The sun., 1901-02-22
|BOERS ACCUSE BRITISH
Proclamation Issued by President
Steyn and General De Wet.
CHARGES OF CRUELTY MADE
Declare That the English Troops
In Many Respects Do Not OBJ
serve the Customs of Civ
liked Warfare.

ing proclamation has been issued by
president Steyn and General De Wet:
BE it known to all men that the war
which has been forced on the Trans
vaal republics by the British govern
ment still RACES over South Africa;
that all the customs Of civilized war;
fare and also the conventions OF Gen.
eva and The Hague are not observed
by the enemy, who have not scrupled,
contrary to the Geneva convention, to
capture doctors and ambulances and
deport them in order to prevent our
wounded from getting medical assist
ance; that they have seized ambulance
material appertaining thereto, that
they have not hesitated to have re-
course to primitive rules Of warfare.
contrary to the solemn agreement Of
The Hague, to arrest neutrals and de-
port them, to send out marauding
bands to plunder, burn and damage
burghers' private property; that they
have armed Kaffirs and natives and
used them against us In the war; that
they have been continually capturing
| women and children and old and sickly
men. and that there have been many
deaths among the women because the
SO called Christian enemy had no con
sideration for women on a sickbed or
whose state Of health should have pro
tected them against rough treatment.
other Outrases Charged.
Honorable women and tender chill
dren have not only been treated rough
ly. but have been insulted by soldiers
| by order of their officers. Moreover
old mothers and women have been as
! saulted. even wives and children, and
the property of prisoners of war, even
] of killed burghers. has not been re-
spected. In many instances the moth
er and father have been taken, the
house has been left unprotected, and
I'LL have been left to their fate, an easy
prey to savages.
The world has untruthfully been in
formed by the enemy that they have
been obliged to carry out this destruc
tion because the burghers blow up the
lines. cut the wires and misuse the
white flag. Nearly all the houses in
the republics have been destroyed,
whether in the neighborhood of the
railroad or not. The alleged misuse of
the white flag is simply a continuance
of the everlasting calumny against
which the Afrikander has had to strive
since the time God brought him into
contact with the Englishman. Rob
bling his opponent of goods only does
not satisfy him. He is not satisfied un-
til he has robbed him of his good name
"Also they state TO the world that
the republics are conquered and that
only here and there small plundering
bands are continuing the strife in an
irresponsible manner. This is an un-
truth. The republics are not conquer
ed. The war is not finished. The
burgher forces Of the two republics are
still led by responsible leaders, as from
the commencement Of the war, under
the supervision Of the governments of
) both republics. The fact of Lord Rob.
ertS and Lord Kitchener choosing the
term 'marauders' in designating bur.
. ghers does not make them such When
was the war over: Perhaps after the
: battles in which irregulars captured
the eutfuy anu tOtuHy NulluUlSlleU
? them? The burghers would be less
{ than men If they allowed the enemy Il
I go unpunished after i'll treating theil
2 wives and destroying their houses from
[ sheer lust of destruction. Therefore |;
portion Of the burghers resent it. Cap,
] Colony will not only wage war, but
+ will be in position To make reprsals
. as it has already done.
VIII Take Vengeance.
In the case of ambulanccs, there
fore, we warn the officers Of his ma
estys troops that unless they cease til,
destruction of the property of the re
y publics we shall wreak vengeance by
= destroying the property of his mai
esty's subjects who are unkindly dis
posed: but in order to avoid being mis-
: understood, we hereby openly declar,
that their wives and children will al
ways he unmolested in spite of any
= thing done by our or by his majesty
troops. We request nothing from on
brothers in the colony. but call oi
II them, as well as on the civilized world
h. to assist, in behalf Of our joint civiliza
ii tion and Christianity, in putting an en-,
H. to the barbarous manner of the en
) emy's warfare.
/, Our prayer will always be flat God
i, our Father, will not desert us in thi
il unrighteous strife"