The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-31
STORY FROM SPION ILOP.
Medical officer Gives an Account
of the Horrors of That Night.

Medical Omcer Gives an Account
of the Horrors of That Night.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.)
London March 3.-For real ghastliness.
for glimpse into the CORY realities of
war and the horrors of the battlefield, the
private letter of a young medical officer at
Spion l1op printed in the Daily Graphic,
can scarcely be beaten. 81 selected
pass" he writes, "Overhung by steep clay
banks, on the top of which l got up Red
Cross flag Cases now began to pour down
from Spion Kop on stretohers The Beers
opened fire on us and three bullets went
into the fire, knocking the sticks about.
The reason for chs fire was not the Red
Cross flag; but owing to some Tommies
who were strolling over TO it either to take
cover there or to see what We were doing.
| promptly ordered them away. A few
minutes after Beers let fire five shells in
quick succession in my direction, but they
fell short and did no harm. This sort of
thing went on round me for the rest of
the day, but l always kept well in the
shelter of the bank.
From this time to 10 o'clock next MORN
ing. the wounded came through my dress
ing station, as the pass was the only exit
from the hill. l saw every case, and some
of them were mutilate beyond descrip
ton.
Fully 800 wounded and dead, who had
died on the way, passed through my hands.
The cheerfulness of The wounded struck
me as remarka Dle-men with shattered
wounds smoking their pipes, and although
starving not a grumble did l hear. Many
a poor chap shot in che morning in the
front trenches, who could not be reached,
lay In the blazing sun all day. One old
Colonial in Thorneycroft's, with gray
beard, walked down leaning on his rifle;
he was a mass of wounds-one ear cut
hrr hfIll Oh
chest also shot through by others, and
his back and legs torn by shell. He came
in and said he just dropped in to let me
take his finger off, as IL was so shattered
he could not pull the trigger of his rifle.
as ii got in the way of the next finger,
which he could use, for he wanted 10 ger
back up the hill to pay the Dutchmen out.
OF course, | would not let him back. The
bullet wounds are beautifully clean, just
q LITTLE round hole. and a rule do not
do much damage as they often go through
the bone without shattering 1t, and they
don't bleed much. The shell wounds are
hideous.
II was now frightfully dark, and 1 put
one of the lanterns on a stick as a direct
ing light to my pass; one of group of
soldiers returning 10 the hill tried to run
away with it, and l would have lost 1t
only snatched up a rifle from wounded
man and shouted that I would shoot him
II
il and ran away and it went out; but l
got IL again Shortly after this both
lanterns went out and l had a pretty bad
lime as the pass often got blocked with
wounded Finally, / could send no more
wounded across the drift, and had to stack
them with the dead in rows on the grass.
collected all the wounded officers on
stretchers around me. and gave them
brandy and a hypodermic of morphia.
"The morning light began to dawn about
4.9O and lit up the CHASTITY faces of the
pa tients around me. My men now got
| fire ready and got some more beef tea
| and coffee, and / had some myself, the
| fret meat since my dinner the day before,
| and after giving the wounded some as
| we'll I sent them on the ambulances
| across the drift.
"Commandants Botha and Burgess, VINO
were the Beers generals, now came on the
| scene The former, who was the chlet
| general was a smailish, thin man with
| yellourish beard and hair and had a mag
| nlAcent rife beautifully carved with his
| narne and a text from the Bible. He had
| a collple of mounted Kaffirs carrying his
| Ammunition and water bottle, ana an In
| terpreter. He seemed, however TO unoer-
| stand English, though he refused to speak
| n hut now and then said Certainly. GER
| tainlv, There were quite a number of
| GERMAN officers ] heard one OF them had
| hean killed. They let our men search the
| dead for their Identification cards, let
| ters apd money. 1t was very sad to see
the things we found in their pockets
| love letters. Christmas cards, little pockes-
hooks with accounts, half-f1nished letters.
| Several of the Beers handed In little
things they found-a check for 10 shillings'
| a nurse with money, etc. Some of the ON
| oors hed trinlsets round their necks. one
Door chap had docket with spray OF
white heather. and we had to cut his name
~ HE shirt and pin It to the locket as
a means of Identification. ! am sorry 10
aav that number had their fingers cut
of 10 get their rings, but the Boers saIo
t,o, tber ala not see who did Il, and were
| Indignant"