MURDERS IN TRANSVAAL

Evening Star, Issue 19931, 30 July 1928, Page 9

MURDERS IN TRANSVAAL

The correspondent of the ‘Chicago Tribune’ wires the following from Capetown

A scries of extraordinary disappearances and violent deaths is causing considerable uneasiness amongst tho white population" in the vicinity of Barbcrtown, m the Transvaal. The strange occurrences began with the murder of a man mimed Jones a few months ago. Another man named Alasters .shortly afterwards met with a violent death, and now a well-known farmer named Twecdcll is reported to have vanished completely.

Air Twecdcll was Inst seen at Ids homestead on March Id, and the next, day he was npt to bo found. His bed was found not to have been slept in. and a shot gun which ho always carried was missing. Search parties were organised, and a hunt in tho bush was made, hut with no result. No letter or written document was left which could throw any light on tho mystery. A hundred yards away from tho homestead runs a crocodile river which the natives in the vicinity worship. ft is now believed that Air Twecdcll was murdered and his body thrown to the crocodiles. A year ago a native woman in the vicinity vanished, and it is believed she was flung to the crocodiles. Major Williams, another settler living two miles away, was discovered shot, in his homo some months ago* Uho white population believe that tho natives have organised a secret vendetta.

As an instance of the unrest spreading through the native territories here a native named Mackay lias recently been sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment for inciting hostility between tho white population and the natives. Mackay has been in tho [mbit nf touring the native territories, preaching a story that King George lias written to General Smuts from Buckingham Palace, informing him that he had given South Africa fo the Americans, and that the Premier, General Hertzog, had opposed a scheme for organising the country against an American invasion. Alackay urged the natives to join the Ameiican forces, who, he said, would arrive in aeroplanes.