The Republican journal., 1900-02-22
Beers Drawn to Lite.
Inside Picture of Affairs in Their Republics.

| DEMON, Me-, mas Dee0 In WateTvllIe and
vicinity for some time visiting relatives.
Twenty years ago she married Mr.. Ach-
doff, who is engaged in the South African
trade. Mrs. Achdoff has lived in Cape
Town, Johannesburg and Durham for
months at time. Her husband is Ger
man, with a decided friendship for the
Beers. In fact, he is in South Africa now
somewhere within the Boer hnes His
last communication was from Colesberg,
in Cape Colony. Touching upon the war,
Mrs. Achdoff said
''My husband is interested in general
stores all through South Africa, and |
have kept myself posted regarding the
condition of things in that land. l have
passed nearly Is years of my married life
among the people that are fighting the
English. We have known of the immense
work of fortifying the natural avenues
north from Cape Town. The preparations
have been in progress for the past five
years, and no one knew it any better than
the English, yet they never tried to obtain
any plans of Notifications, resting on the
theory that English arms will always pre-
vail anywhere. They have found out
their mistake by this time.
''The hills to the north were prepared
for fertilization at least five years ago, to
my certain knowledge. 1t was common
thing for large parties of excursionists to
go down from Ladysmith to visit the
scene of operations looking to the future
national defence. l have been over the
very scene of the trenches and gun pits
that held back Butler early in the month
l made the trip ON horseback for the fun
of it, as many thousands of other people
have done Yet, with all this open prep
aration on the part of the Beers, under
the very noses of the English garrisons,
and for the specified purpose of defeating
the possibility of another English inva-
sion, the latter were perfectly unfamiliar
with the plan of Notifications when the
war was declared.
81 have read much about the Boer be-
ing born with a rifle in his hand and
brought up on horseback. In my expert
ence there, | never heard of any remark
able rifle shooting or any expert riding on
the part of the Beers. AS matter of
fact, | found them to be "a remarkably
slow people, and the fact was common
and plain to US that they would do any
thing rather than fight.
"My husband wrote me just before the
war broke out that the main hope Of the
Beers was that the English would attempt
to come into the Transvaa| to the relief of
| the garrisons that were on the list to first
come under the attention of the Beers
la that letter he said: If the English
should try to come into the Transvaal by
the regular routes to Ladysmith and Kim
| berey, which will naturally be the places
descended upon by krugers men, they
will be as impossible to penetrate as the
rock of Gibraltar itself. There IS plenty
of help coming, in case war does come,
from the sources that have for many
years stirred the natives to hostility to the
English; in fact, if war comes England
will find herself confronted with the best
| military genius of continental Europe
81 think that my husbands prophecy
has been proven too true. guess every
body is satisfied by this time that the
English are not fighting Boer genius
alone. My husband has indicated to me
that there has been fear that the English
would succeed in stopping the importa-
ton of bread stuff into the Transvaal,
tor he has said that if that was the case
it would be all up with the Beers in six
months.
you must understand that the Boer
army is made up from the farms, and that
there are few to do the farming now.
Pruducts snoil in that section of the
world Quicker than in other cnunrries It
e hest Tor nv husband th + the Roers win
hnt I can t.Ij Won one rhinc the Rners as
a neople would never nave zone into this
wa, for howe of President K,noer or for
lava az countrv had NOT o,har nations
thronub cnnninp REPRESENTATIVES, nroed
II
..Tbis talk ahout the Roers tibtino for
;ndannudanca is All varv walI haTa IL
America where indenendence was horn
h,,t d,,yn tbara in Snnth Afric,, If i. y
mich different tbing as Won viii laarn
VIVIAN this VII i cInsnd Tha Rnars ara
tiohtinr rhe Enolish more because thev
b9vs hem told h2 Of her nations fiat thpy
lave q g,ievarca tl,an hecansa tbep ha,
linye If themselves and wh;]e Jhinl
III Enol,sh havn ,nnn u,nna i, his
instance thew are doinr no n'n,a IN NV
o,,ininn rha, any milan .hnnld do NV ;+s
, eff the Beers had some Young diplo-
matte head to take charge of their affairs
A this war would never have come on, bur
President Kruger has been told that he
! is sharp and able. and he believes il. Talk
! about the Beers and their struggle for in
| dependence-do you suppose there will
/ L. H.. lI