The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-22


war correspondents that filter into print
through the mails, TEEN with thrilling
and pathetic incidents.
How an Omcer's Life was saved.
Writing to his mother. young ofiicer
Of the Manchesters. wounded In one Of
the first ENGAGEMENTS. relates that while
he lay at night on the hillside expecting
to die, bleeding from wound In his thigh
and shivering with the cold, there stum-
bIed over him Tommy OF my company
named Rogers" This Tommy" quickly
whipped or his own overcoat, placed 1t
around the boy ofiicer, and lying down
put his arm around him ana for the rest
OF that long night kept him beautifully
warm"
stampede at NichoIson's Mex.
The Times correspondent gives graphic
account and explanation Of the British dis
aster at Nicholson's mex. where Carleton's
column. consisting OF six companies Of the
Royal Irish fusiliers, four and half conn
panies OF the Gioucestershire regiment, and
No. 10 mounted battery, surrendered.
BowIder starts the Mules.
Two hours before daybreak." says this
correspondent, while tho column was In
an inclosed country. either a shot was fired
or bowlder rolled into the battery. The
mules stampeded and easily broke away
from their half asleep drivers. They came
back to the Gloucestersbire regiment, the
advance party OF which fired into the mass,
believing, in the darkness, 1t was an at
tack. This added to the chaos, the ranks
were broken by the frenxied animals, and
they dashed through the ranks Of the rear
guard. carrying the first and second re-
serve animals with them.
A Hopeless Panic.
SIT became hopeless panic, The ami
mails, wild with the shouting and the tur-
mol, tore down the nullah into the dark
ness, and the last that was heard of them
was the sound OF ammunition boxes and
paniers as they were splinteredA against
powders. The hubbub OF these few mo-
nents was sufficient to have alarmed the
enemy.
sorry Position Chosen.
"By a strenuous effort rhe officers sue-
ceeded In getting the men again under
control, and when daylight came they
seized the first position which presented
itself, and which was about two miles
south Of the original goal. They were
forced to take advantage OF the first kopje.
as Boer scouts were all around them, and
the day was ushered in with desultory fir.
ing. 1t was sorry position which they
had chosen, and the men we're In a sorry
plight, All the reserve ammunition was
gone, and though they had saved pieces
OF the screw gun. they were not able with
these pieces to patch up single mount
Force Under Cross-Fire.
..From earliest daybreak Boer scouts
were accommodating and about o'clock
mounted Beers could be seen galloping IN
small groups to the rear Of the hill west.
strong parties Of mounted men took posi-
tions on the far side Of the two hills, COM
manding the kopje from them. About
o o'clock these two parties had crowned the
hills and opened heavy fire at short
range right down upon the plateau. Our
men made plucky attempt to return this
fire but 1t was impossible. They were un-
der cross-f1re from two directions, flank
and rear. The two companies of Glouces-
tershires holding the self-contained ridge,
were driven from their shelter and as they
emerged in the open on the low plateau,
were terribly mauled, the men falling In
groups. The Beers on the west had not
vet declared themselves, but about 200
marksmen climbed to the position which
the two companies of the Gloucestershires
had just vacated. These men absolutely
raked the plateau and 1t was then that
the men were ordered to take cover on the
steep reverse of the kopje. As soon as the
enemy realized this move. the men on the
western hill teemed on to the summit and
opened upon our men as they lay on the
slope. They were absolutely hemmed IN,
and what commenced as a skirmish.
seemed to have become a butchery. The
grim order was passed around to fix your
bayenets and die like men.
Laid Down Their Arms.
"There was a clatter OF steel, then
moment of suspense, and then the Cease
firing sounded. Again and again 1T sound
ed but the Irish fusiiiers were loath to ac-
cept the call and continued firing for many
minutes. then 1t was unconditional surren-
der, and the men laid down their arms"
Horrors of Glands Lnagte.
The correspondent at Ladysmith Of the
same paper, describing the battlefield OF
Eiands Iaagte, realistically details the hor-
rors of war. He writes:
.srhe battlefield as 1t stood on the Sum-
day contained sufficient proof Of the sever
ity of the fire. The wounded had been
removed by daylight but the burial par
ties had not arrived to perform the last
duties to the dead. The men lay there
as they had fallen, sad. pathetic tribute
TO the courage OF the British soldier. We
Manchesters and mounted volunteers lay
fndiscriminately grouped. Then solitary
figures under the stones showed how little
the cover had availed them. There were
places where wire fences had impeded
the advance. Here the carnage had
been great ana one brave fellow stopped
in death, cut of as he strove to wrench a
post from its foundations. In the sky line
of the battlefield lay the dead thickest.
there being the main spot where the attack
had been checked, but the white flag was
already there. and strings Of coolies were
digging the trench which so often Is the
soldiers resting place.
where schiel Was Captured.
1--WE rode back 10 the Boer position. the
little kopje upon which Schiel and his q
men had made their stand. The bodies
OF the fifteen that had fallen of this little
band were grouped as death had taken
them.
"some lay with heads sunken on their
rife locks, nghting to the end. Another
had died with his nnEers RreeaipG =