The Irish standard., 1900-07-07
DAvlrr AND v1LLEBo1s.
The Formers "reminiscences Of the
Gallant Frenchman.

reached the Dublin Freeman's Journal
from Michael Davitt during his stay in
South Africa he gives the following
sketch of Colonel Villebois- Mareuil, the
commander of the foreign legion with
the Beers:
"tAu revoir! we will meet in Paris
after the war, i'll am not shot!' A
cordial shake of the hand, vault into
the saddle and gallop across the wide
veldt, and one of the bravest and most
chivalrous Frenchmen of our time was
soon after added to the lengthening list
of victims of this accursed war. If
am not shot Just one short week after
bidding me goodbye in these words he
was killed according to one report,
after having surrendered as a prisoner
to an overwhelming force OF Lord
Methuens men, in the locality of Bo-
shot, southeast of Hoopstad, near the
road to Kimberley.
1.-THE news of his death reached Pre-
toria few hours only after I had
mailed my last batch OF letters to the
Freeman, one of which contained an ac-
count of an interview granted to me
by the colonel on March 81, at Wonder
fontein. I took his picture at the same
time with Baron Won Dedem's kodak,
a copy OF which enclosed in my letter,
and this photograph now remains the
last presentment OF the gallant French
man before his life was ended by
British bullet.
4 had only the privilege of sleeping
under the same roof with him for one
night, Of some three hours talk on the
war, French politics, and on the general
topics which crop up in casual CONVERSE
ton; but l never in my very wide ex-
perience OF men met a personality more
interesting, or a man who has left a
more favorable impression on my men,
DRY. There was about him, in manner,
speech and demeanor, all the charm OF
romantic soldier without the least sus-
picion OF an adventurer; man OF the
noblest character, fighting in a just
cause from passionate love of liberty
and an equally strong dctestaton OF the
capitalist forces which are trying to
make liberty subordinate to the money
power OF the civilized world. His loss
to the Boer cause is very great He
welded much influence in the councils
of the officers
president Steyn reposed the greatest
confidence in his judgment and in his
decisions on disputed points OF tactics
in the conduct OF the federal defensive
campaign. But the greatest loss OF all
in his untimely death is for France. He
had all the qualities necessary to the
making OF the man-character, soldier,
thinker, tatcsman-round whom his
faction-torn country could rally in any
high national purpose, after the wide
experience of this war; and had fate not
terminated his career in his too daring
expedition within the English sphere OF
vigilance, his countrynlcn might have
found in him deliverer from the mlscr-
able incompetents, pretenders and polii-
ticians, who have made the France OF
our day the prey of an ignoble gang
OF money -mongering schemers and
rogues."
At the date of Mr.. Davitts letter,
above quoted, there was no authenti-
Gated account Of the death OF Villebois,
beyond the report which has reached
this country that, on his surrender, an
English soldier rushed at him and shot
him dead, and that the soldier was sub
sequently arrested, court-martialled, and
shot by Lord Roberts orders.
Mr. Davitt thus comments thereon:
ut is right to say that President Stcyn
refuses to believe the latter part of the
report He thinks that there may have
been some confusion in the mind of the
person who supplied the information be-
tween the shooting of an officer who re-
fuses to surrender and the deliberate
killing OF man after he has been made
prisoner. Those who knew Villebois
intimately declare he would never sur-
render to any British force. Cool and
absolutely collected beyond any French
man that any of the Boer officers ever
met, he was the type of man who
would prefer death to the handing over
of his arms to such an enemy, and this
character OF the man would tend to con-
firm President Stcyn's view that he was
shot down fighting to the last This
view may be confirmed by the real facts
when they are ascertained, and they may
not.
"The feeling in the British lines
against foreign officers who are believed
to be found by the hundred in the Boer
army is very bitter. These imaginary
officers are credited with being the en-
gineers of British defeats, and the cause
of the disasters at Colenso, Magersfon-
tein, and elsewhere, and Mr.. Thomas
Atkins has doubtless made tip his mind
to settle accounts with any of them who
may cross his line of fire within recog-
nizable distance. Captain Demange, the
senior French military attache with the
Boer army, was severely wounded at the
battle OF Abramskraal, and poor Lieu
tenant Nix, one of the Dutch attaches,