BOER TREACHERY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7061, 22 July 1901, Page 3

BOER TREACHERY.

HOW MAJOR HOWARD MET HIS DEATH.

Captain C. Ross, who is now in command of Canadian Scouts, forwards the following account to the Cape Times of how the late Major Howard, commanding the Canadian Scouts, and his orderly sergeant, R. J. Northway, were killed, whilst with BrigadierGeneral E. A. H. Anderson's column operating in the Eastern Transvaal with Lieutenant General French :—

On the morning of the 17th February, Major Howard went out to inspect some waggons at the foot of a kopje and in a deep valley near Evergreen Farm, about eight miles from Rusplaats, Eastern Transvaal. He was accompanied by Captain L. H. Beatty,' A.D.C. to General Anderson, and Sergeant R. J. North-way, as orderly. They arrived at the waggons, and in a little while a heavy fire was opened on them, which led them to take cover behind the waggons and return the fire of the Boers, who were on the kopje. Capt. Beatty then volunteered to go and find Captain Ross and some of the Canadian Scouts, who were operating some distance away on the left. This Major Howard agreed to, and Captain Beatty mounted ancl. started amidst a heavy fire. The Boers then came down to the foot of the kopje under cover, and called out to them' to surrender. The major sent his orderly, Sergeant Northway, out to the foot of the kopje, which was about eighty yards away, to surrender, when a Boer of the name of Le Roux stepped out, disarmed Northway, and then shot him in the breast. When Northway fell Le Roux placed his rifle on the top of his head and again shot him, the bullet coming out of his mouth. The Boer then called on the major to come out and surrender. The major re- - plied, "Come and take me." With that the Boer approached the waggons, and at the same time the Boers on the kopje kept calling out,-"Be quick; take their arms? and rob them, but don't shoot them." When Le Roux arrived at .'tlie waggons he called on the major to throw up his arms, and the latter immediately did so, upon which Le Roux took his field glasses, purse, revolver, bandolier, and rifle, and then tried to take off his JJwii! i'ing,-but was unable to do so. Just then the Boers commenced to fire on Captain Ross and three men who were approaching, and Le Roux, taking up his rifle, deliberately placed the muzzle almost in the major's mouth, and fired, killing him instantaneously; and then, turning on the Kaffir, who had witnessed the whole fired ' on him and broke his hip. Seeing the Kaffir did not fall he fired again, breaking his right thigh, which caused him to fall, and Le Roux immediately ran away. Le Roux was shot in the back by one of Captain Ross's party while he was running into the kopje, but he got away, and is still at large.

The Premier has received a cable from the Casualty Department, Capetown, reporting that on the loth July, No. 4188 Private Norman Law was severely wounded at Wolsehoke. This trooper's father is William Law, a resident of Ormond.