The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-08-05

BLOODY BA TIE
IN MONROE PARK
Emperor's Injunction to Give No
Quarter Faithfully Kept.
BLooDIEsT OF THE CENTURY.
Humanity Shocked at Loss of Lite
No Cannons' Roar or Mus
kcts' Ratio
Heard.
.BL00DIEsT OF THE CENTURY.

It will perhaps be surprising to MANY
If not all of the residents, to know that
Monroe Park is a battlefield, but when II
is stated that within the past fe" days
a great battle has been fought wltnln the
bounds of the hedge that surrounds tiie
park, all viii be inclined to increduiltS.
Nevertheless, it is true that during the
early hours of the morning less than wv
weeks ago a bloody conflict raSed liiele
and the dead and wounded were numbered
by the hundreds, No cannon roared nor
rattle OF musketry was heard, as the
bloody edge o. battle swayed back ana
forth, as fortune seemed to favor now one,
now the other side and there was none OF
the ''pomp pride and circumstances usual
ly accompanying glorious war, ana YET
the result, no doubt, carried the panss OF
sorrow to many heart and lett vacant
place beside the hearth Of many nome.
1t was a novel sight, and one fuil Oh III.
terest, for down in the heart OF US an
there Is a love for the fierce conflict, IN
herited from unnumbered generations or
vikings, whose life was long patlie,
ana whose gods We're the gods OF war and
thunder, lightning and the storm, ana
whose faith made them to face with a ilgnt
heart the dangers Of the deep in craft SO
slight that they would crumble ike
cockleshel in the force of the angry
waters. One would have thought that the
days Of Marathon had come again, when
fgiNtng was hand to hand, and God was
not on the side of the heaviest artillery,
as the gentleman from Corsica has tersely
said with a great deal of common sense
If with little reverence.
QUESTION. AT ISSUE
On no page in history are the brave
deeds wrought in this contest recorded, and
the question Of right or wrong over which
,oslt nm
in silence No monuments arise over
their Washngtons and WelllngtonS ana
the names of their Henry and Savanarola
are unknown-yet they fought a good
fight.
The combatants were ants and one ma
ton was matched against another-the
black against the red How long the battle
had ragged before I came upon the scene
I know not, but that it was fought with
stubborn courage and fierce dtermlna-
ton I can bear witness. straight line
Of battle had evidently been drawn up
with ma thematlcai exactness, but flank
ing movement on the part of the reds had
been partially successful and the line had
been detected and resembled somewhat
horse shoe. The reds, while outnumber-
ed, were getting the best OF the fight, yet
the blacks held on bravely to their kopjes
and were hurrying renforcements from
the rear with all dispatch. These as they
received their orders would hasten to the
weak points in the line in an effort to
stay the victorious onslaught of their OPP
ponents. Despite their efforts, they were
being forced slowly back while steady
stream Of reinforcements poured from the
grass behind.
Behind the red line all was animation.
Here and there a disabled soldier minus
leg or perhaps several limped painfully
toward the hospital Numerous prisoners
We're being carried back, each in most in
stances conveyed by two Of his enemies
and mot always submitting without resist
ance. Here the tide Of battle still hung
and small squads Of brave blacks re-
solved on liberty rather than death, strug-
gled on till overborne.
NO QUARTER GIVEN.
On the battle line the struggle was des-
perate and quarters was neither asked nor
given. The combatants had heard Of the
speech Of the German Emperor to his
soldiers on their departure for China and
were acting on it.
Boer and British might here have learn
ed how to do or die. In the surging mass
on-lookers could not distinguish red from
black, but 1t became more and moro an
parent that the blacks We're getting the
worst of it, and the commanding gem
eral dispatched a courier to the nearest
telegraph station with a message begin
ming with the words: II regret to say
Finally the retreat became a rout and
had the reds pursued with vigor the en-
gagement might have closed the cam
paign. AS it happened they were too much
cut to pieces to follow UP their advan-
tage, and allowed the enemy to escape
with his guns and wagons A large amount
of provisions was, however. captured
The comman-rg general telegraphed the
war office that he had won the "bloodiest
battle of the century," and "the loss will
shock humanity
A cock crowed over in penitentiary bot
tom, the sun rose over the city spires
and peace once more reigned over the
grassy swards and gravel walks Of Mon
roe Park.