THE AFRICAN HORROR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4635, 14 April 1902, Page 5

THE AFRICAN HORROR.

HOW THE BOER PRISONERS DIED. CHILDREN SHOT DEAD. A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT. ’’ Special to the “Tikes.” DUNEDIN, April 12. The Clutha "Leader” to-night publishes a continuation of the narrative of "An Eye-witness” of the events that led to the trial, condemnation and execution of Lieutenants Morant and Handcook, of the Veldt Carbineers. The following is an extract from a letter as written at Port Edwards, Spelonken, in October last: “We heard Boer waggons to the south and east of .us, and presumed, as usual, that they were trekking in to surrender. We had been some four or five days out of camp, when the corporal told eight of ns that we were to go out and bring in three waggons with four men with them, and some women and children. We said; “ ‘Leave them alone, they are trekking up this way out of fever country, and will come in.’ , > , " ‘No,’ he says, we are to go out. .None are to he brought in.’ ‘“What do you mean? " ‘Oh,’ said he, ‘we’ve got to blot a lot ‘‘‘What! Shoot kids?’ “ 'Yes, of course.' '“Whose orders are those?’ " ‘Never mind, that’s orders. “We all pooh-poohed the idea, but he told us seriously that such, was the case. Then I opened out. and asked hxni wh&t sort of men did he take us for. Others chipped in, but he still adhered to his statement, except that he softened it by savin" if we brought them in we should have to feed them. I was for no such duty. He said he could get plenty more. Next day the patrol went out, and the sequel was that two children were shot dead—one three and another nine years, and a girl of nine was shot through the neck, and the lobe of her ear taken off. Some cows were also shot. I bis was done about eight o’clock at night, and, although the men and women called out that they surrendered, the firing still went on, and when finally it ceased the above were the casualties. With the exception of three men, all the others told me before they went out they would not fire on the women and children. They were about 200 yards or 250 yards off the waggons when they opened fire. Next day I was ordered out, with a Transvaaler callod Cootzee, to go to Koodoo river and take over the waggons from Corporal Ashton, and take them to the fort. I left camp and met the wageons There were a lot of armed Kaftirs with the party, who had taken part in fho firing, and who had looted the blankets, utensils, etc., when the firing ceased. The Boers never fired a shot. When the lieutenant saw the extent of the damnsTG he said (this was told me): ,<r My God! X didn t think this would ha the did you think would happen if vou fired at vVomen and children?’ said Hampton, an outspoken Londoner. “Ton won’t get me on an outfit like this again.’ __ "Hatfield, a bluff young sailor of Nova Scotia descent, bound up the wounds and helped to stop the bleeding, and told me he had seen some sights in his time, but he felt more sick over this business than anything he had ever been_ mixed up in. The Boers were made to inspan in the darkness and trek away, in case the firing might have been noticed hv some other

boy only lived two hours, and the grief of the parents was loud and pronounced. The three waggons now contained ipur men, four women, and twenty-two den (all of tender years), and two dead bodies. Father Piet Grobler asked leave to bury them, and a coffin was made out of some boards lying about the store. The Kaffirs were put on to dig the grave, and the men themselves made the coffin. I felt we wore round what was one of the saddest sights of the war—sad because quite unnecessary.

“On the last day of our trek I was some two hours ahead waiting for them at noon, when I heard some news which turned me sics. The eight Boers X previously mentioned had all been shot by three officers, a non-com. and two privates, under circumstances which led me to the conclusion that it was not a fair deal, and that some foul play was at the bottom of it. They were surrendered men, and had no arms, and then I thought of my little lot coming along, and the danger they were in. I cannot describe my feelings. My informant was a neutral man, and of course would not speak, but later on I had afternoon tea with his wife, and got, though sne was cautious, something of the story. 1 decided to trek still further that night, but did not let my refugees know the real reason. We halted, outspanned, and lit our evening fires, but slept not that night. I remembered how the six Boers who had surrendered and were said to have attacked our men had all been shot. 1 remembered Van Buren, one of our own men, being shot while outflanking. He was supposed to know too much. Now here were eight blotted out, and the same old yarn—that they had gripped at a rifle and fired at our men, and in a melee all were shot, no casualties on our side, and here was 1 coming in with another lot. and ‘just within firing line/ as we called it. At daylight a captain, the officer commanding the district, and a native commissioner, Balala (murderer, the natives called him) drove at full gallop in a buggy and pair and asked mo how my men w;ere. I explained I had a wounded girl in the waggon. ‘“How did that happen?’

“I told him our men onened fire on the women and children, and two little boys had been killed.

“ 'lndeed/ he queried; ‘you had better keep that quiet/ "He looked at the girl’s wound and gave me an order to see the hospital doctor. Heard, too, that a missionary who had been up at the hospital with a patient had been shot dead on his return at Bandolier Kopjes. He had been present just before or immediately after the eight men had been shot; that one of our lieutenants had left the fort , after the missonary secretly;was seen by the grazing guard to go in the direction the missionary had taken; that the lieutenant returned to the fort, late, etc., etc. Much more I weeded out of him.

"We inspanned, and were moving off, when I sighted that same lieutenant and two men galloping up> after me. My mind was made up that though it should be a crisis in my life I should shoot that lieutenant if he opened fire on my charge. He galloped up with two men. When I saw the men I knew they were out for no good purpose, for both of them would always do as they were told, though thev had no fancy for it. However, the hospital was too close, and 1 was told to go on to the fort. I said: “Very good, but I have my orders from Captain “He looked as if he doubted my having seen Captain . 'Go on,’ ho said, ‘and 111 catch up on you/ “The Boers, who saluted him, not knowing his nature, seemed hurt that he did not recognise, or in any way notice them. By-and-by up ho came, and then conversation took place between him and me, , Suturing with tliQ fehooting of women and children, and its imfortanateness. ‘“Oh/ he said. “They had no business there/ and went on to argue in an ignorant, brutal way, that they should all be shot-. “I kept hack my feelings: that he had been mixed up in what were pure and simple murders, and argued on broad grounds that conduct, such as we were pursuing would give the corps a bad name—would, m fact, make it a hissing and a reproach on the army. He went on to say that they were, justified in shooting everything m sight, hut it was a long yarn, and I got emphatic, and argued that once a man put his hands up he could not be shot, unless after a proper trial. All this time I held my nflo across my saddle bow, and if he had dared to put his hand to his revolver 1 would,have dropped him like a buck the man I found to be ignorant, and a oowardy bully. I forgot for a moment I was speaking- to my superior officer and eto ‘ he wanted ?said & ° See uonkey waggon, “ 'Oh, it’s all right/ “ rK a n n ° r all . ri ßht/ he said. U ell. I said, ,‘it’s come about 100 miles and no one has looked after it 8 to run away now.’ However, I called out on Cootzee to wait tor the donkey waggon. Thinks I my fine fellow, if you think to get me away from these waggons, you havb struck the wrong party. That was how the others wore always 'done in ’ A party came out from the fort. ‘Oh! you can go home, we’ll take the waggons in.’ The result was that every one of the surrenderors were butchered. ‘Not me, I in. going to take those refugees in or there will be a scene/ And take them in I did, and then I learned fuller particulars from some of mv chums as to the goings on. The arrival of the refugees and my safe arrival were the cause of much joy amongst a section of us who did not hold with the carryings on. As our mates were coming in with another lot, we speculated on their success, and how we could get word out to them as to what had taken place. But to no purpose. We were watched like hawks by officers and their minions, but we swore that if anything came over ‘Charlie’ and ‘Jake’ wo-would 'hands up’ officers, and put them in irons, or, if necessary, take the law into our own hands, and shoot them. The trouble was to get a sufficient force of our view to take such a step. One had to move warily in the matter. / “The night I got my lot in it started to rain and blow, and the men were to be taken and put in a cage barb wire enclosure about 20 feet by 10 feet, with an iron roof. I offered to guard and be responsible for them in the waggons. All of no use. The sick man was. however, left in the waggon. The others were put in the cage and a guard with fixed bayonets put round them. It blew and rained all night. Some of us got some sacks and cavalry cloaks for them, and they sat and shivered in the rain all night, and these were the men who hod come in and voluntarily surrendered, and whom we had escorted for five days through the veldt without a guard. It turned some of us sick to see the treatment meted out to them. The next morning they were to trek for Pietermaritzburg, but I was not allowed to gn with them. I told them that they could take the sacks—three of them were my own —as it was still raining. Soon after an officer came to mo in a tearing passion, and wanted to know what right I had to give Government property- to prisoners. X told him that some of_ the sacks were mine, but that if I had given away any Government property inadvertently I would get them hack, so I went and got two Government sacks hack. The corporal fell out with me for taking them back, and said, *Ji he (the lieutenant) wants to get you and me into a row, let him. I’ll put him up as high a« a kite.’ And so we took comfort in the fact that together we would help to hang him before we were much older unless wo shot him. At the time of writing our mission is nearly fulfilled, for he is in ‘clink’ with seven others, charged with murder." The "Eye-witness’’ in question turns out to he James Christie, of Clutha. who got his discharge from the Bush Veldt Carbineers with first-class references, and has since joined the district military intelligence at Ids a dav and found. The Clutha "Leader” further states:—“We notice a paragraph in an exchange that the Bush Veldt Carbineers are now known as the Pietersbnrg Light Horse. From letters of which we lihvo had a nerusnl, we think this is hardly correct. Tl .warn ....illaj.

held as witnesses in connection with the charges against the officers were temporarily attached to tljo Pietersburg Light Horse headquarters, pending the court-martial, and a few others joined voluntarily. We do not think there is any other connection between the Carbineers and the Light Horse.”