The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-02-08

ADI SARAH WILSON, the
r. handsome and adventurous
daughter of the house of
Marlborough, is regarded as
a modern Joan OF Arc by English So
ciety.
The adventures through which she
is passing in the Boer war are more
extraordinary than have fallen to the
lot of any woman of rank in this
century, and place her alongside Of
those women OF the Middle Ages who
defended cities and endured the hor-
rors of war.
Ample details have now been re-
ceived in letters from Lady Sarah of
her experiences up to the time she re-
turned to Mafeking.
She was first besieged, then es-
capped; was caught after many thrilling
adventures; acted as spy; was
ordered to be confined in a certain
town and escaped from it, and finally
was exchanged for Boer officer and
returned to the besieged place from
which she had started.
BEsIEGED IN MAFEKING.
At the beginning of the war Lady
Sarah was with her husband, Captain
Gordon Wilson, in Mafeking. the
chief town of British Dechuanaland,
which lies northwest of the Trans
vaal. 1t was held by Colonel Baden
Powell, with the Fifth Dragons,
about 900 strong. Captain Wilson is
an officer of the Horse Guards, but
was oat in South Africa on special
service, and had really attached him
self to Colonel Baden Powell for the
sake of adventure. Ho has found it.
The redoubtabe General Crouie,
who captured jameson and his
raiders, besieged Mafeking with 5000
Beers. Colonel Baden Powell rein
forced his little body of regulars by
enrolling and drilling all the able
bodied men of Maieking. Thus he
gathered force OF nearly 1000 men.
Lady Sarah took an active part in
the work of the soldiers, and even ac-
companied the armored trains that
went out of Mafeking to fight tho
Beers.
At the end OF month, however, it
became clear to Lady Sarah that she
was a useless mouth to feed and an
embarrassment to the brave garrison.
On the other hand, if she could es-
cape from Mafeking, she would be
able to render real service by carry
ing exact news of the condition of the
beleaguered town to the outside world
ALONE AMONG THE sAvAGEs.
She started out to ride over hun
dreds OF miles of desert and noun
tain, infested not only by armed
Beers, but by wandering bands of
bloodthirsty savages. The chance of
falling into the hands Of the latter
was the most appalling danger she
ran. Sho may almost consider her.
self fortunate that she was captured
by the rough but humane Beers.
1t was early on Thursday morning
when Lady Sarah left Mafeking. She
carried her rifle and plenty OF ammu-
milton and three days supply of pro-
visions. She rode all day. During
the afternoon she was sighted by a
band of savages, but having much
better horse she was able to get away
from them.
At nightfall she reached Setlagoli,
small station in British territory, but
in a region now occupied by the
Beers. Here there was a hotel, where
the proprietor and few servants still
remained. Lady Sarah put up here
for the night.
Just at dawn she was awakened by
terrific rattling of muskotry and
rapid firing guns. She dressed her.
self, mounted her horse and rode in
the direction of the firing, taking her
camera with her in the hope OF OBJ
tanning some photographs.
When she got to the scene OF the
trouble she found that a British
armored train had been wrecked by
the Beers. The train was command
cd by Captain Nesbitt, OF the Mash
onaland Mounted Police, who was
trying to run through to Mafeking
with ammunition. He and all his
men were killed or captured
Lady Sarah was seen by the Beers
and taken prisoner. She was held
for two days at Setlagoli, but among
the soldiers here we've number OF
blackguards, chiefly Uitlanders, who
insulted her. The officer in command,
who did his best to protect her, there
fore sent her back to Mochudi, an
important Boer centre in the vicinity
of Mafeking. Here she was given
over to tho custody OF a colonial
farmer, British subject, but of Boer
descent.
cHIvALRoUs YOUNG BoER.
This farmer was strikingly hand
some young fellow, about thirty years
of age, over six feet high, broad
shouldered and fair haired, an ideal
Boer in appearance. He displayed a
chivalrous devotion to his fair pris-
oner, which she now fears may bring
him into trouble with the Boer author.
tiles.
While at Mochudi Lady Sarah es-
tablished a regular spy system by
means of which she supplied Colonel
Baden Powell with information of the
utmost value concerning the Boer
plans. by informing him that the
Beers on the southern side of Mafe-
king were being drawn away to the
siege of Kimberley she enabled him to
make sortie in which he killed thirty
Beers and captured 250O rounds of
Ammunition