The New York herald., 1879-10-21

mon the liberal minded member of the Assembly.
became interested on their behalf Relying on these
assurances, left the matter in these gentlemen 5
hands and continued my journey To England
and subsequently to America. feeling sure that the
Griquas would, in the course of month. have a
trial. and those who had been guilty of anything
would be punished. while innocent ones would be
returned to their homes and property. In tins
manner the matter escaped my notice until, IN
June last, way out here again frc IN New York.
learned III London that these poor fellows We're
still held as prisoners in Cape Town. and bad never
been brought to trial. wrote to Sir Michael HICKS
Beach about it, aud had the satisfaction OF hearing
member of Parliament ask question in the House
regarding them. AT Cape Town week or SO ago IL
was my pleasing task to note that the prisoners na
all returned No Mans Land, it is called
now. Griqualand East. 1t seems that the govern
ment found difficulty, IN the hrst place;
in dealing with the ariqnas. as they ripsn aouia
not determine whether they were BRUSH
subjects not, or whether they were prisoners OF
war civil ones. Mr. Saul solomon befriended
adviser for them and strove hard again ana again 10
get them trial AT last y few months ago TWO Oh
the prisoners brought before the supreme
Court as test cases. They discharged, but On
leaving the court were rearrested ana cast INTO
prison again Then 1t was deter1 1nea 70 sena @ tme,
conducted TO Kokstadt. where. after strange
trial. they were allowed to go free upon their own
recognizances to appear again II occasion should re-
auire it, But how sad is their condition-honeless
and penniess all their farms and property retained
by the authoritiesl That the governm ment did not
approve of the affair is shown in the fact that
tain Biyth was withdrawn from the magistracy and
sent to another part or the country Ihis Is the
see how those who went to Griqusland West Jared.
ROBBED ON ALL SIDES
The land which Waterboer's people had settled
upon deemed to be utterly worthless. Nobody
no, not their neighbors. the land-greedy Free
State Boers-envied them their lot. They little
thought, however, that this destitute country was
the richest SPOT for it's size the world could produce
In the year 1865 diamonds were found on the banks
of the Vaal River. in Waterboer's land, and in two
years one hundred Thousand eager miners were
gagged in sorting the hard, dry earth for precious
stones The Dutch attempted to exercise authority
owe tha I'M m m N he lS
to govern it. and to that end bought the Griquas'
rights from their chief Waterboer Since then the
people have often complained of having been de-
prived of their land Out of this barren tract over
$lOO, 900, 900 worth of diamonds have been already
taken, and there IS no sign OF the yield giving out
yet; but the mines have reverted into
the hands of companies and as conse-
quence, hundreds of adventurous spirits who
had previously found employment at digging were
turned idle the country. AS some of the Griquas
had shown disafected spirit corps of volunteers
was formed at the mines, and they led against
the miserable original owners of the country. Sew
eral engagements took place i'll which the Griquas
were killed without quarter being shown and little
or no damage resulted to the attacking parties 1t
took but few weeks to settle the Griqualand West
affair, but few months afterward few degraded
land along the banks of the Orange River. became
restless. They were composed OF Grlquas, Coran-
dred. The Cape Colony government undertook to
to It's northern border for that purpose.
This affair, like most petty native troubles
here caused by want of confidence between
whites and blacks. The natives being under the i'm
preston that the whites contemplated driving them
from their land, they became infatuated enough
to array themselves in defence of it, few concil-
iatory words in explanation would have settled the
matter without bloodshed. In this instance. in
most others. those friendly words were not forth
coming, and waged against the abject
natives OF the Orange River
INCESSANT SLAUGHTER.
At the Luisdraai kraa near koegas. party of
Cape volunteers, under Comnandant Van Nekirk,
attacked mixed lot of Griquas and Bushmen, most
of whom were armed with bows and The
whites rushed in among them, Staying all who
came i'll their way. Women and children suffered
the same as the old and young men. It
a regular massacre. Among those who
taken prisoners here five old women.
who were compelled to trudge along beside the
mounted soldiery. The poor creatures did not
travel fast enough for their impatient captors SO
they taken in charge by two troopers, who fell
behind the party with them and tied them together
like bunch of rats and then shot them down in
humanity in cold blood. This done with the
knowledge of the troop. The men who committed
this dastardly deed are prisoners in Cape Town.
and their trial is slowly dragging its Shiny length
along. There is plenty of evidence against the pris
oners, but II they convicted their punish
ment is sure to be light. This is known here the
"Koegas outrage" and is thought very lightly of, as.
in fact all the circumstances connected with the
romantic and pitiful story of the Grquas, who are
now the Ishmaclites of South Africa.