The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-03
CAUSES OF THE TRANsvAAL WAR.
Mr.. II. ID. Hodges Writes From the
Heart of BOerland.

Heart of BOerIand.
The Morning News has received an in
teresting letter from Mr. T. B. Hodges, a
former Savannahian, now at Fordsburg,
South Africa, letting some light on the
situation in the Transvaal. MIR. Hodges
left Savannah two or three years ago. He
vas for a time at johannesburg, and after
that went further into the Transvaal
His letter 10 the Morning News is dated
Nov 3. and was sent through friend in
Switzerland. 20 avoid the British censor
ship, which, Mr. Hodges says, has stopped
all mail through England, good or bad.
MIR. Hodges, who is a strong Boer sym
pathizer, begins his letter with a reference
to the war-stricken country.
The cause of the war, ne says, is simply
that the capitalists want the country for
its great wealth of gold and besides Eng
land is afraid of loosing prestige in South
Africa on account Of the Africander- Bond
victory in Cape Colony. The war he re-
CARDS most unjust and unholy, and will
make every true man, he says, hate the
name of Great Bril- ain and every true
Fnglishman blush for his country.
These vain and boaslful people, he
adds, thought to be In Pretoria within
three weeks after hoslilities began,
but they are much nearer Durham
ard are liable 10 take sea
bath soon. We had no drawer
men at Gettysburg or Manassas than these
same Beers. am inclined TO believe that
England has "bit off more than she can
chew" Cannot ever patriotic Uncle Sam
send us a few boys oyer to help good
and just cause l will be at the front in
a few days. All nations, even to few
honest Britishers, are fighting side by side
with the Beers. Commandant Ben VII
ioen. now at the front fighting like a tiger,
raised LOCO voluteers and offered them to
the United States with government con-
sent during our war with Spain. Can we
not return good fer good2 l believe if
the matter were put right before Congress,
some thing would be done for peaceful
noble race. The United States is the only
Power that can command peace, and it
should do so.
This is how The war stands"
Mr. Hodges says In the first
hattie at Backpaan. near MAIZE
king, there were no total Boer CASUAL
ties There were twenty wounded, and
ffty-six were taken prisoners. 1t was
Boer victory We de Boers), have since
taken about forty prisoners around Mafek-
ing ana kllteu many. MdlthlhS VIII sur
ly fall within few days. In the second
battle at Dundee, Naial, 500 British were
killed and wounded and 259 made prison
ers-crack fighters of Myers in. the Sou
dan. The Boer losses We're forty-two kill
ed and wounded This battle was fought
bv Gen. Lucas Meyer. the lion of Vryhead
-Stonewall jackson No. with 700 men
against 5000 of old English regulars AL
the third battle, Elanslaachtre there was
a slight reverse on account of mistake
About 400 English were killed and wound
ed Sixty Beers, Germans and Holland
ers were killed and wounded and 1873 were
made prisoners In the fourth battle, La
dvsnith Lucas Meyer again, and the
Orange Free Staters, over 1900 prisoners
we're taken; probably 1,5O0 were killed ana
wounded. though prisoners taken say
more. Thirty Beers were killed and sixty
wounded. Strange, but true. You must
understand the Boer style of lighting to
understand this. 1t is now rumored that
GO0 more British Lancers were taken pfls-
oners."
"The British evacuated Dundee in such
a hurry that they left all their wounded,
ahont 400: also $50 dead, including Gen.
penn Svmons. thousands of guns and dunn
dunn cartridges, provisions for 23,OO men
for three months, even their finger glasses
and swallow-tail coats, but they stuck TO
tbeir cricket bats. You must believe noth-
inc from England. Even Durham, rev
niles distant. did not know of Dundee's
dnwnfll for ten days. On Gen. Sym