The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1900-01-10
AS HE FOUND THEM.
An Unfortunate, but Evidently Bright,
Man Writes E~ntertainingly # His
Experiences in the Land
ofthe Beers.

MIEneapOllS JOuTnhi. y Wy ~
ton "The Beers as l Found Them }
G. D., a convict in the Minnesota penn
Tertiary at Saltwater. contributes 20 'ht
Prison Mirror the following interesting
article:
1t was the year 1890 found me in Del!
agoa Bay, Portugal, South Africa, a oe'
serter from a tramp steamer l hearc
of the Trausvanl and determined to tr!
nv luck. But the Transvaal was a long
distance away, AID when l found out
would have to trek il. It kind OF made
me wish | was back on the Tioga, bound
for Lisbon: but when | heard Ia have &c
go through the Zulu country, l prayed
Nevertheless | Joined our as q cook with
a lot Of S.o,chuen going 10 Natal and
had an easy berth as far as Rhodesia,
After that | was 10y aud for myself. a
lone mover. Kimberley was my object
i've point and | made it by rail. All
along | found Dutch. Dutch: wherever
went / e was there. Being Of Dutch ex-
traction myself. it was az easy thing 10
ingratiate myself into their favor. for
they hate the English worse than TIE
Basutus. and with good cause.
After remaining in Kimberley four
months. | went to johannesburg. Those
| of YOU who have ever been in Ell Paso,
| Texas. have been in Johannesburg, save
| for the people they ara identical. Every
| where I went l was we'll received and
treated by the Dutch, and if l failed to
give grace at meal times, it was only nc.
! credited to ignorance. TO me they
| seemed to be religious fsnatica, Tor it
! was a continued prayer from sunrise to
bedtime, day in and day out. no one was
excused. For instance, l never saw "a
church on the "veldt." plains or farming
regions, and yet Of a Sunday these peo-
pie would come to a given center from
all directions, hold religious services in
the opon air near some farmers 'kraal."
Nothing like 1t in this country. Moody
could never draw such crowds. Then
their schools.
| see the papers state that they are
ignorant to a degree. Do yon know why
they are ignorant: Ill tell you; it is
because they are Dutch and only teach
their children the Dutch tongue and
educate them as Dutchmen and Dutch
women. but try to puzzle them in math
ematlcs. geography or reading and you
will coon learn that they are educated
despite their crude surroundings. When
| asked a farmer where his children
went TO school. he took me to II wood.
shed with two benches in It, pointed TO a
stack of books and a eiratfe's hide CATO
nine tails on the wall. as much as TO say
the school was the part Of every home,
and the cat.o.nine-talls was the Stern
teacher.
1t is also said that they are lazy and
have no ambition. Now | know il l
had to do the work one OF those Dutch
men and wife will do in the morning, l
would die from overwork in one year
Why. it is simply amazing wha. work
they can do before sunrise, and by 10 a.
m. they are through for the day and lay
around till night, or go on the %"spoor"
(huntl.
Another false accusation pIacardei
against them ls, that they strip the dead
IN battle OF all valuables. Such accusa
tions could only emanate from
the English, in order that the moral
sympathy OF this country will be shock
ed by such vile methods. It only shows
to what extremes the English will resort
to justify their base designs against a
noble people. Does it look reasonable |
that a race of people with .Amens on
their lips, singing anthems and h~osannas
as they go to battle, praying God to
strengthen them IN right and Justice of |
their cause, does it look reasonable.
ask, that they would defy Gods mercy
ny STOPPING TO strip Il fallen foe. No..
no, they are too amiable and honest:
they are above thievery and lust: thew
are lighting for freedom, for justice; they
are fighting for the divine rights of man
against the tyranny and divine right
OF kings and their methods OF bondage.
May they WIN is my wish, though the
victory may cost them dearly, though
the "veldt" be saturated with human
blood, let it be known that they are foe
worthy the worlds admiration. for
the Boer has dared and deted the very
OF tho seas, something that no
would ever think Of dong. And
why have they dared "her?" l will tell
you. 1t is because the bully has bullied
too long just people, and they have
pledged their God they would dis for hia
principles, rather than return TO an
Egyptian bondage. But where ia har
Moses to lead them? Columbia, oh
Columbia! where have you lain tho
armor OF republican independancap
Glrd 1t on, for thou art the Mo ea.
Maud-Is 5 and 80 too old tn homo o.,
Improvement? l should eay not1 nna
!ust begins to live. Take Rocky Nom.
tain lea. Youll be BLOOMING fair ~ en-