Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1901-06-27

The Rev. Dr.. n. D. Won Brockhuizen
of Pretoria, the minister who closed the
yolksraad with prayer after President
Kruger's historic ultimatum a been
e to that body, is in New York city.
He was banished from Pretoria after
that capital fell, but not until he had
spent ten days in Jail, where he says he
was kept on a diet of bread and water.
His brother, DR.. II. J. Won Brockhui-
zen of the Orange Free State, who also
served in the Boer armies and who
was captured and banished, accom-
panies him. Their mission in the Unit
&c States is to raise money for h Boe1
women and children now in refugee
camps, says the New York Times. In
c~identally the Rev. Mr.. Brockhuizen
says that he will try to remove some of
the impressions of his country that
ave been created by u%nfriendly writ.
erS.
"The Beers are not barbarians,' he
said in excellent English, mo matter
what you may have heard about them.
ooI "OAhCA LII SIllNlCA, WIZ are DIT
present concentrated in camps estab-
lished by the British, are in a horrible
condition. 1t was bad enough when l
Left South Africa, but l know from let
tiers that l have received, one only the
other day from my sister. that it is a
hundred times worse now.
"When l left South Africa, l was
virtually banished by order of General
Maxwell, military governor Of Pre-
toria. General Maxwell wrote to me
that I had better leave the country and
provided me second cabin passage to
Europe. When 1 asked him why he
was sending me, a paroled prisoner of
war, away he said: You are too inf1u-
entail. You will not take the oath, and
you are regarded as dangerous Even
then, assisted by Mrs. iBetha and Mrs.
| General Joubert. both members of my
congregation, l had undertaken the
work of relieving the helpless families
Of soldiers whom they had begun to
herd in their camps. l was very plain
| spoken with General Maxwell, as
could afford to be, for he knew the con-
| ditions as well as L. His wife, who, by
the way, is an American, has issued an
1 dppCd1 W hel SOuIlIy O1lloA jill UCud1l
of these same people.
"You should bear in mind that we do
not ask the world to take our word fol-
the conditions that prevail in the
camps. In an official report which
have in my possession, made by DR..
Ronald p. Mckenzie of the British
army on Feb. IS of his year, the Brit
ish government is notified thai the con
| ditions are horrible, the death rate ap-
| palling and the GOD furnished wholly
unfit to eat. Nothing or any one else
has ever said has been half as caustiC
as this arraignment Of his own people
by DR.. Mckenzie"
Of the ultimate result Dr. Won Brock
| huizen said:
1.-The Al ihan1cTS viii never be over
come They will fight to the last ii
necessary, but that viii not be neces-
sary. Not since the first gun was fired
nave we been i'll SO good u condition as
now, with the dcploIab.e exception that
our women are being brutally treated
by the invading army. A recent ac-
count shows that there are more than
$4,000 British soldiers in the hospitals,
while practically all of our fighting
men are in the saddle. The climate,
the topography of our country, every
thing is fighting for us, and there is no
thought of surrender. All stories to
that effect you can set down as lies
made of whole cloth.
1.-THE unjust tales about Mrs. Botha
are a sample. l am Mrs. Botha's pas
tor. While Lord Roberts was in Pre-
toria he tried to get me to go and see
her husband and ask him to surrender.
1t was gossiped about that the com
mander in chief had been entertained
at tea by her. Being her pastor, it was
my privilege to ask her how much
truth there was in the statements.
Her reply breathed the true spirit of
the Boer woman. DO you suppose,
she said, 4 would drink tea with a man
who is fighting my husband? l told
Lord Roberts that ! would go to see
my husband with a message. but that
as for trying in influence him | would
never do it,
"When we have c the attention OF
the world having been attracted to us
it will be found that instead Of being
peopled by a wild tribe of semicivilized
farmers the two republics appropriate
more money to free education than any
other country, population and wealth
considered, ia the world. 1t will be
learned that instead Of being religious
bigots the people of the Transvaal and
of the Orange free State taxed them
selves to help support the Roman Cath
Ollie clergy and schools. 1t will be
learned that our attitude toward for
eignerS before the war began was the
most liberal in the World-more liberal
than that which finds expression in
even this free country. 1t will be learn
ed hat practically the entire foreigl
or uitlander population. E~ngiishrnen ex
cepted, sided with the burghers, ane
most Of them took VI aTms In thei.