| Show I ITilE 5 TilE THE GALLANT IRISH IRIS f i iI I Latter From n a Member Now Serving In The Transvaal I Sights That Ireland Would Like to Sea SeeA A Real Green Erins Flag Carried Into the COuntry I m mc I I 2 c General Thanks to rho IrIsh P IP Brigadiers L j I nt Dy a somewhat circuitous U route routt via 11 Delagoa play Aden and Queenstown a 11 letter Itter has hoa The In which GillinGham the superintendent to the republican re publican army In the I tolls something ot of time the exploits ot of the Irish brigade In n the COUIN of oC the present war In South Africa The latter lotter le Is dated December 7 1599 air writes I have an occasion to run up shortly to Delagoa Da Bay and I think you ou would like to hear how the boys bos ar are getting on I am glad clad ot of on an opportunity ot of sending you OU thIs letter As you ou know the enemy has hilI closed all means menns ot of corn WH And the English said laId the Boera did n not t knoW which end ot of the gun un WON was the muzzle I 1 WI was nut present at the battle ot of which is II Mid eald to have been a 0 brilliant affair on the Ihl PArt ot of our boys boyi And Joubert said laid at the parade I thank you 01 for your our courage and dash duh and deeply deplore your fell fellers I ers 11 comrades Irish your our nc acv lion and service this day will never be forgotten by Doe Doerr Though you ou came among us a as strangers your bravery has made you IL a part of at ourselves inure Inore than the oath of to our rev reo public The British were quite Incensed j against us UI called u upon On their men to e exterminate the vermin A Ito Ite formed clergyman found on the body of Oln Gam Penn Inn Symons i mons a letter calling u upon On th the troops to wipe the brutes oft arc the HEROES EVEN UNTO DEATH V w a at r f t 1 des 4 I a it J I fi r ri i Q t In it I Ia i I 1 I i t t gf 1 a f f I q J II If t 1 r 4 yr yrAn j 1 I It t l t t tI I jM i JJ 1 t tAn An incident of the batttle ot of Colenso The English artillerymen had been D lr ordered to abandon theIr guns yet et for tor an hour they remained at their posts post tt r 4 amId a 11 part perfect Ct hall ot of bullets and fire One gun In particular was A j 1 jb b by its III men with Ith remarkable The Gunners tell fell rIght and left until f a two alone remained They fired their last reserve ammunition end alter after the thelast s last shot stood brae bravely at attention until the they fell dead on the veldt vv NV VIN I The Irish brigade left leU Pre torla and Johannesburg on October 7 last Just a couple ot of days before the tho Issue ot of the ultimatum We wanted to tobe tobe be In readiness It if the English did not stop swampIng the frontier with their troops The toys wanted to el elect t me colonel but I advised them to choose n a man and they elected on an Irish Colonel Black October 11 but Lut was wal not Ilot able aLle to stay Itay long as m my commissariat duties demanded my mv attention and the president said he would not tolerate neglect ot of dut duty In any one Yet I managed to get a 11 whole month tree free and cross Into English territory ter with the toys bos It was teas a sight that Ireland would like to see lee Elgh Eighteen teen hundred brave brac and resolute men armed with the best weapons their bandoliers bursting with Mauser cart cartridges rid ridges and though no millinery or form torm business ss to be detected about their attire all dressed In serviceable and sporting a bunch ot of green The general Joubert rem remarked It If It were werl not that you OU bro 0 against sold soldiers Ins that cannot collnot hIt a haystack I 1 would forbid the excellent mark for bullets John McBride no now Major Jajor McBride carried a real green ErIn flag Into the country and we were very ory proud roud of It t wire re not In It General Joubert ordered the bri brigade gade to occupy but we vo could not stop there ae ac the retreating English kept us busy bUlY following and soon oon 1111 was as way 8 behind When the bo boys mounted tile tie lilt 1111 some lome on one shouted One more cheer for tor Fontenot l Aryl Ild sure enough he had a small mall fora long longIn I In the Ibe first battle JaW we vie took prisoners and ever fer since Ince the they came oame In Uk like all fl friends In ot of hundreds every other day It I was 18 a lot let of oC DUblin fua I lip v w t re captured Well s e IUd did e ethem It them Im a pretty severe talking We showed t her n our manlo asking them what they thought ot of that tha I some were ashamed d a little were weN as dark 11 as death lIth and darker still over It IL T They I It till look black when Ih they sew 1 the Irish II slaw waving over oer thousands thou ot of stile urn mn that as al they ther were led Into prison Some oaken were wre very tr nice and see ODe particularly could coul not hold hla 1111 tears back at being Ing caught like that Well we tried to make It a as OtIS easy for tor the poor fellow as we t GuM could Pl Plenty nl ot of were ere glad to be safe lIate on our side tIe while ten even the mOAt desperate could not help surrendering themselves the fire fira wo was waston ton to deadly The Th fun tun ot of the timing Is that many man ot of our boys bOTI had at ex expense penH nt at the th Urn time ot of the Jameson raid when hen for the sake eake ot of their they tad to the Ibe part ot of oppressed The Jin Jingoes goes oes were l particularly blUer bitter against our lur 00 lays but we hop soon to mUIr 1010 Irish In line There were balk back stories told ot of lancers that killed the wounded at nut But revenge soon came The Boom surrounded a apart party part ot of the same Mm lancers and shot crying In tour four battles the Irish brigade Ma has proved Its And what do gou ou think ot of the Trans 1 artillery Is Ia It not face of at the earth We heard that seVe sev oral eral prisoners who rho had been attending the ambulance were bayoneted by the r t British h It If that I Is true woe to the first fint 11 British we meet The Tho Doers are quite pleased with Ith and proud of our little flag f There goes the IrIsh harp the they cry Ole Ulve the English plenty or of music t Before Detore Christmas I hope to be back at I t time the front and I beg you OU for tor heavens t m sake koe keep the Transvaal al question be before I fore toru the tho world Stir tiP up America to ac ac action tion against the cruel persecution In name Let them not forget theIr own war ot of Independence Can the they have hae forgotten |
