| Show I THE PRESENT SITUATION IN SOUTH AFRICA Y tho lime time this letter roaches Ct he 8 the United 11 States Sla dad nd ap aI pion P In just two yearn B will elapsed shoe tho beginning of hostilities In South Africa Attica It i ul al almost most twenty to somo omo of us hero In Capo Cape Town deprived n nl na we 0 have lUll been of tho opportunity for tor rt re reb e gaining b our properties s In the Interior from which we were driven first by Jy this thu and then by b the Hoers Doers and per por permanently kept from thorn them since by lIy the exigencies exl 6 en rc I s of this his t protracted war var It may be bo recAlled that on tho thu of Oc October October October tober 1899 the tho British h re received reo received that ruinous ultimatum from fromI Oom Oem Paul laul demanding tho the recoil I of ot troops stationed near tho the I hoer Boer frontiers and also of all that were werl then on their way wa to South Africa The Tile Hoers Doers gave the tho Scant time limo I tor for consideration c con It must bo be confessed confos eI j tor for the ultimatum expired on the th I of at O 5 Ii p m rn Transvaal time and the very ery next day Nutal eves Aas In hi by tho the Hoars noting acting In iii co cooperation ton tion with the Orange Orano free Treo Stater These facts are arc matters of history but butI I there then are aro curtain certain other facts with lIh which the general public Is 18 not no so f tA M u nt liar and It Il Is Ii of ot these that I 1 shall write a n tats few linos It behooves me of course cours being In Inn Inz n British h colony to be discreet In my re remarks narks marks and make out cm as 0 favorable a n ad d shOWing as es 1 r can for tOl the government under which I am now living but Oil all 1 vr 1 r beleaguered garrisons g took soma somo thou panda lund of Doers Boers who were foolish enough to mal make mallo o a stand against him hi him III In III Inthe inthe the open opell mil an then Ihen he capered home to 10 London Landon to tu receive the plaudits of a II grateful They made Hobs i inn an nn earl carl gave him a grant of at halt half a million dollars donars and showered sh all sorts 1 of honors upon what 1 That Thill Is I what we out lIt litre hero are oro asking ench each oth nth other 1 er el Those Thoe blooming fools of ot cockneys up lip In n London Landon Who ho are moving to 10 Indict Ir Dr Krause J former folmer special comman commandant dant nt at Johannesburg burg for tor treason have no better bettor Knowledge of what was done dona here hern then than the tho troops of at Tommys who come out tp tight fight the even cv n half an Idea Idoa what A i Hoer Boor IJo r It Is I any The latter only know that they get gol n a shilling a u day and are to be tie fighting for tor the That Is U all they know when whon they set lIot out but after they thoy have hae I tramped 1 a 1 tow tell thousand out on do the tho have boon been lam lambasted lambasted basted by Do IJO Wet Wot and cut to by or Botha l they get kH another half halt Idea that perhaps things are tiro somewhat mixed To toll the tho naked truth Tom Tommy Tommy Tommy my Atkins U Is I both bOlh disgusted dl and pus puzzled sled Ho lie got more than a 11 small of o drains to begin with or he ba be soli lIuch a n fool tool as n to enlist In Inan n nan an i army WhOre vh re ho Id le bedeviled d and all nil the time While the tho front of at them and gave gao chase It H la Is a It standing order In iii the he army to chase ch s n R Hoor floor whenever you yuu ou see seo him tutu This time It woe was a R fatal however for tor tho the troopers tan fan right between two converging linos of at who merely closed In on en them hear anti and al tl captured the tho w hole lot Then rhen there tiler was J ers little dash on s a scouts at Orange Olno rIVer neus nets I of ot has ha jut Just arrived by lIy which we lost foal t two of It our best lIest corn core Colonel Murray and Captain Mar Mur Murray Martoy toy ray and more men than we w care to ad admit adult mit As an offset t to these theau reverses two commandos of at some fifty men each have ha va been captured together with Wagon loads load of ot ammunition and sever several several al thousand head of ot cattle The ha most startling nave by hy the tho way nay ways ts le s the tho th most mo t recent and ante that Is that the Hoers Boers are aN overrunning Cape Cope Colony and have hn 0 penetrated to n II point within forty miles of at Capo Cape CO o Town No doubt It the time dispatch is allowed to be pub published lI hOtl the alarmist papers Ila ers of I and the United States Slat ore are making tanking the most moat of It II and representing tU re our city as liS asIn liSIn asIn In a stale of ot great agitation It If not of actual not terror Well the news has hns era cre created a n sort sorl of t disturbance In la our ur midst Tho rho town guard cUard has hns been or ort orI I t I c fighting in the tho are the tho ory pick and cream of at the hoer Doer They ThOy atO nl veterans whether bill bid men on young mint men or buys boys timid are atu un by olther women or superfluous e They travel light With ltd led am amt ami make light dashes upon the time British at points point so wide apart that their are bewildered bet t I They know kneis every eory nook Molt and corner of the tho vast n t tar ter territory thoy they traverse they waste no notime time In foraging from ruin the country countr but when they want food tood or ammunition pounce politico upon lomO unprotected ull rot train dad take it It It U Is a fact tact that tho the tint Brit British ish are aie really r lIy supporting I the Motto In Inthe Inthe the field as well wall all att their own oln vast Mt vastl army numbering All till tolt l about men No N wonder tho the British taxpayer r rIs Is grumbling Crumbling and that England Is III split lute Into almost hostile ho parties over tho the thoI theof Question I of ot continuing the war at lit this fearful a zI of ot life lito and d treasure ure You Know from th the reports sent nent In now new then what it has cost coat England In precious lives hoes I and It Is estimated that thal she he hUll has already punt nearly a n billion dollars on this war ar The Hoers Boera say lIay she eho will have to upend spend n a billion Jillion more mor and another on top tap of ot It and as for tor men roan I I i tho the capture oo of ot an nil Important force Corea ol of 0 their enemies Kitchener proclaimed that all found to nd In arms after aCter the day d y mentioned would forfeit all nil claims to tobe tolIo tobe be lIo treated us liS prisoners of or war wor that thai they thoy would be translated for tor life and lose losa forever nil all their rights In tho country coultry It H was a a II paper and mid was wall treated by the hoers Boers with IrUh such auch contempt that they Invaded Cope Caps Colony tho the very cry ery day their theil grace gnaw ox plied mil and have Ino Incited to arms many hundreds perhaps thousands of at hith hitherto onto erto neutral natives This Thill Is 1 s tho 1 he real significance cInco of tho lw Invasion of ot our col calt tho limo settlers of Dutch descent Who are racially in III sympathy with the I Hoes Bocis In arms will 11 openly assist them If It they till perceive them then gaining OH as seems to be tho the ease at nt present They only want a n good excuse and amid to feel teel sure of Immunity from being punished as IS asto traitors to 10 the government When we consider ron lder that largo army arm of 0 moll men linn has to 10 cov cover er ern n II shat and In the time main barren territory ry ly I that ho has hUll to practically patrol miles of or railroad and keep his hili communications open on every side able from the to the th far Interior wo we vo but hut admit that ho he has hns a tilt dif difficult problem to solve There Thure are ore many ut here hore who like myself I the Ute Boers will ultimately sue sUO Jn aMr Y r Ir Ix s r h i T r ett ettA I A A a r rt t ago precipitated hostilities On the theother theother other outer hand w we 1 have to admit that lust we e have hao hero n It worse thou than darn Oom Paul laul in our OUI high commissioner and aM commander In Chief luet f Sir Alfred who with Joo Joe did all lie h could to bring brine Kruger to Issue that very ulti ultimatum w so fatal tatal to Hoer Boer I r prosperity and amid to South form African progress r has hlll only Just Juit returned from London where ho he was honored with another title and foisted elated upon U h the his British people as the ther thereal ml real r ll head and front of jiro re 8 in this country But Dut coat cast a glance ov over r the map 1151 of South Africa today t all n and look Upon the result of his hili mistaken policy In tho the desolated l fauns farms the arrested de tie development of rich mineral regions the time thousands of ot liven that hove have been sac ae in do thin this squabble over a II petty lIeU question of Half a cen Ien century tury of prosperity should It ever evet return to 10 our once tale fair land tan ti will not to heal real the time wounds whirl which a have IniVe beer been in in iii this unrighteous war and to conceal the Iho sears scar Without assuming to 10 say whIch was fU right or blaming one party more Inore than then the lie other r I 1 may declare that this hie ter terrible tero war was Wae that thet It II won was conceived conc t In pride and nurtured In Incorruption Incorruption corruption The Time Boers have suffered more marC thou than tongue can use tell the aro are now nov no paying the price which Kruger Krul declared at tit the outset would stagger humanity I And Anti after all nil this outpouring of pre precious cious olous blood anti and wanton waste wah of teens treas treasure ure arc It cannot even eve II be tall Mid that the mid end Is In sight light or measurably within the purview of ot the British government It Was not rol long loni ago that Lord lard Roberts nubert tuns rewarded ll for tor bringing the war to tonn tonn toan nn an end and given an earldom fur for com completing plating the limo conquest y yet lIt t si sl simultaneously with the Issue lUll of I Lund ord proclamation announcing u n suspension of amenities came caine the re reo report report port that he Je Wet had planned an at Rt attack attack tack on Cape Cope Town that Botha was to capture Durban In Natal with Morse horse An tn n eye ore for tor an eye I e a tooth for tor n a tooth says Bays old oM Oom Paul PaulIn PaulIn In his European Euro on retreat and the till polity policy wily will be he noted acted on and earned l out If Kitchener persists In III his hll plans The mere lucre fait fact that the tho floors Boer are lire no longer longor releasing their prisoners and that they are now nosy waging war upon Ulon the noncom of or Cape Colony augurs for tOI forthe forthe the British Reprisals will be made It U Uli ItIs li Is probable and amid eventually the tho war which has lins hitherto been carried on eu I with somo pretense of oC humanity may mn r I a r j j SM wm P JUi r ft ftH 1 r wG v lr i a I H 7 a I I Ir Ij Yf r 2 4 Z j V 1 K wrecked Oy the Doers i fair minded hero here are aro ready to admit that the shield has lias two sides alder to it and that the Door Boor side elde fl has been of at late Into rather the shinier l of et It the two Perhaps I the tho Information r has 10 already leaked out from tram Lord lard dispatches to his govern goern government ment which are about the only Items of ot news allowed to pass pMS out of ot tho the country count that we Ve have lIao met I d tome come severe reverses of ot late lote They The I were of ot a n trivial character Indeed when the vast ast operations operation I covering thousands of miles are ore considered as a It whole but bUI again they ther were Vero not so trivial after aCter nil all The mistake the Brit tint British BritIsh ish have made Is In being overconfident ever cite since e Lord lard Roberts made his march from Crom Capo Cape Town to 10 Pretoria and then went fent leaving poor floor Kitch Kitchener ener lo to wear out the tile fag tag ends of ot the tho war wor nr with the this Boers doers The truth Is thereal the thereal thereat real reat contest only began after att r Bobs Dobs took loek hIs departure Ho Be relieved several a woe wan exciting with big guns cuns speaking on all nil the kopjes and now nol and then a hoer Boer to snipe from some somo convenient breastwork Tommy was happy Hut But since It has degenerated lIeg d Into a II sort of ot guerrilla warfare with infinite and countermarching during tho the Infernal heat of day and time the th almost Intolerable cold of night he has hns become morose and downhearted He lie knows now no that looking for the tho lively Boer Doer is III something aeme hing like searching for tor forthe the tho ubiquitous flea Ilea with scant prospect I of or catching him and no loot toot for tor Tom Torn Tommy Tommy my If It he ever la 13 overtaken On the contrary It Is the hoer Boer who docs loes the looting and sometimes does tho the Quite lately in fact tact as you ou may have hlo rend read tho the floors Boers have hove successfully sprung two big ambus ambuscades Dudes cadet and ond bagged several hundred British soldiers Including n II goodly proportion of or o 1 I Our men saw a abod body bod of ot Doers Boera descending a hill hili In InA A der ll as os a a precaution to 10 hand In its Is magazine riOts rifles and take toke In exchange henrye Tho reserves have hove been ordered to be In readiness and there Is I a 11 general air of preparation lit But it must be he considered that this Is Isa Isa a II big colony nod and that the Doers Boers lire are so tow few In number that thai they cannot c con concentrate concentrate a n large largo force at any given point There ore are it 11 Is believed about Doers Boers In the Held neld divided Into commandos of ota a few tew hundred each There are nil that are ore left leCt of the or more fighting men they could boast when the war opened The Tho British have about OCO In captivity In Coy Cey Ceylon CC lon ion Bermuda anti and St Helena the wom women women women en and children arc are In camps camp most of them mid there may many mn be Doers living hero and there thoro on ou their farms Most of the he farms ferms how however however ever have hae been IJ en practically destroyed the houses burned the owners either II her killed or captured nut lint those now left leftO O 40 O O watching Under q fl ilu h fora Boer Commando SCENES ILLUSTRATIVE OF OP TIlE THE KITCHENER CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH AFRICA they the say Bay old England I line has not enough left for tor the conquest of South Africa Time The time limit named in all the last day of grace to bo be allowed time the Boern r In arms arma expired only n a few tew days ago and the Boers celebrate celebrated It as DI wo too 0 know kno by b bO O 6 66 6 6 reed cC even though thought we do not love the i Boers Boors and would much rather roe Ice the British In supreme control We W re rte remember member Oem Oom Pauls treatment of the lila his abandonment of isle his ll brothers fighting for tor heir antI and an 1 isle his hl pompous ultimatum ultimatums which two to years A AAA 6 AA 6 J degenerate Into a Q strife that will call rail for tor the Intervention of ot the civilized powers power of the tho world In order that Clint the people of South Africa shall ahall not be bo ex ox exterminated terminated W ITEn Y STON Cape Town South So lh Africa |
