “Zarps” (Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek Poliese). His wife, however, hurried over to Pretoria and personally interviewed Oom Paul (President Paul Kruger) whereupon Gwayi was not only released, but also given a free pass to his destination.

At Zoutpansberg Gwayi Tyamzashe opened a number of mission stations which exist to this day. He lived at Zoutpansberg for six years, and on being called back to Kimberley, he returned to the Diamond Fields. It was, however, a different Gwayi that arrived at Kimberley. He was physically a mere shadow of the former Gwayi, owing to a relentless attack of asthma which he contracted in the damp and marshy country of the Zoutpansberg. He lingered for six years in Kimberley and died on the 25th October, 1896. Prior to his death he had a serious case against the European Church Union which culminated in victory for him in the Supreme Court at Capetown.

Rev. J. TWAALA was born in Natal where he received his early education. He became a teacher and after some time he studied for the ministry of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. He was a very brilliant speaker, a powerful preacher and a hard worker. He was very progressive and took great interest in the welfare of his people. For a number of years he was in charge of the Wesleyan Church in Johannesburg. During his time the congregation grew very large. He was respected by both the Europeans and natives of the circuits to which he was appointed minister. He died during the influenza epidemic at Witbank on the same day that his wife died.

In European history, Tshaka, King of the Zulus, is described as a cruel king. His name is sometimes written ” Chaka.” He is the king who founded the Zulu nation. Before the organisation of the Africans in Natal, Zulus were not known as a race, but were common people.  Tshaka’s qualifications were that he was a warrior of great ability; a very good fighter and as such won the favour of Chief Dingiswayo, of Mtetwa, who had more influence than any other chief. Although Tshaka did not belong to the tribe of Dingiswayo, he lived with his mother’s people, the Mhlongos, who were under Chief Dingiswayo. When Tshaka’s father, Senzangakona, died, Tshaka, who was not the rightful heir, was helped by Dingiswayo to defeat his brother. Tshaka’s impies were victorious and he became the successor to his father. Tshaka taught his warriors the stategies of war; organised strong regiments and when Chief Dingiswayo died Tshaka brought his impies to fight Dingiswayo’s tribe which he conquered. As a result of his victory he became very ambitious, looked about him and resolved to form a great empire. He did not hesitate to subdue the tribes that were around him. His warriors fought right and left, until the word ” Tshaka ” made everybody tremble. He was the first king to rule from Pongolo to the Cape. The tribes that did not want to come under Tshaka’s rule fled. The Fingoes went south where they met the Xosas, and for eighteen years Tshaka was King and Emperor of Natal and Zululand. It was one of Tshaka’s laws to his regiments that no young men and women of a hostile tribe should be killed at war. His instructions were that they should be captured alive, brought to Zululand and be made naturalised Zulus. These young naturalised Zulus were used as soldiers to fight any tribe Tshaka wished to defeat, and finally he succeeded in building a great nation. He had absolute discipline in the land. He was King, judge and administrator, also a philosopher, a poet and a musician.

When the European settlers arrived in Natal in 1823 they found Tshaka reigning. He did not illtreat them, but extended to them every hospitality. He requested .the foreigners to teach his people their language so that they could be understood. The Europeans had come to trade, fight and conquer, and it must have occurred to Tshaka that they were strong and clever since they had conquered the waves of the ocean and landed in Africa. A number of men were selected to be sent to Europe to be taught, but for reasons unknown to Tshaka, these men were never sent to Europe but were kept at the Cape where they did not learn much.

Tshaka’s reign came to an end in 1828, when he was murdered by his brothers who instructed his chief induna, Mbopa, to stab him. They had not forgotten that Tshaka was not the rightful King. Though fatally stabbed, Tshaka had the opportunity, before he died, to inform his brothers and murderer that they would never rule over the Zulus, but that the white men would rule them. Tshaka’s brothers were not as friendly to the invaders as he was, and, it seems, were also ignorant of Tshaka’s dealings with them, for it was clear that they would have killed the white nien had they known of the friendship that existed between Tshaka and these white settlers. Tshaka was a thinker–on one occasion he killed a beast and painted the floor of a hut with its blood. This he did without being seen by anybody, and then summoned all the witch doctors in the land to a great feast at his kraal. When the doctors were assembled he took them one by one to the hut with the blood on its floor, and asked them the cause of the blood. It is said many so-called doctors failed in this test.

Tshaka was a very busy man, being his own Field-Marshal, Minister of War, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister, Administrator, Political Agent, and King. He was also engaged in research work. This is indeed a big task for any man, even under the most favourable circumstances. That Tshaka, like William the Conqueror, was a great man nobody can doubt, and to state that he was a cruel King is to pay a man who broke virgin ground and founded a nation the poorest compliment. Had there been no Tshaka there might never have been a proud Zulu nation. In Tshaka’s day there was no need to have an army of detectives and a force of police. Every man and woman had perfect respect for law and order. Tshaka was well built, tall and indeed a fine specimen of a man. Strict as he was, hundreds of civilised Zulus to this day swear by Tshaka. Whatever may be said, the Zulus are indeed a fine people, well developed physically, good natured, full of humour, and as brave as. lions.