THE TRANSVAAL WAR

Dunstan Times, Issue 2096, 24 September 1901, Page 6

THE TRANSVAAL WA R

LONDON, September 16.

De Wet refused to discuss Lord Kitchener's proclamation. He told Pastor Murray that a clergyman's place was the pulpit. Ex-President Steyn discussed the proclamation, bat remained unconvinced by Mr Murray's arguments. He insisted that the Boer refugee women were brutally treated. Broeekma, formerly public prosecutor, arrested at Johannesburg, is charged with treachery and treason. Vae documents seized in his house showed that treasonable correspondence had been proceeding for six months per the medium of Broeckma's house between Leyds, Kruger, Reitz, and the commandants in the field, under cover of letters addressed to the American Consuls at The Hague and Johannesburg. Kruger's letters showed that he was forwarding to Leyds Broeckma's news, intended to influence proBoer organs, with the object of prompting action in Parliament.

The documents seized included a typewritten proclamation signed by Louis Botha announcing that the Boer fighting generals had outlawed Lord Kitchener and all British officers, and ordering all burghers to kill every armed soldier and policeman. i Two of Reitz's despatch-riders were captured on the Transvaal-Portuguese frontier circulating cuttings from the 'Review of Reviews' and other English pro-Boer or.gans. | There is an impression in Cape Town | that only propertied Boers will be al.owed !to surrender. Loyalists urge the cessation of leniency, and stricter mea-ures and vigorous warfare.

Fifteen Boers were captured at Thabanchu on tb.9 12th, after an engagement. Commandant Theron, with a force of eighty men, boldly attacked Ferdelberg on Friday. Twenty-five men of the West Yorkshire Regiment repulsed the enemy with loss.

The revenue of the Orange River Co'ony for the year shows a .urplus of £B4 000. without "including telegraph and railway returns.

Colonels Byng and Cunningham's coluums attacked and nearly surrounded 300 Boers on Friday. The Boers suffered heavily.^ The burghers under Theron's command have secretly surrendered at River-dale, as result of Lord Kitchener's proclamation. Colonel Crabbc engaged Scheeper's commando of 200 men near Lady?mith, in Cape Colony, on Saturday, wounding eleven. Three British were wounded.

STORIES OF THE WAR

The Hon. Alfred Lyttelton, M.P., speaking at Leamington recently, said that he heartily wished he had been able to bring his brother. Lieutenant-general Lyttelton—who, with the exception of Generals Methuen and PI inner, had had as much fighting us anyone in Africa.—to speak to them. His brother had told him some good stories of the war. The last man he had the misfortune to see killed was a poor private, M-hose mother depended upon him. His only property was his kit, which he left her. After his death his comrades purchased his kit—the actual value of which was 15s—-for £75. In another case, where a, father and son were fighting, the father, an old colonel, obtained leave to visit his son, a subaltern of artillery, whom he found engaged in a very stiff fight. The sergeant serving the gun was shot, whereupon the old colonel, without further ado, took off his coat and went on serving the gun under tae direction of his own son, the subaltern. He had, of course, no right to do this, but he (Mr Lyttelton) had not heard that he had been censured by the Government for the act.

BETTER TREATED THAN OUR OWN MEN."

The following letter, dated Vereeniging. June 24, has been received by an officer from his brother, who (says the ' Morning Post') is serving in South Africa with the volunteer company of his regiment: Thks morning I was riding round and inspecting the Boer refugee camp at this station, and was much impressed by the comfortable mid happy looks of the whole of its inhabitants. The women not employed with cooking were promenading and gossiping with their neighbors, the children were laughing and playing, and the whole camp a.ppeared to be as contented as possible. The boys copy the soldiers in everything, and every evening you see them playing too,ball, etc., and fraternising with the British privates. Comiortable and large marquees have been erected as hospitals ; a spleudid water-cart brings thtm the best water obtainable, in the neighborhood ; an iron building was being put up for school purposes; and frequently sports and games are promoted for the benefit of the younger inhabitants. I rode back to our own camp, having come to the conclu>ion that the relatives of those fighting against us are being better treated than our owi- men, who, however, do not begrudge *hem this preferential treatment. Immediately on arriving in my tent I picked up a, newspaper, and, much to my surprise, the first paragraph that caught my eye was as follows —" London, Juno 18. Mr LloydGeor.i;e to-day moved the adjournment of the House to call attention to the treatment of women and children in the refugee eamj>s." V all the camps are like the one at this station I defy Mr Lloyd-George or any other man to make them in the circumstances more comfortable or to treat their inhabitants with greater consideration. Btxr women and children are being better treated than over they were treated in their lives, and I have not the least doubt quite as well fed. A few days ago some Mounted Infantry a few miles from this had a skirmish with a party of the enemy. A Mounted Infantry captain had his horse shot under him a,nd Was taken prisoner. One of the enemy caine forward statins that he would shoot him, but a young Boer came up and refused to allow any harm to be done, at the same time informing the captain that, his mother was living in the refugee camp, and that she and those of her family with her were being so well treated that he would not allow any British soldier to be ill-u»ed if he could help it, and I have not the least, doubt many of the boys who are now living under our protection will remember how well their mothers, sisters, and themselves were treated, and in years to come, if ever the Empire is in dancer, they will. be among the first to come, forward and tight in its defence. The French Army has 29,000 officers, the Italian 14,000. and the Spanish 23,000. There are only 8,500 people altogether in the Klondvke. Less than 2,000 of them are English. The guinea-pig holds the record for quick growth among animals. It is full-grown at six weeks. Mr Carnegie is giving £3,000 for a freo library for Annan, Dumfriesshire, provided others help too. The British sovereign is eleven-twelfths; fine gold ; the shilling contains 37 in 40 parts of pure silver. One pound of sheep's wool is sufficient to produce a yard of best-quality cloth.