The evening times., 1899-10-07
THE BoERs HARD TO DEFEAT.
Former British POliceman's Opin
ION of the south Africans,


ion of the South Africans.
OTTAWA, Oct IF. X Holder, for
merly a member of the Bechuanaland po-
lice, is visiting this city. He spent six
teen years in South Africa, and says he
knows the Beers thoroughly. He says they
will fight, and it will take three British
soldiers to one Boer to win the war.
'The Boers,' said Mr.. Holder. will
adopt the guerrilla warfare. Each man
will carry his own food supply. and know
ing the ground SO well, will have great
advantages over the invaders. The Beers
are good fighters and are making their last
stand for their homes
Mr.. Holder was one Of the mounted po-
lice during the war in Rhodesia in 1893. He
tells the following incident of that war:
|Lobengula, ., be said, wanted to make
peace with the British, and thought that
by sending all his eash-3,000 sovereigns--
to the administrator of the Rhodesian
Chartered Company, the war would be
stopped. Accordingly Lobengula sent
number of hisgmen with the 5000 sover-
eigns. The blacks who had the money in
charge thought that SO long as they de-
livered the coin to any white man it would
get to the Chartered Company and would
end the war. They met two troopers and
handed them the money and started back
to Lobengula, who then thought the wal
was over.
Meanwhile the Rhodesian officials had
| not received any proofs of Lobengula de
string peace, and war was waged. The
two troopers hid the money and fought
the blacks. Major Wilson, one of the best
| men in Rhodesia, started after Lobengula
in the hope of capturing him. Picking
| thirty-fve Of the best men of his force
! Major Wilson left his main body one day
and crossed river near place where he
| thought the African chief was. During tn ,
| night the river swelled and Wilson and his
party were unable to return. They fell in
with a number of blacks, and, thinking
! that Lobengula was among them. Wilson
| ordered the chief TO surrender, promising
! to spare his life.
No reply came and the whites opene !
| fire. Instantly the woods were alive with
blacks. and after desperate fight Wilson $
party was wiped out, but not before they
had killed more blacks than were ain
| throughout the rest of the war. After the
defeat of Lobengula and the restoration Of
| peace, ready money became scarce in Rho
desia and the Chartered Company's notes
were about the only money going.
Shortly afterward, gold soyereigus be-
| gan to be extensively circulated and people
wondered where the gold came from. Thea
/ the story about Lobengulas desire for
! peace and his sending the 5000 soyereigns
/ came out. An investigation was ordered,
! the blacks who carried the money 10 TIE
! troopers were brought before the main
/ body and they identified the two troopers.
1 ID .s~l
| sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment.
! Had they delivered the money to the Char
! tered Company the war would have been
averted. Major Wilson and many whites
would not have been sacrificed and the
! friendly Lobengula would have escaped"
THE Boer is among the best fighters in
the world. He loves his country with a
passionate patriotism. He is -eminentiy
an agriculturist. In Cape Colony nearly
/ the whole of the wheat growing is done by
| the Dutch farmers of the western province
! In the interior the bulk OF the grain used
is supplied by the Dutch farmer of the
Transyaal All the fruit crop is produced
/ by Beers The Beers shun towns, shop
keeping and mining All they ask is 10 be
| allowed 10 live undisturbed in a moderate
| degree of comfort on their farms in a rude
plenty.
Pride patriotism and religious faith
prevent the average Boer abandoning the
| Hinterland which he believes to be gift
from the Almighty. Every boy becomes q
| voter at sixteen, but the government is
| practically an oligarchy. All the power Is
! concentrated in the hands of an executive
! council. supported by a vote in the first
Raad. which needs only to number thir-
teen in order to have constitutional ma
/ jority. Twenty-Five men in all more than
cover the number who for term of years
/ hold absolute power Uitlander to be
come a citizen must first renounce his allie
glance to any other country, and at the end
! OF eight or fifteen years the government
/ ar its option, May give him the franchise. -