Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-02-21

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81. f IT, when the British
81 government has
found 1t expedient to make war upon the
natives of South Africa it has, by force or
diplomacy, EXTENDED it's borders and On
croached upon the traditional rights of the
Beers, who were there first.
The courage of the Beers is phenomenal
in this age Their past accounts for 1t.
Like tho early settlers of America, they
ago wilderness, and, last of all, the greedy
and grasping newcomers, who tried to
step in and take from Thorn the hard earn
cd prize. Physically and morally the
Beers are made of hero stuff. Like the
pilgrims, they were driven from Europe
by religious prosecutions. They live the
life Of the Bible patriarchs, aud simply
ask to be let alone:
The various warlike tribes of Zulus have
had their punishment again and again at
the hands of the Beers and now for gen.
Grafton no enemy has disturbed the peace
of this isolated people except the invading
European. Physically they are the su-
periors of any white race on the globe.
Six feet four is the common stature of the
men who take up arms, and battalion
of them makes AL appearance like the To-
NOUS Grenadier guards:
With her usual conceit England under
estimated the prowess of the Beers and
when the Transvaal came under her tax
laws by the annexation following the Zulu
war Of 1879, she began to put the screws on
in the matter of taxation. Not satisfied
with enforcing direct taxation, which was
obnoxious to the Boers, the taxgatherers
raked up old tax claims of tho South Afri-.
can Republic and insisted upon the last
farthing, even where the citizen clnimed
to have paid it. The immediate cause of
the war Of 1881 was case of tax Office
persecution.
Finding the Beers FESTIVE under the tax
laws, the military and civil agents began
to prepare for the conflict The Beers
called mass meeting for January, 1881,
but before the time for assembling a citi
zen was arrested and thrown into Jail be-
cause he would not hand over a tax Of e27
when he believed he owed but e14. In
stead Of meeting in January to discuss
the situation, the citizens came together
about 1000 strong in December, declared
republic, and after sending an ulti-
, wires and ] Ian to arm for the Conflict.
The Lexington of this lilliputian revolu
ton was Laing's Mex, fought on the 28th'
of January. A now British commander,
anxious to win laurels before the home
government should make peace, caused the
shedding Of blood which made peace i'm
possible except with glory for the Beers.
One of the first movements of the repub-
lican war leader Piet Joubert, after cut
ting off all the garrisons in the Transvaal,
was to plant his main army on the borders
of Natal to dispute the pass from loyal ter
ritory into the revolutionary domain.
This action put his people OH the defensive
to resist invasion. His little army lay
across the road from the Natal to Draken
burg, upon a series of hills partly inclos-
ing the road like an amphitheater.
Sir George Colley, the British CON-
mander, was on the field in person. So
confident was he that his army was about
to win the one victory of the war and give
the Beers a drubbing that would make
them glad to sue for terms that he didn't
take the trouble to maneuver under cover
of night. His force comprised the Fifty
eighth infantry, Of about 900 men, and q
mounted battalion numbering $50. Jou-
bert had rested his right flank upon a high
spur known as Majuba hill. Between
Majuba hill and the next high ground on
tho left lies tableland 2,O00 feet in
length, connecting the hills. Over this
tableland, called Laing's Mex, the main
road from Natal to the Transvaal passes.
The plan Of the British was to assail the
heights on their right with half Of the in
fantry, while the mounted men stormed
an outlying ridge adjoining it. This would
divide the enemy and at the same time
keep the assailants within in supporting
distance. A emart gallop carried tho cav
airy to the point Of attack, and with the
prevailing anxiety to get In stroke be-
fore the rebellion collapsed the troopers
rushed on, regardless Of their infantry sup
ports. Short and sharp was the fight, and
1t ended with the cavalry in retreat upon
the infantry. On the side Of the Beers lit