Evening star., 1900-08-17
DRAMATIC SCENES.
Curious Incidents on the battlefield
in South Africa.
From Tit-Bits.

From I1t-Blts.
1t was in the heat of one Of the fiercest
battles that two brothers. Private ]. p VIII
son. a reservist and former police con-
stable of West Hartlepool and George VIII
son of the Coldstream Guards. were brought
face to face after long years of separation.
To such an extent We're they strangers that
! one brother. J. P. failed TO recognize tho
Coldstream Guardsman altogether. and IL
was only when George recalled many long
past incidents of their boyhood that J. p.
was compelled to admit the relationship
thus strangely renewed amid the turmoil
of battle.
The relief of Ladysmith witnessed many
dramatic meetings. and one at least that
was tragic. Among the beleaguered was
Mr.. H. H. Pearse. the war correspondent
of the Daily News. who was equally sur
pr!sed and delighted to see among his res
cuer. his own son. Mr.. W. =. Pearse. whom
he imagined to be many thousands of miles
away The delight Of such a meeting may
more easily be pictured than described.
For Trooper Palmer of the South African
Light Horse fate had prepared sad meet
ing: for when he inquired for his brother
he learned hat he had succumbed ouly
few hours before TO enteric fever. that ter
rible scourge that wrought infinitely more
havoc than all the enemy's guns.
Elandslaagte witnessed a terribly tragic
meeting between Trooper Gorton Of the Inn
4
man who had called him friend in days Of
peace. The Johannesburger found himself
face to face with his quondam friend. and
called out in greeting "Halloa Gorton;"
but the words left his lips he fired and
sent a bullet through the unfortunate
trooper. who afterwards succumhed TO
twelve wounds he had received on that IA
tai day.
At the battle of Celenso two Irishmen
who had had many battle together as
boys, found themselves together after many
years while they were sheltering from the
storm of bullets. The old feud was clearly
only smoldering, for within a few minutes
1t burst out into fierce flames, and the two
men. taking off their tunics, fell each
other with their firsts and fought several
furnishing rounds while the Boer bullets
were impartially doing their best to polish
them both of.
A singularly sad experience fell to the lot
of Boer burgher, named Muller. in that
most dreadful of all battles Spion Kop.
When Muller left for the war, taking with
him two of his three sons, he left behind
him his youngest son. a boy of sixteen and
his Benjamin, to take care OF his mother.
The evening before the battle he had writ
ten home to his wife and son tender and
pathetic letter. saying that he soon hoped
to be with them again.
But, unknown to him, his benjamin.
had been Communicated, and the first
knowledge he had of the fact was when he
saw his boys dead body on the slopes Of
the fatal hill. Overcome with grief he
lifted the body on his shoulder and was
carrying II away when a bullet laid him
low; and on the following morning the two
bodies were found lying side by side in all
the pathetic stiffness of death, while in the
muzzle Of the fathers rifle was found the
letter he had written thirty-six hours
earlier to his wife and the son whom he
had imagined to be safe at home.
More than one dramatic meeting has
taken place In the hospitals far away from
the scenes of war. At the base hospital at
Woodstock one of the nurses recognized in
a patient an old lover from whom she had
parted in Glasgow four years ago. and OF
whose presence at the front she had no
suspicion. foolish lovers quarrel had
parted them then. and but for this accident
OF war they would probably never have met
again.
But the last trace of bitterness vantfhed
at the sight of strong man struck down
TO the feebeness of a child. and the old
love was rekindled to such purpose that the
wedding bells will be set ringing for al least
one couple reunited by Mars.