The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-09-14 00:00:00

KILLED BY CAFFRES.

The Kimberley correspondent of the Natal Mercury gives
a further account of the killing of Mr. F. Thompson by ()slices
on the 18th of July :

"We were thrown into a painful state of consterna-
tion by the news brought in that Gasibone's people
had made an attack upon Mr. Thompson's store at
Cornforth-hill, near Barkly, and, in addition to plun-
dering the store, had carried off as prisoner Mr.
Thompson, sen., an old and much-esteemed resident of
Griqualand West. A hope was for some days enter-
tained that as Mr. Thompson had invariably befriended
the natives his life would be spared, during which time
detachments of volunteers continued to be hastily sent
on to Barkly to scour the country in search of the
rebels, and to place that town in a position of defence;
but to the grief and indignation of all the inhabitants
here, the body of the unfortunate prisoner was found
in a state which showed that he had been horribly and
cruelly murdered. The report was current that he
had been stripped of his clothes, tied to a tree, and
slowly burnt to death. Other res.,orts were that he
had been tortured in other ways.'
The following paragraph from a writer in the
Diamond News may be taken as reliable information
upon the matter :—" To-day I witnessed one of the
saddest scenes I have ever been present at, the inter-
ment of the remains of the late Mr. Francis Thomp-
son. There were evidences that the deceased had
been tortured to death in the cruellest possible manner,
and a ramrod found near the body points too clearly
to the nature of the torture. Whether the body was
afterwards mutilated or not, it is impossible to say,
although it seems probable, as no flesh was left on the
bones, and identification was difficult. In the pre-
sence of Judge Barry, the Civil Commissioner of
Barkly, the Barkly Rangers, and the Griqualand
West Light Infantry, the remains were solemnly in-
terred in the Barkly Cemetery."
Mr. Thompson's nephew writes,—" I was with my
uncle when his place was attacked. I heard my cousin
Frank say, 'Here are the Caffres.' We got our guns.
The natives fired right into the store. My uncle re-
turned the fire. The natives told me afterwards that
Gasibone's (the chief's) son was shot by my uncle. We
got through the window into another room, and when
the thatch roof was fired Frank said, 'Let us run for
it.' We all rushed for the river. As Frank left the
store he was shot in the side, but he could run well and
got away. I saw Caffres running after my uncle, but
just then seven men got hold of me. They took off my
coat and waistcoat, but afterwards gave me back the
coat as it was very cold. I recognised several Batalpins
who used to come to the store. The natives were as many
as 50 or 60 in all, and were armed and mounted. I
said I had nothing, and they took me over the hill
and said, 'Go we don't want to kill you; we want
your plunder.' I went on to Potomassie West and
told what had happened, My uncle was always on
good terms with the natives, and the only reason they
attacked us was to get powder, lead, and stock." It is
stated that Mankoroane, the paramount chief of the
Batalpin Caffres, is ordered to pay an indemnity to
Mr. Thompson's family.