Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-04-19

% f~~"A Ava 0oSu poAoOA
per day; tea, 1s o.; coffee, l-6 OF
sugar, oz. per person per day; bread
l loaf. weighing l01s OF, per person
per day. Butter was considered 8
luxury. If you got it you paid dearly
for it. I know one pound selling fol
el-$4.S7 in our money. Chickens or
the market sold for Is shillings-S5. Il
each. Eggs, "a to So per dozen. We
paid 24c q pint for milk. Condensed
milk could not be obtained without q
certificate from q doctor. You haa tc
get q certificate from doctor for any
kind of a luxury, such as canned
meats, fish, cheese, fruit, etc. Any.
thing that the military had in these
stores you could get at the usual price
but yeu could not got a permit unless
on account OF sickness. The rich and
poor were all the same. Grapes were
selling at SO to 60 cents per pound;
peaches about the same; potatoes 70
cents per pound; tomatoes 80 to 60
cents per pound-hsrd to get at that.
I have seen women trsmpled under
foot at the market places; seen strong
men cry for 'aosf' of bread. Being
assistant quarter master, had the
handling of the eatables. have had
men come to me with tesrs in their
eyes and y handful of money just for
one more loaf of bread. But could
not let them have it, because we only
got enough for one loaf for each man.
II he ate 1t all for one meal he had to
make out the best he could until we
received the next day g rations.
On December 25-Shr,stmas day
the Beers sent In blank she'll filled
with plum pudding and a note from
the Boer commandant wishing us the
season, and thus the case goes on. The
Beers we're eating plum pudding while
we were starving
l will now pass on to January 8,
when the most eventful thing in my
life took place The military author
tiles issned a proclamation stating
that all beef cattle had been consumed
and from that date horsetlesh would
be supplied instead of beef. Now,
this cnpped the climax. Here we were,
had been half starved for the past
month; weakened physically, mentally
and otherwise by lack of proper food
and fear of shells, but can safely say
that there was nothing shattered the
nerves cf the population of Kimberley
more thsn this proclamation stating
that hurdle jumpers and mules we're to
be our sustensnce henceforth, and in.
stead of getting half pound per day
the allowance was to be cut down to q
quarter of a pound each per d.y This
made It worse. but for some people il
did not make much difference, ss they
could not have eaten grain of it at
any cost. Lots of people died because
the supply Of foodstnffs was insuffi-
cient AS for nv wife and myself
were concerned, we really did not OBJ
ject to the taste of the meat; It was
only the idea that caused us to finch.
But we did not finch much when we
were hungry. and we both like soul
made from hOrsellash. YOn ought tC
have seen the men q: eur fort eat mule
meat. We did not get mule meat very
often. The reason was, suppose
that there We're not so many mules
killed in the battles around Ktmber-
ley. They used horses principally te
go and hunt the Boers, and when one
was killed they would use him fo,
meat. Anyhow it looked that way
when you compared the quantity We
got of each. From January Sto Feb
ruary is l can tell you our rations
we're slim. There were soup kitchens
where you con!d take your jug and gel
pint of coup each day for 6 cents
Here You would So the banker, clergy.
man, lawyer, and tramp, jcstling along
side by side. trying to see who would
get their jug filled first. Money WAS
practically of no use. as thare was
nothing for you to'buv. unless you had
certitica from fhe doctor or wanted
samsthing :" drifk. Thts'ls great
place for drinking, but drinks, like
every other thing, run short. Ru,
people seem to get along better with
out eatables than without drinks. so
the saloons made drinks. They tool
spirits Of wine. coal oil. tobacco juic,
and small quantity Of citric acid
made decoc.ion Of this and sold Il I,
the people for whisky. One drink wa
sufficient to cure case of smallpox
two WAS warranted 10 cure leprosv
and three would make man Join the
Beers.
Lard was an article that was entirel,
run ont People we're using sweet oi
and common lard for cooking purposes
Su ar was also scarce article. Peo
Pile were buying candy to use in plac
of sugar. Just fancy 9 gnmdrop il
your tea.
have tired to give you an idea q
what we have psssed through. Ou
relief column arrived here on Feb. II
but II VA. soma time before We got
change Of diet the railway had to b
repaired and the military supplies
had to be brought mp first bnt at th,
present we are getting everything. a