River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-01-08
BUTCHERING HoTTENT0Ts.
And How it is Looked Upon by White
Jurors in South Africa.
pr. RpsselI,s pretorIa CORRESPONDENT


DR.. Russel's Pretoria Correspondence.
There Is ample proof around us in
this part of the world that the white
man in his dealings with the black
brother justifies the adage, "Homo
homini lupus" but the rule of the Brit
ish government to-day is far more hui
man and just than the conduct of those
who should be obedient to it. There
are prosecutions and trials of white
men for outrages such as murder and
murderous assaults ON black people
which would not long ago have been
left UNPUBLISHED, although they are now
somewhat leniently dealt with. | asked
a gentleman who ought to know the
other day, I'll al Englishman killed
Kaffir with malice praease, and without
provocation, what would be done with
him? p
"He would be tried, of course"
swell, and what them" "If the evil
dence was clear he would be punished"
"HangedY' ooh, dear,nol Public opin-
ion would not tolerate that The jury
would never find verdict of guilty of
wlliul murder against q white for killing
a Katiir. II he were to be hanged an
English jury, indeed, might find the
verdict against Boer, or a Boer jury
might against IN Englishman. The
trial would most probably end in YER
dict of guilty of an assault with intent,
and sentence of so many months i'm
prisonment." That there should be
any trial and punishment at all is
good sigma marked advance in civiliza-
ton.
| send you with this letter report of
two trials before His Lordship, Mr..
Justice Dwyer," on circuit, Victoria
West, which deserve some notice
Bernard Adrian Bergman and Oulof
William Henrik were arraigned for the
murder of four Hottentot prisoners on
Nov. %, 1878. On that day field cor
net sent these men to arrest one Pet
Blauw and four others. They seized
the Hottentots just as the sun was get
ting low, fastened them up with COW
hide ropes, and drove them in file; and
AS they were going toward the Orange
river, becoming weary of their charge,
or irritated by some unexplained cause,
Bergman and Henrik shot thewretched
prisoner, the survivors, Pet, being shot
in the shoulder, in the neck, and in the
head, and left senseless in the bloody
heap. OF the murder of the four pris-
oners having been perpetrated by the
men the CHASTITY evidence of tine skulls
of the murdered Hottentots, which
were produced IL court, the testimony
| of the surgeons and the police could
leave no doubt. The murderers I'M
| derstood the case thoroughly-they
called no witnesses, and "the jury, after
short retirement, brought in verdict
| of not guilty" On the same day Frans
Johannes Smith, Petrus DURAN, and
Jacob Soutaar were placed at the bar
before the same judge, on the charge of
| having murdered five wounded pris-
oners (all women) at q place called
| Stofkraal, on or about Oct. 81, 1873"
There appears to have been some fight
or outbreak at that place on the day
named, and number of prisoners were
made and put in charge of mounted
escort, of which the three prisoners
were part. Among the prisoners were
bushman, q woman, boy (Aple)
about three feet high. Rachel, and
others. Hannah, who was examined in
chief, stated with great clearness how
Jacob Soutaar began by shooting APPLE,
who had been previously Wounded, and
next shot Rachel, and then finished
"Doorteie, who was wounded" Then
Jacob, who seems to have been in very
fine form, shot the witness mother.
"Jan wished to support her, but Jacob
said she could walk slowly. When Jan
left the old woman Jacob shot her. A
little further off Jacob shot Koijie be-
cause she could not walk. AT Blinton-
teen they shot the last woman. [ don't
know her name. She has been wound
ed in both thighs" The escort which
aided and abetted the assassin-in- chief
numbered fifteen. William Authorn,
one of the escort, deposed the prisoner
Smith, was in command. Give fthe
women" he deposes, 81 missed; don't
| know their names" For the defense
one witness, Piet Won Zyl, was called.
He deposed that Jacob was with him
all day, and that he (Piet) knew who
shot APPLE, but he would rather not say
| 1.-THE reporter naively interplores, "Wit-
ness had been warned that he need not
eliminate himself') and the counsel
having addressed the jury, Mr.. Justice
Dryer charged them and delivered
| himself of the dictum that mo proof
having been given of the death of the
missing prisoners, it was not legally
possible to bring in verdict of guilty of
murder. There was no evidence
| against Duraan-the case of Smith he
lett in their hands. The evidence
against Jacob was very strong, and if
they believed it they ought to find him
guilty of assault with intentp And the
jury accordingly acquitted Smith and
DURAN and found Jacob guilty of as
sault with intent to do grievous bodily
harm, and Jacob (being very dark fel-
low, apparently was sentenced to five
years imprisonment with hard labor.