The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-26
A WoMANs VERSION.

A WOMAN > NERS1ON.
Another letter, written in English by
a woman in Harmony, Pretoria, to a
feminine friend in Utrecht, presents a
striking picture of the situation among
the Beers, and tells how determined
they are to defend what they deem
their rights at every cost and hazard
The letter reads:
Harmony, Pretoria, Oct. IA, 1899.
Dearest Marie: A gentleman we
know who is leaving the country has
promised to post some letters for US in
London. AS there is every reason to
think all persons and papers will be
examined on the border, shall be care
full to say nothing that the whole world
may not read. Two letters from the
line and several others from other
people arrived here open.
"War mas been declared. Am dream
ing? Is it only horrible nightmare?
Alas, no. Every paper, every special
edition tells of fierce combats, of loss
of life. of destruction of railways
bridges, telegraph lines. This after
noon two of our men were killed and
several wounded.
I'VE 1on't know what losses the enc
my has suffered, but yesterday, near
Mafeking, we took great many pris-
oners. among whom were a wounded
I'VE have been very successful until
now, but no one thinks it will go on
like this. Marie, you have no idea
what a perfectly dreadful war this is
going to be. South Africa will be one
blaze and the bravest' heart fails at
the thought of all the innocent blood
that must be she'd
We are brave, strong and deter
mined--fighting for our homes, our be-
It'd
are fiercer and more united today than
we have ever been before: we know
every inch of the country and have
thousand advantages over the enemy
but England is also strong and very
determined, and she has this advant-
age over us-that she can send out a
thousand men for every one who falls,
while we have no more to send when
they have killed our husbands fathers
sons and brothers, and If the war lasts
very long, England can cut off our sup
ply of food and then we shall be forced
to yield.
mo one knows what the result is
going to be, but we are unanimous on
one point-whoever wins will win with
fearful loss of life. Thousands of
homes are wrecked already, but no
greater mischief has yet been done than
the intense and bitter hatred that this
Cruelty, UNJUST war mas TdlSeQ III the
hearts of every one. 1t is a feeling
that will exist for centuries, that will
turn our sunny South Africa into a
hell upon earth as long as we live, and
as long as our children and children's
children live to relate how England S
greed of gold brought ruin to our
happy homes.
RACIAL HATRED.
This feeling of racial hatred was
gradually dying away, and promised
to disappear altogether, when the raid
revived and strengthened it. Since
that invasion into our free and indie
pendent country, we have had no
peace; we feared a repetition of it and
distrusted every advance from our en-
envy. They worked hard to gain their
ends by fair means or foul and are
now trying to blot out the stain of
that raid by greater evil.
England dare never talk of British
| honor again. But there, began with
| the resolve to write temporarily, but
| it is utterly impossible to control one
self at a time like this. Now we are
| finding out our true friends; now is
the time TO show what they are made
of.
THE boys write brayely and cheer
fully, but we can hear nothing from
them, for they have crossed the Natal
| border, and may even now be fighting
for dear life They took Newcastle,