Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-01-05
a PLUCKY POSTMASTER.
Experience OF a British Official
at Dundee, Natal
MIsBRIEs OF A JoLPING JOURNEY.

How Mr. II. III. Paris Worked the TeIe-
graph Instruments Long After the
British Had Reiterated - Sending
Messages While Shells Went Whi=-
zinE over the Postoffice.
Mr.. III. II. Paris, postmaster at Dun
dee, Natal. has written home a graphic
account of his experiences, says the
London Daily News. After describing
the fighting at Glencoe he proceeds:
LAS you know. we lost over 200 killed
and wounded in storming the hill. and
the Beers also lost very heavily. They
lost more than we did. Unfortunately
our own shells killed a number of our
own men who were eagerly climbing
the hill. l went over the battlefield
and saw the dead and wounded.
Il saw General Penn Symons brought
in MORALLY wounded in the stomach.
He was suffering intense agony and
said, oh, tell me, have they taken the
hill YETI That was at 1920 a. M. and
the hill was not taken for hours later.
After the doctors had injected morphia
his pain was easier, and he said be
would be with the column on the fol
lowing day. Instead of that he is I'M
der the sod.
"On the following afternoon l went
up the hill with the burial party and
saw our dead. There were eight Off
GERS awaiting burial lying side by side
in an clubhouse or the farm. including
Lieutenant Colonel Cunning. Lieuten-
ant Colonel Sherston. Captain Pechell
and others. and in the next clubhouse
were 22 men exhibiting the most fright
full wounds. In one house on the other
side OF the hill about so wounded Beers
were lying. with only one doctor to at
tend TO them They were very down
hearted and said they had no idea that
our artillery fire was so terrible.
.'On the evening of the DIST we re-
ceived orders to leave the town and
proceed to the South African collieries.
My staff and | were about the last TO
leave. and we got off on n three miles
walk. 1t was a pitch dark night. and
no lights were allowed. About half
way we were stopped by our outpoSts,
who demanded the password | replied
that ! did not know it, but that | was
the postmaster. The password was
given 10 us. and farther on we were
again stopped. Here | asked TO see
the officer in charge and was led into
dirty colliery store. where L found
him with his head bandagcd up. dry
ing his trousers before a wood fire. 1t
appeared that lie had fallen down a
well in the dark. | told him | was
willing To go back and work the in
struments if they thought it was safe.
but lie advised me to go forward in
stead of back.
''Journeying through slush and mud
and Il pitilessly cold rain, we came to
the machinery shed of the collieries.
We were ordered up a steep ladder to
a room above. Here we stumbled over
sleeping bodies. because no lights were
allowed. and finally we wedged our
selves in. lying on the bare floor on a
night that seemed TO wither ones mar
row. At $50 a. III. we were again or
dered to get up, and we made the best
of our way TO the new camp, which
was at ROwan's farmhouse. about a
mile away. When we arrived. there
was nothing to eat, and we found hun
dreds of civilians huddled together
When daylight came, they
broke open the cupboards in search of
food. and little timed fish was
found.
Major General Yule then took up
his position in this house. and he sent
for me, asking me to go TO the office
with a message stating that the Beers
had surrounded us. He required re-
from Ladysmith and eX-
pected they were near at hand In
fact, he was going 10 Glencoe juno
ton 10 meet them. AS | rode in the
Beers were Smelling tue town with two
10 FOUNDERS. The shells went whiZ-
Zing over the office. and you may be
certain l got the messages sent as soon
as possible. l also ascertained that no
reliefs were being sent. which surpris-
ed General Yule very much. Previous
10 starting | was given a biscuit and
some corned beef. which l ravenously
ate as / rode along. Altogether, we
were at the office four different times
during the day. having to travel the
distance in full view of those 40 pound
ers.
AT . a. N. the general asked me to
go in with another telegram, adding
that lie wished us to destroy all mill
tary MESA Ges that had been sent. l
replied that my staff and myself would
go in. but l pointed out that we did not
desire TO he abandonec% and / asked
him il he could let us know when they
were retreatinG TO Ladysmith. He said
that he quite understood the position
and that If they decided to leave Dun |
dee he would send a mounted orderly |
to inform US.
LAS we could not get horses. we |
walked into tho town and we did as |
while we also kept up tele- |
graphic communication with Pieterma-
The postmaster general wired |
rongrat ulatinC us on sticking to our |
posts To the last. The camp field tcle-
graph staff had bolted the day before. |
At II 80 r. III. a friend. who is a guide /