The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-04-02
THE EFFECT OF THE WAR
Busy johannesburg Is Now as a City Of
The Dead.
TUE OUTPUT OF GOLD HAS STOPPED
MiIItonaires and Hack Drivers NJ
Longer Loaf About the Clubs
aud streets.

fishes the following correspondence from
Pretoria under date OF February ~:
johannesburg tof which II has been said
feMfully dead city at present. The bulk
or its white population has deserted the
rand and also many OF the Knfhrs. The
streets are dested, the tram cars do not
run and the hundreds OF rickshaws have
dwindled to half dozen. A few decrepit
lone cabs stand idly about the squares.
Most of the shops are closed aud the win
dows boarded up. The countless chimneys
which tower above the mines are cold. cx-
cept the few being worked by the gov
ornment. The enormous gold output has
stopped.
This vast mint which before the war
was grinding out money at the rate Of a
million dollars a day has closed DOM
Indefinitely. But one hotel and few
small restaurants are open. MiIlonairas
no longer loaf in the luxurious roons Of
the Rand club. Thanks TO the special po-
lice, principally composed OF Americans,
perfect order is maintained and ample pro-
teciion afforded. No saloons ara per-
mitted to keep oper. The same wise
pItCdhllOn Is enforced IN IItlOIlQ
striking feature of Johannesburg at pres
ent is the large number of United States
flags displayed The Stars and Stripes
wave everywhere, even above many kralls
10 the suburbs. Apparently Uncle Sam
has few black citizens In South Africa
he has never heard OF.
More than 5000 British prisoners are
now in Pretoria They are well aud
humauely treated, as they themselves
pf ,fu
over a hundred have been captured, arc
quartered In the Staat Model school
fine. new, we'll ventilated building. Peo-
pie IN England who have friends i'm
prisoned by the Beers need have no unas-
ness on their account.
The problem OF what TO do with the
prisoners OF war is becoming a serious one.
Although there Is at present no scarcity
OF food. the government feels that it can
ill-afford IN feed so many hungry mouths
for an indefinite period.
scene Incidental to the perpetual
diminishing about the Tugela ana Lady
smith illustrates the seeming haphazard
fighting methods OF the Boers Just rs
dawn was breaking one morning patrol
Of about 200 British cavalry crossed Klein
Tugela. near tho Pont drift and rode
rpidly toward where small herd of cat
tie. which had strayed from the Boer lines
during the night, was grazing. The Brit
ish had advanced some distance before
they were observed by a Boer picket sta.
TONED on an Isolated roof kopie.
Four hurghers composed the nicket
They mounted instantly aud reie to inter-
cept the British. firing several shots to
give the alarm. 1t was sight 70 stir
the blood to see those Boers dashing at
swinging gallop over the rocks and
gullies which roughened the plain The
pale blue mist rising from the river and
yelling the hills beyond made pretty
background to the spirited fight which fol-
lowed.
The four Beers reached kopje In the
pam of the British. sprang from their
horses. sought cover and began peppering
away BY this time dozen other burgh-
ers. drawn from neigh5pring pickets by
tho hrst shots fred, were galoping across
the flats to aid the original four making
total force OF about sixteen Then en-
sued pretty skirmish, The British dis
mounted and pushed ahead to dlslodge the
beers and secure the cattle For half
an hour there was a splatter of rifle fire
then the British concluded the game was
not worth the candle and retired. They
ieit sixteen dead on the ground and car
t,eu away numher OF wounded. The
Beers did not have q man scratche.
BY the time the fight was over. fully
sVO beers - hnrrying to get into H.
NO orders had ~ on given 10 q single man
me standing order for the Beers Is To
hssten TO where there is lighting. IL Il
Moibes principle march to the sounds of
the hring' on a reduced rule,
The Beer generals determiuedly adhere
however possible, to thsir defensiye
tactics. This policy accounts for the'r
small losses, which have not yet reached
total disability OF 500 for the entire war
Ihey have no reserves The army con-
slsts OF the male population OF the TWO re-
puoliems between the ages OF ~ and so
Every man or boy put out Of action IL
permanently lost. Men are precious
particularly the burghers. for oven n thn
lransyaal had Europe for recrnitinr
ground, such men once lost, could not
DO replaced. A Boer rineman IL c,usl to
nall dozen ordinary soldiers. Then.
the Boer government regarded the llyes
OF It's citizens as too precious 10 be thrown
away II IS not lack OF courage hat In
duces boer TO seek cover. Let no
erroneous impression get about This.
Az night the scenes about he laapsrz
are intensely picturesque. The ourgbers
SIT about smoking and chat ne iovi / v
gererslly about matters OF the 5me ana
farri. Nine o'clock Is the hour for re-
airing. There Is no busle to sound ptars.
nut here and there COW no II Is hlovr,
as signal for the hour The cba.ter
ceases and within Ave minutes the moon.
al u is shining) will reveal scat. erFd
groups OF hurghers on their knees. offer
lag up the evening prayer