SOME INCIDENTS OF THE SIEGE OF MAFEKING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2412, 24 May 1900, Page 11

SOME INCIDENTS OF THE SIEGE OF MAFEKING.

„ i j THE DEFENDERS OF MAEEKING. _ | The town of Mafeking lies open in a fia<and is only guarded by entrenchments, and some redoubts. Among iis defenders, were Colonel -Hore's force of irregular cavalry, > about 500 strong, 200 Capo Mounted Police, the British South African Mounted Police, and 60 volunteers, with two seven-pounders and six machine guns. Some hundreds of , townsmen and a coloured force were also raised in due time. In preparation for attack, a number of houses were turned into hospitals, J and the sisters of the cpnvent, on receiving a telegram from the "Roman Ojibholic Bishop i permitting them to leave, all chose to stay and nurse the wounded. A number of ladies also volunteered to remain for nursing, with the offer of providing delicacies for the sick, The women /and children remaining in the town Were placed for shelter in a laager two miles to the west The streets were barred with waggons, and every able-bodied man in the place carried a rifle. The defenders, before the beginning of hostilities, were reinforced by the arrival of seme heavy guns, a large detachment of police, and half a bit- ' levy of the Himberley Artillery. " | , THE SIEGE COMMENCES. On Wednesday, October 13, the Eoer fences . under General Oronje" crossed the frontier. and'On the following day the communication ' to the south was cut G*f by the seizing of the railway. On the same day the Boers caused 1 themselves a heavy loss by the destruction of two truckloads of dynamite which had been stored in the station yard, anil were, under the commandant's order, pushed out by an engine to a distant siding. It wps a most dangerous task for Perry, ihe brave enginedriver. .At a mile or two out he came across some of the enemy, who opened fire, when he wisely uncoupled his engine, and ran back full speed for the town. The enemy- had closed in on the trucks, thinking to make prize of an armoured train, when one of their bullet?, penetrating a case of dynamite, exploded the whole freight and wrought havee in their ranks. Perry "was about a mile and " a-half distant at the time, and his engine was almost lifted from the rails, 'while he was forcibly flung against the side of the "cab." SHARP FIGHTING. Some sharp fighting occurred on October 14 , which lasted from 5.30 a.m. -till nearly midday, the Boers being eventually forced to retire. On October 16 General Snyman sent a flag of truce, with a message hoping that a surren- - der would then be made, in order to save further bloodshed, and stating that the defenders could then leave off .firing if they wished. ~Baden-Powell'° ieply was to the-ef-fect that so far as leaving off was concerned they had not 'then begun. ' i Correspondence between Baden-Powell and General Oronje formed at times a feature of the siege which made the British public smile. In reply to a letter from the Boer general confessing his inability to carry the town by storm, and declaring- his 'intention of . bombardment from a siege gun which was soon to arrive, the British leader informed him that the town was surrounded by mines, some arranged to explode of themselves and others connected with headquarter?. The gaol, he said, was chiefly occupied by the general's own countrymen, and over this a yellow flag was placed, to enable him to avoid firing on it. He further pointed out that, if the Boer general insisted on shelling a town containing inoffensive women and children, his action would afford a precedent for the Britiph forces when they invaded the Transvaal. I The Boer commander did shell fche town, and heavily, with siege guns. On October 24 they opened fire,- and at 2 o'clock a 100- 1 pounder sent a shell shrieking into the market ! square. About five shells par hour were -sent j in from this weapon, and the intervals were j filled up by fire of 12-pounder Maxims, Nor- j denfeldts, Hotehkiss, Krupps, and other guns. The enemy were entrenched at " about 2000 yards' distance, beyond effective rifle range, and the garrison and inhabitants, unable to reply to ihe heavy large guns, had to dodge the enemy's shells as best they could, aided by certain signals given by horns blown from ' look-out places. On October 24- and the fol- ' lowing day about 300 shells were dropped in ! the town without doing serious damage. On this last day, under cover of the fire, the enemy attacked the town from all sides, their riflemen coming in very close, and were received -with rifle . fire, Maxims, and the explosion of mines, retiring at last with heavy loss. j Oil-October 27 a fine attack on the enemy's trenches was made by a squadron of the Protectorate Regiment, under Captain Fitzclarence, supported by the Cape Police under { Lieutenant Murray. The sortie was made at j night, and the British troops got in well with 1 bayonet work. With a loss among the as- j sailants of six men killed and nine wounded, I the enemy were strongly checked in pushing ! •forward their entrenchments, and a considerable moral effect was produced by the cold steel. During a truce for the recovery of the British dead, who were lying within the enemy's trenches, the Boer commander spoke in enthusiastic terms of the gallantry of the men who made the charge. Early on October 3] a gallant feat of arms was performed by Colonel Walford and his detachment of tho British South Africa Police. The Bosrs intended to get their guns and attacking force into position during the night, storm the British post at daybreak, and then bombard the south-east part of the town, and capture it with a large force. The men under Colonel Walford held a small and almost unprotected fort on Cannon Kopje, and not only held their position under a crors fire of artillery, but inflicted such losses on ■ the enemy as compelled them to retreat. The assistance of a 7-pounder, under Lieutenant Murchibon, so discomfited the enemy that j they did not again venture near the position, j The British lost the Hon. Douglas Marsham | and Captain Kerr Pechell. On November 3 Captain Goodyear, with a squad of Cape Boys, made a sortie, and captured from the enemy a position in the Brickfields from which their sharpshooleis had made things very unpleasant in the town. On November 7 a force under the direction of Major Godley, comprising Captain Vernon's squadron of the Protectorate Regiment and some guns under Major Panzera, advanced under cover of night to the enemy's j Inager, fired half a dozen rounds, and then i retired on their lines. The 33oerd, thinking j the British had withdrawn in confusion, came on within rifle range of the trenchos, and weio j driven off in disorder, leaving their dead and J wounded to be picked up later on under ihe j Red Cross flag. j On November 18 there was some relaxation

, in the pressure of thp siege, owing to Cronies departure with a third of his command. , Early in December Colonel Baden-Powell, in a. letter to the burghers, pointed out the I inevitable result of their remaining in arms | against Britain, and advised them to return 1 to their homes without delay. On December 26 an attack was made on the' Boer forts to the north, but the enemy 1 had been forewarned, and- made preparations to resisL it. The British were forced to retire, ' and had 21 killed and 33 wounded out of v total of SO men. pn January 4- the British guns, in a wrolonged clve 1 ., completely - silenced the Boer i artillery for the time. [ The Boers, resumed their shelling on January 9, and on the 18th fired on the women's laager, a girl being killed end two children J wounded. Since then Commandant Snyman has tried various times to overcome the garrison, and reports have corns to hand from ' time to time of various atrocious acts on the part of the enemy. < Up to March 8 the deaths from all causes totalled 280. but the garrison never became disheartened, the cheering mestagas sent by Lord Roberts and the promise of relief no doubt bracing up the gallant defenders. The railway hands, assisted by others, commenced the construction of a large gun, and ,Si)eils were manufactured which proved very effective.

' OTA 6O SCHOOL COMMISSIONERS. !„" The monthly' meeting of the Otago School Commissioner-, held' on the 15th. \vas> attended by Messrs J. P. Maitland (chairman), "W. ' Dallas. A. Baldey. and D. Borrie. The County Engineer of Southland reported on the encroachment of the Mat aura Ttiver_ at (J?.trle Flat, recommending- certain protective works. — The report was adapted, and Mr M'Doiiald instructed >\o cnll for lenders for the work without delay. The Secretary reported' that only one.tender had been received for the I'ease of allotments 1 and 2 of section 23, block V, Maerewhenua district — viz., that of Messrs Robert Campbell and Sons — at the iipsent of 4-s and 5s per acre respectively. — The tender was acoepled. 3.1r 11. M'Lennan, lessee of section 22, block XII, Waikaia, wrote asking the. eomrnis-" sioner^ to erect a groin for the purpose of presenting damage by the overflow of the "Domeburn. .An application was also received from Sir A. Alexander, lessee of section 3, block_ XIV, Wendon, with reference to damage by the overflow of the same river. — ■ It was decided to ask the engineer -to the Southland County Council to report on the best means- of' preventing the damage in both cases. , Mr M'Donald .forwarded his monthly report, in 'which he stated- that section 3~of 24-3, Hbkonui, and the coal area of section 3, - block XI, had been advertised for lease on the 26th inst. He recommended that the, tenant of section 105, Taringatura, be allowed a rebate of rent on two acres taken by the County Council as a quarry reserve. — Agreed to. I , Jio forwarded-- an application from Mr G-. Haines.fqr a. contribution towards completing a footpath on the" north road oppo'sife section 25. block XV, Invercars;ill Hundred. — It was agreed to contribute £10 towards the cost of the footpath in question. He "forwarded a list of tenants who were twelve months in arrear with their rent, to whom he had sent final notice that unless their rent was paid before June 4- next legal proceedings would be taken against them. — The action of Mr M'Donald was approved, and he was instructed to take the necessary steps to enforce payment of the rent. He asked for instructions regarding tenants ir blocks ITT, IV, and V, Wendonside. who had not yet paid up arrears of rent at the reduced rates recently fixed by the commissioners. — It was decided that all these tenants be notified that unless the rents were paid by I July 14 les?al proceedings would be taken for ' recovery at the old rate of rant, and also that the reductions would be cancelled.