The Boers and the Natives.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 230, 7 October 1901, Page 1

The Boers and the Natives.

A well-in formed correspondent writes to the London Times from the Sutherland district, Cape Colony : —On .1 tdy 5, 1901, a party of Boers, among them nine local rebels, went to a farm, Zand Kraal, about 00 miles north-east of Sutherland town, where Mr Perlman keeps a trading store, and looted the place entirely. From authentic reports received by the Commandant, Captain H. Scott Harden, C.D.F., it has been ascertained that these rebels, after taking everything they could from the store and smashing all they could not remove, sjamboked (a sjambok is a whip made of hide) Mr and Mrs Perlman most brutally and flogged the natives. One unfortunate native girl who was about to bo confined was thrashed so uti ■ mercifully that she gave bh-th to a child under the lash. The behaviour of these rebels was most cruel and barbarous. Marais, a Boer of the lato Orange Free State, was the leader of this party, After finishing their infamous work on this farm they went to a farm, Baviaan’s Drift, a short distance from Zand Kraal, where they were entertained by the owner, and sjamboked another girl most shamefully. The reason these barbarians gave for thrashing the native men and women is that they impart information against them to the British. This appears to be the course adopted by the commandos now raiding this colony, The above cruelty was carried out by men who have all their lives been in touch with civilisa-

tion and have received some education, one of the worst of them being enlightened enough to have held the position of a field cornet in this district under tho British Government, and who joined the rebels about January last. On a British patrol going out on the 16th to bring in Mr and Sirs Perlman a party of Boers, said to be about 50 in number, held up a white flag to entice our men from the kopjes, where they had taken cover, after four of their number had been wounded, but fortunately their treachery was discovered and our men drove them off.