Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-08
FAMOUS oNE-maN VICTORIES
Fights In which an Individual U..
Overcome Trcmendou. Odds.
From Tit-Bits.

Flights In which an Individual U..
Overcome Trcmendou. Odds.
From Tit-Bits
The splendid stand made by a body NJ
| colonial scouts in douga six miles north
OF Dordrecht, Cape Colony. a few DAYS
| ago. against relatively enormous Roar
force, reminds us CT one or two instances
In which solitary man has kent an ha,-
an enemy whose numbers have run into
| hundreds.
II VIII be remembered that the scouts
ABOVE referred to numbered only forty, all
.oio' ana that they were cut on by the
boers because Of their determination NOT
10 abandon wounded officer with whom
they could not have made good their %
cape. ~ 'S
Throughout the night they were again
a 1 AGAIN asSailed by force of some 500
boeIs, each of whose attacks they sue
ceeded IN beating off until a rescue Marty
arrived and conducted the gallant littI.
pano back TO camp on the following morn
ing.
But the perhaps unrivaled feat Of a VOL
unteer, named Hall, in our war with The
boers, IN 1881. was sun finer fight against
lar greater odds. The scene of This VS. q,
Standerton. where the brave yolupt,.er
seeing that number of his comrades were
IN imminent risk of being cut off by a force,
or ~ Bpers' noeiy sacrificed his life To
apprlse them of their danger and afford
them an opportunity of escape.
without a moments consideration for
ms own safety, he coolly commenced to
engage the party of 300 Beers firing upon
them again and again, thus drawing their
| nre upon himself while his comrades made
Soou their escape. But for this s,lnerh
act of heroism they would certainly have
| all been either captured or shot the latte
being the fate of their lion-hearted pre-
server
In the course Of the operations arising
out of the Indian mutiny there was more
instance a n ind
British soldier who was surprised by n
party of rebels. to the number of nearly 2lO.
TOOK up his stand behind the ruins Of a wall
and blazed away at the enemy until they
| turned tail and fled at the approach of a
mere handful of our cavalry. They left
ten dead or wounded on the field. exclusive
of three whom the Britisher brought down
| as the rebels retreated.
Ano less brilliant one-man victory was that
OF the British sergeant who, by his SPLEEN
| did craftsmanship. defeated all attempts
OF the mutineers to place in position a gun
which would have commanded the interior
toruncationS OF one Of the beSieged towns
and thus brought about its downfall.
The enemy made repeated efforts to fix
| this gun on the top Of neighboring build
| ing, but as soon as any rebel showed him
| self on the spot he was carefully picked
| on by the ever watchful marksman. This
went on for a long time, until the attempt
was finally abandoned, much to the relief
OF the besieged, who were thus saved by
the prowess of one of their number from
annihfla ton or surrender.
A really extraordinary one-man victory
was once brought off in Tasmania after a
whole army had ANONYMOUSLY failed. Many
years ago the survivors of the aboriginals
| of the island were a constant menace to the
| settlers, upon whom they often suddenly
descended and subjected to the most bar
| barous outrages. This prompted the then
governor OF the colony, Sir George Arthur,
| to take measures for the capture OF the
whole nation.
By extending a line of men right across
| the north end of the island han
marching them to the SOUTH he hoped to
be able to force all the natives into a cor
ner, where they might ultimately be sur
rounded and captured. The most elaborate
preparations were made, and enormous ex-
pense incurred to insure the success of the
expedition.
ony called out, but all the convicts were
compelled to lend their aid; and after a
months weary marching over mountain
tops, through almost impossible forests
and across rivers and deep gullies, the ex-
tended line of heroes closed in upon the
enemy. But to their amazement and dis
gust they then discovered that they had
only captured one poor black, the cunning
OF the savage having fairly outwitted the
skill of civilized man.
But what the combined forces of the
colony We're unable to perform was accom-
pllshed by single man. who. acquainted
with the language. manners and customs
OF the natives. came forward and offered to
capture, without assistance, each and every
aboriginal remaining in the island.
AS might be supposed. the government
was most anxious to retrieve their position
and eagerly accepted the Offer The brave
volunteer had not long departed on his
mission when he returned with a long
string of prisoners who We're safely lodged
in gaol.
He then Immediately set off upon another
expedition, which was repeated again and
again, the number of prisoners increasing
With each, until not a single aboriginal was
at large in Tasmania. Not only so but he
accomplished this unique victory so far as
could be ascertained, without the shedding
| of drop of his own or his captives' blood
Coming back TO the Beers, the valiant
stand made by Captain Auchinleck at Rus
tenberg, in ISL is well worthy of mention
though he was accompanied by a force of
some seventy rifiemen. Surrounded by
many hundreds of Beers, he fought them
day and night for weeks and weeks finally
dispensing them by carrying their trenches
in the night, at the point of the bayonet
with force of ten a dozen men
After three or four of such sallies in
each of which the captain sustained serious
injuries. the enemy had had enough of cold
steel and kept at respectful dis lance from
a foeman so resourceful and daring as they
Knew from bitter experience Captain Au-
chinleck to be. May Great Britain and
Greater Britain always be served by such
noble, valiant sons.