Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-30
4 HEROINE AT LYDENBERG.
An Episode I'm the TransvaaI War
Of fSSO-'S1
CWIlmott DiKon. in Chambersl


One forgets many things I'm eighteen
years. and probably the story which
purpose reteliiug here IS forgotten by all
except the surviving actors I'm 30 and
their immediate friends. But The memory
of such a signal instance Of British pluck
should not be allowed 10 die
on sunday the 5th of December. 1850
the little town Of Lydenberg, I'm the
Transvaal. was I'm a state of uuwonted
excitement The whole population was
out I'm ITS Sunday best TO give a hearty
seud-On 10 the Ninety-fourth Regiment
which had beer quartered there for many
months, and was now ordered % Pre-
tOria Both officers and men had /ade
themselves extremely popular with all
classes. and the expressions Of regret
at their departure were universal. Mum
beers of the inhabitants accompanied the
regiment ON fits way for five or six miles.
one lady ana geutleman-Lieutenan
Walter Long. and the Junior subaltern of
the Ninety-fOurih, and his pretty young
wife-r0de out as far as fifteen miles
The Colonel had paid the Lieutenant the
high honor Of leaving him I'm sole COM
mand of the troops left belinda rospon-
sible position for a youngster of barely
Internationally
As the Lieutenant and his wife turned
their horses heads and bade farewell
20 their comrades, Colonel Anstruther
called out:
"Good-by Mrs Long, Look after Long
and mind You are a good little adiutant
Good-by, Long, Look after my garden for
me; remember / expect to find it in as
good order as / leave it,"
Both the Colonel and the Lieutenant
We're enthusiastic gardeners.
As the regiment tamped past, Mrs
Long cried out:
"Good-by, Ninety-fourlhl God bless
youl'
And the men shouted back;
"Good-by our LADY, God bless you Mrs
Long,"
It was a last farewell for many Of them
though they little thought il: for a fort
night later Colonel Anstruther and more
than half his men were killed at Bronx
horst Spruit
out ON the open veldt. about half q
mile from the town, were eighty military
huts, each fifty feet long by eighteen
feet wide. built two abreast. with an
intervening space Of thirty feet the
whole forming paraleiogram seventy
eight yards i'm length by twenty I'm
breadth. Al the first rumOr Of dsafiectiOu
among the Beers. Lieutenant Long re-
solved to withdraw his men into these
huts. and throw up some kind of shelter
round them. for up TO this time they
stood without the slightest enclosure,
and Utterly unprotected The force under
his command consisted of fifty privates
and three nOn-cOmmissioned officers Of
the Ninety-fourth seven privates and a
sergeant of the Royal Engineers. three
privates and a conductor of the Army
Service COrps-in all including Or. Falvey
of the Army Medical Department
and Lieutenant Long himself, siXty-sX
officers and men.
Mrs Long. who had been living with
her husband I'm a pretty little cottage
uncovered I'M roses and frut-trees at
the lower end of town, without
moments hesitation decided 20 leave her
comfortable home and take up quarters
with her husband. Her many friends in
Lydenberg tried in vain TO dissuade her
from the step. She was offered q warm
welcome i'm half-dOZen houses; but the
brave little woman said that her place
was beside her husband. So the soldiers
brought her belongings from the pretty
little cottage TO one of the huts, and
showed their admiration for her pluck
by taking the greatest pains i'm making
her quarters as tasteful and comfortable
as possible. There was, however, but
scant accommodation for a lady IN the hut
assigned TO her. which sheltered under
ifs roof three horses (whose every move
ment was distinctly audible) besides her
self ana husband.
on The 18TH Of December they began
throwing up works of defence round the
hints and Mrs Long delighted the men
nv working as hard as any OF them. ON
the 23d of December the appalling news
reached them Of the massacre Of the
Ninety fourth an Bronkhorst Spruit But,
stunned though they were Bog he terrible
ttJines they set TO work more vigorously
thau eyer to complete then deiences
when The tiny fort was finished 10 was
cbristeued Fort Mary. in honor OF Mrs.
= arg. ana Father Walch, Roman
refbolic priest who had elected 10 east
D., ris lot with the little garrison FORM
ally blessed d. ,.,-,. A.,
An envoy from the Beers, Dietrich NM
on,.asred on the 18th OF December
~, ,A - nroposal that the garrison should
'.,.r.,,der and accept a safe conduct into
Natal His surprise at the yoeih'al APP
= ',....,,,ce Of the commander OF the Tor
- great pat younkerF he exclaimed
e.. Dontempt. but dat younker was not
=. ,,,Den az Mr.. Muller imagined re shs-
,'.ela yritin9 10 Pretoria for instruc-
o. muller consented and Lieutenant
-, tbus cleverly gained delay of
az deve which he utilized In very ma
,siaiiv strengthening his defences
ON The am of January the Botrs APP
peared in force, some '~ OF the"'' an"