The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-07
WOMEN in THE TRENCHES
SOUTH AFRICAN AMAZONS DEFEND
ING THEIR HOMES.
wives and Daughters of BOer Soldiers
Fighting the British-Fate of
Fourteen HerOines.

NEW YORK, April GA correspondent
of the World, writing from Pretoria March
/. says: 1.-THE world knows no finer example
of heroism than that exhibited by fourteen
women on one of the five days fighting
around Spion kop. A strictly family party
of Beers, fourteen men and their wives,
were intrenched in one position and held
it with zing bravery against small
force of British. For long time the men
fought necessarily and kept their wives
busy reloading their rifles. Finally fifty
British soldiers, with fixed bayonets
charged on the intrenchment AS they
came closer and closer the Boer men crept
over the earthworks, and. while the women
began shooting, tried with the butts of their
rifles to hammer back the British. Before
their wives eyes every one of the fourteen
Beers were killed, bayoneted or shot. The
fourteen women, quickly widowed. never
thought of surrender, but fought most val
iantly and coolly for half an hour. The
British surrounded them. Not one Of the
fourteen survived to mourn her husband $
death. Two days later, when the British
forces retired across the Tugela, twenty
eight cOrpses, fourteen men and fourteen
women, were found within radius of one
hundred feet. Now there is a long grave
where rest the bodies of as brave band as
ever fought for freedom.
Scores of women have been in every
commands laager L have visited and only
one has been without her ri1e-Mrs. Jou-
bert, wife of the general of the Transvaal
forces. But their bravery does not rob
these women OF any womanly qualities
love, tenderness, gentleneSs, pity. Not far
from the Pretoria laager L found young
Boer woman under canopy OF the big trek
ing wagons. Her tears were falling so
copiousiy that they moistened her dress.
She was only nineteen years old. comely,
We'll dressed. Ii Is nothing strange to see a
Boer woman weeping; there is not one but
has lost some relative in the war. But this
ones grief was so extreme that / stopped
and found she spoke English exceptionally
well. She told me her sister had been killed
by sharp shooter the day before She
was my twin sister and we never passed a
day apart, she said, between her sobs. 1t
breaks my heart TO think that she lies over
there under the ground She pointed to a
mound of fresh earth, with line of stones
around and over 1t, short distance away.
She told me, too her father, five brothers
and innumerable relatives were fighting.
'Ouch.' she exclaimed, as her arm sud-
denly twitched
Then 1 saw small hole i'm the right
sleeve of her dress just above the elbow.
nave you Deen WOUNDED. l. asked.
" oh, yes she replied rather languidly.
"A bullet grazed me, and occasionally ii
pains me very much
Then this girl of nineteen years eX-
planned, rather alphabetically, that her
father compelled her to remain in the
wagon until the wound was healed. If il
were not for him. she said. Il should not be
here crying. I'd be down in yonder trench.
where L ought TO be-
THE men suffer extremely from home
sickness when the women are absent, for
than few hours, and no finer or more in
spring exemplification of patriotism can be
found on Gods footstool than a Roer wom-
an by her husbands side, rife in her
hands All but one of the women whom
have seen wore black brown dresses.
One was in mans apparel, but the Beers
tell me the women often put on their hus-
bands clothing when their own becomes
worn. In the early days of the campaign
the British captured three Boer women in
mems clothing and they are still held as
prisoners of war on the warships at ST.
monstown, near Cape Town. but they have
been supplied with proper clothing
Whether they fought or whether they
cured inconsistencies or not, ii would be hard
to keep these warrior women from the
front They were the first to insist that
they are sharing the burden and expect to
share the glory. For every Boer man or
woman. old young. firmly believes that
the republics will ultimately triumph The
relief of Kimberley and that of Ladysmith
are regarded not defeats, but rather as
victories. inasmuch as the Boer forces.
which have been lying almost idle around
those cities, can now be taken where there
is real fighting.