The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-04-12 00:00:00

THE REAL SUFFERERS FROM THE
ZULU WAR.

A correspondent has kindly sent us (says the Globe) the
following affecting letter from the wife of one of the gar-
rison at Ekowe
" CAPE TOWN, March 3.

"My own dear Sister,—lt is with a heavy heart
that I sit down to write to you. First I must tell you
my poor Joe has gone to the war. He has been gone
three months. They are with Colonel Pearson's column
in Ekowe, far in Zululand entrenched there, and
dare not come out. I am sure by this time you have
heard of the dreadful massacre of the 24th Regiment.
There are forty poor widows left. I do not know how
many poor orphans. One of our poor men died of
dysentery, leaving a wife and three children, and there
are thirty more poor men sick of the same disease. Our
regiment has had one engagement; lost a few men and
some wounded. God help us, we may be widows our-
selves. Now, I must tell you about myself. We had
to fly from Pietermaritzburg for safety. The Zulus are
expected to cross the border into Natal, and if they did
they would kill all befcre them. I never thought that
I should see such dreadful times. Before we left Pieter-
maritzburg we had a dreadful time, afraid to lay down at
nights. Every evening we had our things put together,
ready, if the great gun fired, to fly to camp. On! the
weary night of watching I shall never forget. If we
had stayed there much longer my hair would have
gonel grey. Yon can fancy our feelings, sitting there
night after night waitiog to hear the great gun fire
tfo rush into the camp for safety, and leave every-
thing to the mercy of the Zulus. My two little
children, as I undressed them, I had to tie their
things up in a bundle ready to fly. The panic in
the town was something dreadful; so the military
authorities thought best to send us to Cape Town.
Now ws are safe, but our hearts are breaking for our
poor men—they are so far away, on half rations
now lrecause it is not safe for to take them more pro-
visious until reinforcements come from England, and
God send them speedily or they will be starved
out. What shall I ever do if I am left a widow?—
my poor dear Joe. lam afraid there will be very few
lett to return. You must pray earnestly, my dear
sister, for God to spare him to his poor wife and little
ones. When will this dreadful war be over? If you
saw the black native brutes they have to fight with it
would make you shudder. I never had any idea of
a war before, but I have now. It was only a few
miles from us when we were in Maritzburg. I never
thought I should see so much of the world as I have
, going from one place to another. When we left
Maritzburg we had to travel three days and nights
in bullock waggons, sixteen oxen to each waggon'
you can fancy our terror, travelling through such a
dangerous country. Had the Zulus coma upon us
every one of us would have been killed, for we had
three schoolmasters with us, about a hundred women,
and double as many children. They could not spare
men to go with us. Arriving at Durban we embarked
on board the mail ship, went to Port Elizabeth, stayed
three days; from there to Mussel Bay, stayed two
days • off again to Cape Tovrn, where we are to stay
until war is over, or if our poor men fall we shall
be sent to our parishes. Dear sister, I may be on my
way home before long. AU seems dark to us now, but
God is good. If 110 thinks fit to take my poor husband
I must submit to His will; but / hope myself and the
little ones will soon follow, for what have I before me
when he is gone? I must close this letter in haste.—
From your ever loving eider j