The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-05-28
AFTER THE BOERS LEFT.
The Condition In Which Mrs. Woods
Found Her Home.

is situated upon high plateau falling
away on all sides into deep valleys
and rugged krantzes, and our camps
at Frere, Springfield and Chieveley can
be plainly seen without glasses; also
the Boer camp beyond Chieveley
Away down below can be seen the fort
at Estcourt and the now historical
hills at Willow Grange and Brynbella,
so it may be imagined what fine po-
sition the Free State commando had
for their camp and their cannons dur
ing the raid, They camped on Long
wood for days, amongst the plantations
and fires, bones, papers, charred re-
mains Of fruit Jars and bits of crockery
bear abundant witness to their pres
ence on the farm
The first thing I happened on, nearly
a mile from the house, was a folding
chair, in a plantation. Close by We're
two glass fruit jars, and a little
farther on lay one of my husbands
parliamentary blue books. About
| twenty yards further on were the re-
mains of a handsome album, a present
from one of my children, and Ooh!
Psalm singing BoerD torn song vol
ume of Hymns Ancient and Modern.
About 100 yards from the stable
| picked up three photographers, and be-
| hind a huge boulder, about 400 yards
| distant, quite out of sight of the house,
| was Brentwood rocking chair, upside
! down. a part of a chest of drawers,
| and some broken fruit jars, Close to
the stable (Which had holes shot
| through the roof, in rolicking Boer hui
mor) were some broken plates, a silver
egg cup and the horsehair from my new
mattress, in heaps here and there, and
on the manure heap lay the remains Of
a satin-lined work basket, a Christmas
present from my daughter last year.
Thirty bales of forage had been taken
from the barn, and fires made all over
the floors "A little below were rot
ting heaps Of sixty turkeys, shot but
not eaten.
Arriving at the house, we entered
through the smashed gate. The first
thing l trod upon was piece of valu-
epiS pii Siiiiid JUS dppuu wv ytuio pib,
one of my household treasures and the
admiration Of all my friends. Close
beside it was a broken cream jar and
little further on, trampled in the mud,
lay a little babys cambria bonnet, four
babies bibs and a little wooden shoe,
the remains of a treasured hoard of
nearly tWentyfour years. On the We
randa was an overturned broken seat
and rustic table, where / always work
ed in the shade of the creepers and
roses climbing over the house The
whole length of the veranda was a
chaos of mud, rags, broken crockery,
paper, bits of furniture COW manure,
music. handles of military chests of
drawers, wardrobe drawers, and among
them | picked up part Of the blue vel
vet lining of case OF silver fruit knives
and forks. The doors were smashed
with croWbars. Not whole one was
left in the house. Locks We're burst
glass panes splintered, sashes wrench
ed and destroyed to matchwood, and
one door was broken in half. Within
the rooms was such scene of savage
ry and destruction as is impossible full
~ to describe. The piano a handsome
seventyfive guinea instrument of which
have been extremely careful, had the
candlesticks wrenched off, and above
the pedals We're seven cut, evidently
done with an axe. The keys were
smeared and dirty, and it had evidently
been badly abused and spat upon The
sitting room was strewn deep with
our books and papers. and a horse had
been stabbed therein. The same thing
happened in one of the bedrooms where
also an inside door had been wrenched
off the hinges and carried away. Cat
tie had been shut in the dining room
and the shocking filth and the disgust
ing odors In every ROOM even after two
months, were simply unspeakable. The
walls were smeared and torn, and upon
one was written in pencil ~ J.. Flou-
rie.' q believe one Of the Natal rebels
rejoices in that name.) And near it |
was scratched, evidently with a piece
of glass or nail, Dam England A |
handsome military chest of drawers |
and escritoire combined, brass handles !
and bound, had been hacked to pieces !,
and Uttered all over the place. A valu- |
able cyclopaedia, bound in half yelum, |
had disappeared, as had some of our
better class Of books, showing that the |
robbers were, or some of them at least,
men, of literary tastes, though |
1t seems absurd on the face of things
The sofa mattress was gone, and the
remainder of it was in a filthy state
Oil paintings, pictures, mirrors Dres-
den china ornaments hand painted
vases and plaques, photo frames, lamps
and valuable books and music, all were
in me s,e. nff Inv rap1yo |