Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-07
LONDON LETTER
ALLEGED BOER BREACHES OF THE
CUSTOMS OF WAR.
THEY FIRED ON AMBULANCES.
But British Officer Says It Was Not
Deliberate-He Defends Several
Boer Actions.

0OST aCI1OuSs
London, April 2s.-(Correspondence OF
the Associated ress.)-Taday prints an
article from its caustic British military
officer correspondent in South Africa be-
littling the charges of t~reachery made
against the Beers.
Eve since the war commenced there
has been a series of allegations of cruel
ty, perfidy, the breaches of the customs
of civilized war on the part of the Beers.
mo only does my position in life as
a subject and a servant of her majesty
naturally inspire me to side with the
popular view against the enemies of my
country. but my previous service in South
Africa would scarcely warrant my be-
ing more partial to the Beers than to
my own countrymen. We soldiers, how
ever, by years of training, have learned
to keep our heads cool and our eyes clear
in what are, to the rest Of the world. mo-
ments OF excitement. AS we w Moth
ing to gain by eNaggeration n no pub
lie to cater for. our words should have
more weight than those civilian writer's
who see what for the first time those who
never see it at close quarters and those
who receive all but the barest official in
formation from the TommieS who either
$Naggerate for playfulness, or who are
1t accustomed to weigh their words
carefully.
Il have nothing to gain one way or the
other. and that being so. I may safely
tell the plain, unvarnished truth, which
IS likely to be as unpopular on this sub
Ject as on all others. 1t is not my wish
to morally whitewash the Beers with
words of praise. but I think l Am in a po-
sition to account for a good many things
in a way which, when l have given scien-
tific reasons ma satisfy my readers.
The first of these branches of the GUS
toms Of war occurred, or was supposed
to have occurred, at the battle of Glen
coe. the first struggle of the war. The al
legation was that when Talana Hill was
captured by the Dublin fusiliers the
Beers retired. carrying white flags over
, their shoulders, and thus saved them
selves from destruction by our rifles and
guns. | have made careful inquiries from
htflcers-senior oficers-who We're pres
ert, and whom I know to be soldiers
likely to observe accurately. One of these
assures me, and the others tell a similar
story, that he was one of the first to
reach the top of the hill and was well
placed for observing. He found the bulk
OF the Boer army in full retreat at a
distance of about 1,500 yards, but a small
Ter number of men who had been left
to hold the hill to the last and cover he
retreat were much closer. and also in full
retreat. They had left behind them in
thelr hurried flight a field hospital. and
10 TINS rode a Boer. coming from the
main body and holding a white flag.
He carried a letter to the English
general asking for an armistice to en-
able them to bury the dead and carry off
the wounded. No doubt the stage of the
heht at which such a request could be
granted had not yet arrived, but by no
stretch of prejudice could 1t be termed
sFeacherous, or a misuse of the white
nag. nor should it in any way have pre-
vented our guns firing on the retreating
army. That they did not fire is true, but
!ilaF was due to a false view of human-
itv on the part of officers In command
! nave been assured by all of whom I
nave inquired that no other flag was
raised and that it was practically limos
them. ny
IT was repeatedly stated after the
battle of Colenso that the Boar artiuerv
had fired on our ambulances and that
one or them had ever been overturned
by a shell. 1t is undoubtedly true that
a number of shells went close TO he
alnbulances. and l believe that one was
really struck. but there is no reason to
oeiieEe that' they We're deliberately
aimed at. l had myself occasion to 90
to the ambulances during the fight and
found them placed directly in front of
d mn on Which was a naval gun. The
held batteries We're at the time in action
a snort distance in advance, so that tha
anbulances We're between the two, and
not very far from either. Is it reason
able to suppose that the Boer artillery
should submit without replying to our
smell fire because we choose to select so
improper a place for the wounded? They
certainly could not have fired at the guns
without any shots falling very close to
the ambulances. I have heard since
but | cannot vouch for it's accuracy-
That the position in front of the naval
gun was selected by a staff officer con-
trary to the opinion of the medical officer
in charge.
After the Irish brigade had been Or
dered to retire, the ambulances advanced
over the ground IN which it had been
fought and was covered with dead and
wounded men. A considerable body IF
men had, however. not heard the order
TO retire, and, fighting d%oggedly on, held
the ground for three hours after the gem
eral retirement, in spite of being nearly
surrounded by the Beers. The ambu-
iances came on quite close to these men
and aga1 received some Of the fire
meant for others. The Beers protested
angr1ly at the time to some of the Off
GERS, who had been made prisoners.
against the firing being kept up when the