The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-04-04
WEBSTER DAVIS TALKS
Related The Story Of His Trip to South
Africa to frlend.s
THE BRITISH HAVE LIED ABOUT THE BOERs
Pretoria. He Says. IL gnprernnbic
and Has Plenty of Prosisions-Ad-
miration for President kruger.

New York, April ga special to III
Herald from Washington says. After Sec
rotary OF tho Interior Hitchcock sent I
Webster Davis brief note in which h
said the president had asked him TO an
nounce that Mr., Davis' resignation hal
been accepted, 10 take effect April ]. Mr.
Davis felt at liberty to talk Freely upor
the South African situation. and TO
friend he related the history Of his trip.
My journey was uneventful until W,
crossed the Transvaal border and stopped
at koomatipoort." he said. There tn,
whole neghborhood turned out to welcome
me. At station after station the station
master would come 10 the car touch hi
red cap and ask IL here was anything n,
/ could do for my comfort.
yet the English told me with greai
postiveness that the savage Beers would
shoot me as soon as they learned | spoke
English. They tell this lie so mucn a.
! Capetown that they even got Coionc
stowe, our consul there. to believe 1t. NJ
Pretoria | was given q cordial greeting
I Marvellous to state, during all the time
was there not one man asked me whether
| favored The British or the Beers
Il viewed the detenses of Pretoria! and
consider them impregnable. DO not be-
lieve the English troops will ever pass
tire line of hills surrounding the town,
bristling as they arc with high power
Krupp and Crusot guns.
There seems very general impress
sion that the guns used by the Beers IN
the field We're taken from the fortrssse,
at Pretoria but ! saw every earthw1rk
and fort surrounding the town and could
not see where any guns had been removed
They wsre all there and formidable they
looked.
When l describe the city as impreg-
nable. | speak that judgment of nau
of common sense. Pretoria lies in basin,
surrounded by rugged hills, affordinS
most admirable opportunities for defense.
While there ! learned enough to know
that the city is one vast store house Of
foodstuffs and ammunition.
What Amurssa ed me most was the
natural bgness Of that grand old man,
Kruger. | consider him as possessed Of
more of the elements of greatness than
any man l ever met. At 10 he is as full
OF vigor as the average man who owns up
to twenty years less. His versatility I'M
pressed me deeply. | have it on unlm-
peachabe authority that the battle of
colenso, where Butler was crushed by the
Beers, was planned entirely by this old
man. Joubert carried out Kruger's In
structions to the lettsr and won that sig
nal victory by the directions by an old
man away up there in Pretoria.
II was present at the battle OF Spionkop
and saw thin line Of Beers drive an
army before them. After the fight 1
walked over the field aud counted the dead
bodies of 125 Englishmen in one trench,
where The Beers had placed them for
burial.
During my stay in the ncighb1!houd |
visited every laager in the lines surround
ing the city and talked with scores OF Of
icers and men ! visited the lines along
the Tugela river, where Butler and his
80 900 men were held at bay, \ speak
from the most positive knowledge when
/ say that. all OF the Bper troops in thst
region numbered hut 1000 With this
force Jouhert aud Botha held Butler back
and kept White and his $1,000 men
coralled in the town
When Cronje was threatened, 1000 meu
were sent to him from Ladysmith, leav-
its about 5000 to face the 50 900 men Of
tho enemy.
at the battle of the Little Tugela. when
Butler was again driven back upon Chieve-
ley. | saw General Botha in action nnd I.
consider him the greatest OF the Dutch
commanders. When the lighting began
Botha was sauntering along behind the
lire of trenches watching his men taking
,areful shots at the advancing British
force. For half an hour after we could
first detect the movement, there was not
much excitement, but all al once there
was rush of cavalry and artillery, and
the double-quicl OF infantry in open order.
The bullets began to pater around us and
two burghers were hit close beside Botha.
lie seemed TO awake instantly and sprang
down into the trenches exclaimng shoot.
shoot, in Dutch. As the word was ear
ried along the lines. he caught I'M the
rife FROM the hands OF a dead burgher and
began making quick but careful shots al
The foe.
Five minutes and it was over, as
quickly as the rush had began From The
Boer side it was like the Kinllng de-
scriptons-a fight with the suzzy wuzzie
in the desert.
AT Pretoria ] met President Steyn. |
also learned that there is no truth in tho
report coming from English sources con-
'erning discussions between the two
presidents. They are Imperfect accord
AS ] said before | do not believe the
British VII ever enter Pretoria, Even
The women OF the town are supplied with
rifles and are daily practising in marks |
Some OF them are very expert, |
and their average shooting is good The |
strength OF Kruger and his burghers lies |
n the belief that God is with them"
AGUINALDO IN SING ApORE