The Portland daily press., 1901-01-10
HOW SOUTH AFRICA Is PACI.
FLED.


In letter from Belfast. South Africa,
Lieut.. Morrison of Ottawa. editor OF the
Ottawa Citizen, who Is with the Cana
dian artillery there and has been recently
mentioned in dispatches for gallant con-
duct in action, describes the march
through Steilpoort Valley. north OF Bel
fast. He Gays:
Upright ana early we marched off.
The Canadians, as usual, were in the ad :
vanced guard, with the Fifth Lancers
and two pom-poms, Col. King oom-
manded the advanc9, and Gen. Smith
Dorien the main body. During the trek,
which lasted four days, our progress was
like tho old-time forays in the highlands
of Scotland two centuries ago.
'eIhe country is very Ike Scotland,
and we moved on from valley TO valley,
ifeing cattle aud sheep, burning, footing
ana turning out the women and chilrrsn
to sit and weep IN despair and utter
misery beside the ruins of their once
beautiful farmsteads. 1t was the first
touch of Kitchener's iron hand--a terri
bic thing TO witness, and don't know
that want to see another trip OF the sort.
1t rather revolted the most OF us
"We burned a track about six miles
wide through these fertile valleys, ana
completely destroyed the village of VIII
poort and the nourlshing town of Dull
stroom. The column left trail OF fire
and smoke behind 1t that could be seen
at Belfast. Many OF the houses were sur
rounded by beautiful gardens abloom with
roses, lilies and holly hooks, and embow-
cred in fruit trees, and with my glasses L
ould see the women and children bund-
led out, their bedding thrown through
the windows after them. The cavalry
would ride rapidly away, and the poor
women and children, utterly oonfound-
ed, would remain standing In the yard
or garden, Watching, heiplessiy, their
homes disappear in TIRE and smoke"
Describing the sack or Dullstroom,
Lieut., Morrison proceeds: ION the fol-
lowing morning the troops were up long
before daylight and marched off at 4 a.
m. We had no trouble in getting out
at the right hour. You c1uld hsar alarm
clock bells ringing from nearly every
heap OF blankets upon the cNmp ground,
and the veldt hummed like telegram
office. When soldier loots house, the
first thing he grabs Is the clock. In the
dim, early dawn the column, nearly all
men, moved swiftly north. We
were going TO sack and burn the town of
Nobody who was there Will ever forget
force seized the town after a little fight.
The Beers went into the surrounding
hills, and there was nobody in town ex-
eept women and children. 1t was a very
pretty place. 1.-THE houses had lovely
flower gardens, and the roses were in
bloom. We seized a koDjs overlooking
the main street, and placed all the guns
on 1t, while the cavalry galloped through
and skirmished up the hills beyond. The
Beers drove in our outposts on the flank,
and began shipping the guns, and amid
the row of the cannonade and the crackle |
Of rifle tire the sacking of the place be- |
gan.
First there was an ominous blush |
haze over the town, and then the smoke |
rolled upfin volumes that coulu be seen |
for fifty miles away. The Beers ON the |
hills seemed psralyzsd by the sight, and |
stopped shouting. When the luli came, |
ien. Smith-Dorien invited the artillery |
offioers to go down into the place with |
him ON sort OF official appearance-'just |
1en them that you saw me- kind OF a |
hing The town was very quiet save for |
she roaring and crackle Of the flames.
On the steps of the church a group OF |
women and children were huddled. The
Homen's faces were very white, but some
II them had spots Of red on either cheek,
and their eyes were blazing,
The troops were systematically
cooking the place over, ana as they
got quite through with each house they
burned h. Our Canadian boys helped
he women to get their furniture out
18th much the same concarn as they
would exhibit at ire at home.
"but you should have seen the Royal
IRISH on the loot. They helped the pao-
Die out with their stuff by heaving
bureaus bodily through the windows,
'utting pickaxes through melodeops,.
md such like wantonness. / heard one
yell, 'Begorra, Tim, here's a nice carpst
d think Oil take 1t home for the ould
woman. Lind hand hersl' k-rr-ripl
Up came tine handsome pile car Pct In
trips. And SO tina work wen tan, the
Ulcers standing by laughing at ths cost.
y fun their men were having. :"