Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-02-01
BOERS KEPT THEIR PROMISE.
Protected English Farmer Who Re-
manned at Home.

Protected English Farmer Who Re-
manned at Home.
John H. Wallace of CliffdaIe, High
lands, writes as follows, says the Natal
Mercury, to a relative in PIetermaritz-
burg, under date of Nov. 26:
Saturday, Nov. IS, we heard shots
| about a mile below the house. l had
| heard of the 'whip-like crack Of the
Mauser, and was afraid the invasion,
as far as we were concerned, was an
accomplished fact l sent a native
with my glasses flying to the top of the
mountain, and he returned, saying the
beers were encamped and shooting OK
en-for food, he supposed. AS you
know, | did not mean to move. There
was time now to get away, but my
wife said: Jack, we will see this out
together My duty was plainly to
stay, to trust to the boer proclama
tions, and to put them on their honor;
and the end has justified the line l
took
I'VE went out on the lawn with our
glasses to see the invasion. The ma
tives and coolies behaved well. We
told them we should stop with them.
Cliffdale is, as you know, a place where
80 men and a Maxim could keep
thousand men at bay, and it was a
sight to see the way these boer peas
ants took possession of it. | would
not have missed it for anything. The
way those mounted men got up the
steep, stony sides of the hills on each
side of the road, while others came
along it, was a lesson in the use of
mounted infantry that | wish the Staff
college could have seen. The marvel
Gus advantage they took of every bit
of cover, and the way they took their
horses over as rough country as you
can wish for, was revelation.
when we we're surrounded they
sent six men to the house. Carrie
and I went to meet them. They all
raised their hats, and then the one in
authority asked my name, etc. ] told
him, and that l had stayed here on the
strength of their proclamations, and |
demanded protection for ourselves and
for our property. He said: Nothing
of yours shall be taken without pay
meRt. Our orders are that the prop
erty of everyone who stays on his
farm is to be respected and the farm
ers protected They said that they
must stay at the house until they COM
municated with the general. They
had some milk to drink, and presently
said that we could go on with our.
the general in the morning. I saw
Commandant Trichardt. He said he
wanted some oxen, but he would pay
for them. | told him I only had 81
left, which l was blowing with, and if
he took them I should be in a bad
plight He took four only, and gave
me an order on Pretoria for them.
asked him about my cattle, which were
sorted into four paddocks. He replied:
You will be protected
At o'clock on Sunday afternoon
their ambulances arrived in charge of
Drs. Moorhead and Watt, and never in
my life have l met two truer, kinder
| hearted or more humane men. They
| feared an immediate engagement, and
| asked if they could have the barn for
the wounded. Carrie said: eff you
will bring our English as well as the
Dutch for me to help nurse, l will do
all I can The next morning the am
bulance brought Joubert's stepson,
shot through the stomach. We put
him in d bedroom, and, besides two
sick men, that is all this commando
had during the week, except some
killed by lightning. The men killed
and wounded during the week besides
this one belonged to Piet Joubert s
column.
These $50 beers had trekked down
from wrecking the armored train. The
beers tell me the shooting by Thor
neycroft's men on Monday Nov. 10
was the most accurate they have seen
There were only Is of them, but not a
head could be shown that a bullet die
not ring on the stone by it. Their ain
and elevation were perfect, but, Of
course, the beers were safe behind the
powders. Five hundred men could
have captured the whole force any
day
This commando was waiting FOL
Joubert, who came on the upper side
> of Estcourt. They joined on Friday,
believe, and yesterday were in full re
treat from Cliffdale, from 4:3O a. m
until the last ambulance passed, at
p. m. I should think 1000 called a
the house, and all behaved we'll, ex
cept two Englishmen, one of whom
was found by Carrie in the stable-yart
trying to steal my horse, Priestcraft
All the old beers paid high compli
ments to Carrie. They said she was
=. brave, good woman, and every Dutch
man who passed the house took of hi
hat to her, and we heard them sa
time after time that by the general
orders not thing was to be touched.