It is rarely that one has the opportunity of reading
so crisp and crushing a repudiation of published statements as was contained in the letter to The Times in which Mr. E. F. Hunt, writing on behalf of the present Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, exploded the Morning Post's revival of the old myth about the death of the late Jam Sahib " Ranji "—being due to chagrin at being interrupted by the Viceroy at a meeting of the Chamber of Princes. The Post's article was headed " Ranji's Farewell to Life," " Tragedy of a Staunch Friend of England," " Broken Heart After Public Rebuke," " Ganges Water : A Bare Room : The Will to Die." Point by point, in the simplest and most matter-of-fact language, the story of " Our Special Correspondent " at New Delhi is disposed of in the Times letter. Actually the broken-hearted ruler had a most cordial conversation with the Viceroy after the meet- ing of the Chamber ; so far from its being the fact that " on his way home to Nawanagar he made a point of visiting the places he loved best and meeting those of his closest friends whom he had not met in Delhi," he went straight home without visiting any place en route. He never " made bare " a room in preparation for his death. The plain fact is that he caught a chill driving through Jamnagar, and it ended fatally. The Morning Post is, no doubt, relieved to know that the conclusion in its leading article, that " the Maharaja felt that after such a public rejection of his grave and friendly counsel there remained for him nothing but to turn his face to the wall and die " is completely groundless.
Previous page
