The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-10-20

: turns from the refugee camps in .
. South Africa for September (:
8 show a total white population of |:
!: too,4tS; deaths among the |:
9 whites 24it, of which 1864 .
. were children. The colored g
. population IS shown to be 49,. 9
+. $40, among whom 800 deaths {:
I: occurred during the month. !:
'sssseossseesseosssssseos...S
We had helped 10 build, Its barns ana
granarles went up In flames. Sometimes
we even had to wait In front of tho burn.
Ing pile In order that the commander Of
the band might satisfy himself that tho
IRE had eaten up all our goods and chat.
tells"
Tho Witnesses continued. After long and
weary jouneyings by ox-cart. We finally
reached a railway station and were hacked
of to the nearest camp, uncovered coal
wagons being the usual means of trans.
portatlon. While en- route We got little
to eat and still less to drink"
All the transported farmers wives and
girls with whom your correspondent talked
complained that, upon arrival at the camp
they had 10 wait from twenty four to forty
eight hours for a tent. AT first they were
merely given a bare spot to locate on: the
governments sparse accommodations ar.
rft+ph Of
had been unwound. This at a time Of
the year when the nigh are bitterly cold
in the Transyaa.
In the camp of Irene your correspondent
ran across a number Of these newcomers
I'VE were reduced TO beggary over night,
said the head of one family, woman OF
40 with child at her breast I'VE were
other pets; our clothes, linen rlnkets.
robbed OF our all, our home, our stores,
our good cattle. our cats and dogs and
Nay, we couldn't even take our Bible.
Can anything worse befall us now?'
How long have you been waiting for n
tent?"
Twenty four hours, but others waited
still longer. | wouldn't mind it myself
but the chill nights will surely kill this
baby" Pressed for further information,
the good woman continued: Our house
stood near Wlge river; tomorrow it VIII
be a week since they burned 1t down.
And ever since then we have been en-
route for this pace-frSt on foot, then
by OK cart, then by rail, huddled mp in
coal wagons. The last twenty-four hours
before we came here we spent on the rail
way; there wasn't an ounce of provisions
for us prisoners; but the soldiers and OIL
GERS were well fed. All, what change
Ten days ago ! was considered worth many
thouEaud dollars now | would gladly
take the place of scrub woman
Your correspondent was looking at
small sack lying by her side. This " said
the Boer woman. lis all that's left Of our
worldly goods besides the things on our
backs" she opened the bundle. There
were some baby clothes and few cot
ton dresses for herself and the elder girls.
I'VE haven't even change OF nneh'
said this captive of Edward VII.
I'VE go hungry Ave days out of every
seven.' was the universal cry all around
when the rations are dealt out we get
enough to eat. after that we must scram-
BILE for every mouthful. our allowance OF
one pound of meat dncludlng bones per
week just suflces to keep up twenty-i'ur
hours"
Most OF the women actually starving
in the camps had provisions for year
or longer in their own homes, yet weren
allowed 10 take away even pound OF
coffee, much less a side Of bacon Every
thing had TO he burned according to Brit
ish war office orders. Is 1t to he Won
dered at that the Beers think the Brit
ish war office ruled by contractors m
terestcd in seeing Boer stores reduced TO
ashes that their own goods may be pro
cured to supply the arthcially created
needs? There isn't a farmers wife among
the many thousand prisoners VIII" hadh I
enough TO keep herself and her little ones
for six months at least, yet their care
fully-hoardcd staples fruits smoked
meats. vegetables and groceries Of all
sorts were ruthlessly burned up Ike so
much rubbish. though the British are
forced 10 import every pound of life
neccssaries themselves and their prison
ers require
So far your correspondent has refrained
from giving names for the simple reason
that the persons concerned are entirely
unknown outside Of their own country. In
proof Of the statement inst made. how
ever. Fl might he well tn point out the Mel
family in Pretoria camp. The very sol
diers who burned the Nel farm admit that
it was one of the largest and hes equipped
in the country 1t had stores for fifteen or
eighteen months to come, hut the torch
made short work of them I met the Nel
family. two ladies and eight children sew
eral times in camp here. These people are
literally bowling with hunger They could
neither talk nor think of anything hut the
cravings Of their stomachs. It was the
saddest spectacle of all that I have seen.
have already referred to the fact that
starvation figures among the causes OF
death" in the medical reports Of the camp
physicians. There Is only one physician
to each camp, but after all, that may be a
blessing in disguise, for when visited
Irene camp I was told that the physician
administering to the women and children
there had said to his military SUPERIOR
I'VE ought to inoculate the whole LOT with
the Bubonlc plague. Let's write to MT
Chamberlain about it,
At the time | forgot to put down the
name Of this brute, but the British war Of
fce may obtain IL by looking over Its ap-
pointments for June as the well inten'
.ionnd p,orderer entered uDor his duties