RELEASE OF MARITZ.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16497, 1 August 1924, Page 5

RELEASE OF MARITZ.

PREMIER’S EX PLAN ATI ON

(Reuter’s Telegram.)

CAPETOWN, July 30. Questioned i-rrthe Legislative Assembly regarding the. release of Maritz, tlie Premier said it was clear to him that so -long as Maritz remained ‘si’ prisoner, a feeling of bitterness would prevail, rightly or wrongly, among tens of thousands. All realised “that Maritz did wrongs-but they must- agree that the sooner'hiv was ” released the- sooner it would put a;i end to the feeling of'bitterness. ..The European war was over, and now, a. l } never before in the history of South .Africa, -should they ho made to fe»l that- the Dutch and English must stand together, and there should be an end to the friction of the past. He added that Maritz was not granted a free pardon, but,merely a remission of his sentcnCei)

Miu’itz served against, the British' in tlie. South African War and after the peace' refused to take the oath of loyalty. He was then naturalised in German SouthWcist Africa, hut on the formation of the South African Union he returned to the British territory. On the outbreak of the European.war be was appointed to the command of a column for the conquest of German South-West Africa, with his baso at Upiugton, on .the Orange River. There he seduced his force, and on October 12. 1914, proclaimed a South. African Republic, with himself ns-Prcsident-Com-mander-in-Qhief. aHe was attacked by General Brits - and completely broken by October 30, : but escaped to Angola, where he was captured by the Portuguese some months. later.- After the armistice lie went to-Germany, but returned to South Africa-last year. He was'arrested on December-26 last at-Komati Poort, on the frontier of Portuguese- East Africa, on crossing into the territory of the South African'Union.' At his trial byia special Court on April 22 Maritz pleaded guilty to treason and other charges in connection with the rebellion in South Africa during the European war. He, however, denied vthe allegations concerning the handing over of equipment and horses to Germans in East Africa and inciting members of the- defence force to rebellion. He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment without hai'd labor. The president said that the Court believed the accused bad gone into rebellion actuated by a desire to secure independence for South Africa, but having that desire he should not have accepted a position in the defence force. Judge- Gardiner described* as the most serious feature of the case, the accused’s persuading young men of the defence force under his command to rebel, and banding over loyalists to the Germans.