Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-02-14
DIET De WET WRITES TO eoER
CAVALRY LEADER.
kAno URGES SURRENDER
declares Continuation Of Struggle is
Hopeless and Ru'nous To People
Says British Have Won and Are
Trying To Treat Conquered Mag
nanim ously.

ploemfontein. Feb. 10.-The text or
norton of the letter from Piet De
Wet chairman of the peace commits
sion. to his brother Christian De Wet,
anpealing to the latter to surrender as
nnblished in the Post today, follows:
Dear Brother:--I hear you are so
angry that you have decided to kill
me accusing me of high treason. May
God not allow you the opportunity to
shed more innocent blood. When |
saw that we were beaten by the Bri-
fish | wrote to the president request
ing him to consider terms of peace
and rather surrender than ruin the
country and starve the people. | was
with you afterwards for a month,
which convinced me that it was better
10 lay down our arms. | did my duty
in the battles at Schietma and Prins-
loo. | charged guns, when l was
shamefully left in the lurch by Frone-
man. who fled. Convinced that the
struggle was hopeless, | left with my
staff and surrendered and was sent
to Durham.
you and Steyn, in carrying on guer.
rilla warfare caused me to write to
Kitchener Nov. IL, requesting an OPP
portunity to come to the Free State
and persuade the men to lay down
their arms. There was no Free State
government then existing against
whom | could commit treason. Is 1t
better for the republics to continue
the struggle at the risk of total ruina'
ton az nation, or to submit? Could
we think of taking back the country II
il were offered to us, with thousands
of people to be supported by govern
ment that has not Farming, but
debt Of five or six millions, even if
helped by you? Do you think any ma.
ton is so mad as to have thousands
killed, spend millions, and then give
us the republics and the necessary
capital to govern them?
Put passionate feeling aside for
moment, use common sense and you
will then agree that the best thing for
the people and the country is to give
in, be loyal to the new government
try to get a responsible government
and as soon as circumstances will al
low doing so, govern the country vir-
tually ourselves, and have our children
properly educated thus saving the
people as a nation.
Should the war continue a few
months longer, the nation will become
so poor it Will beggar the working
class and disappear as a nation.
have heard you and others accuse me
OF being paid by the English govern
ment for what am doing. | can only
answer there is a God and He pays
righteous sentence. | have also
heard of Kitchener's offers to me and
other attempts which are considered
by you as signs OF weakness on the
part of the British When you cor
nered 50 soldiers at Blaawn, did the
same to 400 at Moesterhok, I'd sur
rounded a small body at RhenvSter
river under a flag of truce, and asked
them 10 surrender, was it weakness
or magnanimity on your part?
The British are convinced that
my nave th llit iuilh anu tiiN
people. They consider the matter
ended and are only trying to treat
those continuing the struggle magnan
imously in order to prevent so much
hIoodshed. Believe me when / tell
You no troops are being sent to Eng
land but thousands still coming to
south Africa.
'Burghers of the Free State, are
you blind? Can you not see you are
being deceived by the Transvaal gen
erals? What are they doing? They
do not fight one-tenth part as much as
we do, The Transvaal is not
so much ruined as is the Free State.
They are inclined to submit and are
only waiting to see what you are go
ing 10 do. The moment you surren-
Der, fall or are captured they will
surrender. | pray you again to con-
slider before you proceed further"