The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-11-10

pIolHeI Oh the commandment eIdl
= P1et De Wet is a younger man, speak
l English, and always acts in concer
2 with his now more famous relative
} Louis Botha and Lucas Meyer are TIN
only Boer generals who can ever b'
: called polished gentlemen" Christian
, DE Wet is the most useful and the
most successful type of Boer Leaders
! peasant who is unable to express his
= own ideas of leadership.
Long after that weary night of Marcel
: 30 the following telegram fell into my
J hands. The body of it was written ii
English, the scouts language; the Off
cial portions were of course, in Dutch;
Glencoe, 26-2-00.
From Hoofd Telegraph Department to
Asst. Com. Gen. Botha.
The following telegram has been re-
cetved from Banks, German Scouts,
Winburg, to Communications
Joubert, Pretoria repeated from
Kroonstad. Begins: I was on Sun
day night in Thaba N'chu, and found
about nine hundred English soldiers
and three cannons in that town. Small
columns of English soldiers are on the
road from Bloemfontein to Thaba
Nchu in the direction of Ladybrand.
A patrol of six passed me, and / went
back to Van Zandts Farm, where I
got the news that three thousand
mounted people, led by Free Skaters,
! wanted to catch us.
" I shall be able to take Thaba N'chu
with force of three hundred men. In
Thaba N'chu is Landdrost Brand and
DR. Daniels. Please give me orders to
shoot high traitors.
81 cannot understand why General
Grober did not attack the English at
| NeWberry.
Will you give me orders by Win
burg dispatch rider to Hartnigh, near
! Thaba N'chu?'"
! That was the message which had set
! De Met so rapidly raiding to the front.
! We We're ten miles from the Boem-
fontein waterworks, when a dispatch
rider rode up to De Wet and made
some report. without loss of time our
disposition was changed The force
was divided into three. and two sec
tions were sent away out into the dark
ness toward the east, under Hoofd
Commandant Piet De Wet.
The remainder, to the number of four
hundred, with those Of us who accom-
panied the headquarters staff. rode on
to Marais' farm of Oospruit and off
saddled there.
This was about four o'clock in the
morning. Just before daybreak we
moved down into the spruit and await
ed the waking of Pet de Vets cannon.
OF the miserable battle that followed
l shall write in another place.
Snugly tucked into the spruit that
traversed the road to Bloemfontein, De
Wet and his men were in their posi-
lions by five o'clock waiting daylight
and the British. Some time after dawn
the cannons of his brother Piet were
heard away to the left, and then the
splutter of small arm fire.
Soon, out Of the morning half light,
doomed the first Cape cart. followed by
its long string Of baggage wagons-two
Tommies in front, two Tommies behind
-jangling their way toward Bloemfon-
tein. Never an outpost, never scout, |
not sign of an escort!
No sooner had the lead mules crossed |
the verge of the spruit than old Chris !
tian De Wet stood by their heads wav-
ing welcoming hand-"Come in!'
They came. And after them came
fully four score others-draggled Tom
mics, dumfounded Tommies, devil-may-
care Tommies--but no single Tommy /
had the presence of mind to wave back
his successors in the miserable process
sion.
And then something of doubt arose in
the mind of the British commander, so !
he sent a squadron of mounted infantry
to investigate. The troopers came
crisply trotting up, deployed and adj
vanced to within sixty yards of us
Every face in the long, straight line
stood out distinctly as Dom Christian
once more rose and invited the cavalry
mems commander to come over.
He came, and was told that he and
lis troop must surrender or fall where
hey stood He heard and rode back to :
his men, covered all the while by De
Vets rigid rifle, to give the order '
Fall back!"
Had the young officer possessed pres
nee of mind equivalent to his courage I
md given the order "Charge!' / had
lot written this story. {
Next instant the Boer commandments =
life cracked and the mounted infantry r
nan pitched forward out of his saddle.
was the agreed upon SlSndi, anu De- |
ore the troopers could get their horses
bout thirty-two of them lay beside
heir leader. From there away out
cross two thousand yards to safety lay
horrid wake of khaki till the days
ght was done. r
Later that bloody forenoon I, a Brit
,her, had to stand and see that hateful
hing-a British army in full flight,
nth small commando of Beers in
ursuit For the first time in the his
ory of the republics the Beers were
aiming an appetite for the glorious ex-
itement of the chase of man. Snap
ing viciously at the heels of the brok-
a horsemen, they scudded across the
pen, shooting from their horses and
ON the ground emptying every now a.
nd then British saddle.
I turned away sick to my heart and
lere the silent De Wet was busy SUI
the mending of the cap
lred wagons and marshalling of the
risoners.
AS he wired that night, in his scrap
Y, unilluminative dispatch to his pres (
emit: And then the enemy fed with y
eat speed to the south, pursued prin- ! o.
pally by the commandments of Win y
Irg and Bethlehem, who had crossed
ward me from their positions" ~
oh Lot T full tod INV