Washington sentinel., 1901-05-18

oWOhCs
Today De Wet is the most re-
lentless patriot in South Africa
His fara has been looted. his
house burnt to ashes, his wife anc
children deported to the shores c
the Indian Ocean. He has sworn
solemn oath never to surrender,
and the British do not want to take
him alive.
General De Wet had had no ex-
perience in warfare previous to
taking command of tour hundred
Free Starers in the fall OF 1899 He
had never heard Of Kitchener or
Roberts, had read little but his
Dutch Bible, and knew nothing Of
Napoleon Bonaparte or julius
Caesar. One afternoon in the latter
end OF March, 1900, after several
months campaigning, a scout rode
into his camp with news that an
Engl sh garrison occupied a place
called Sannah Post In two DAYS
this farmer won >~victory that
either Of his two famous predeces-
sors would have been proud or
His opponent was Col. Broad
wood, an Indian veteran and
noted commander. He had with
him two thousand FIVE hundred
men. They had camped on a knob
OF rising veldt. De Wet came
within firing distance at three
o'clock in the morning. He had
fourteen hundred burghers, and a
battery Of four Krupp guns and
one Maxim mitrailleuse. The lat
ter were dragged TO a spot FIVE
thousand yards from the English,
where tour hundred riflemen lay
down to wait Tor dawn. AT an
other spot six hundred marksmen
were Stationed, and the remaining
four hundred De Wet took with
him to a dry river bed that lay TO
the west, toward which he hoped
the British might retreat. The
horses were concealed there,
with their mouths tied shut 10 pre-.
vent their whinnYing.
The sun rose at six o'clock. and
from the post were heard the
sounds ct camp life, rattling of
coffee cans and crackle Of fires.f
There was not even one outpost or
scout, and when the Beers on the
north opened FIRE at 6:I5, the Eng
lish camp was thrown into a panic.
The British artillery soon got in
position, however, and opened on
the kopie. The duel kept up for
half an hour, then the Boer artil-
lery let loose with IS Krupps and
created havoc. Three hundred
British mounted infantry rode out
on the veldt toward De Wet, and
then wheeling off, suddenly disap-
peared. Thev were not seen again
in the fight, By nine o'clock the
English were so demoralized that
they began to retreat, and, as De
Wet expe eted, they rushed toward
the spruit. First in the long khaki
line were one hundred and twenty
wagons, scattered among which
we're many Cape carts, or "spid-
eTs." But right in the midst of
the line De Wet spied twelve can
non, and these he planned to cap
ture. The first Tommy to arrive
at the spruit was driving an am
munition wagon. De Wet rose up
like a specter, with his carbine
resting on his arm, and motioning
with his finger said, Come on,
Tommy; want YOU" The
Tommy gulped down an oath and
obeyed, never dariRg to signal his
comrades. A dozen wagons had
crossed the stream before word had
passed to the rear ana put the col
umn into confusion. Broadwood
sent three hundred men down to
the spruit to see what was the mat
ter. De Wet and his four hundred
sharpshooters had not fired as yet.
When the captain was within fl
teen feet oi De Wet, the latter
stepped out from cover again and
called out, "Stopl Put down your
arms" Some OF the men obeyed,
but the captain tried to get away
and De Wet shot him through the
head. Within a few square feet Of
that officer, Captain Allen. the
Norwegian military attache, told
me that he aiterward counted
thirty-two dead Enelishmen. The
rattle OF Mausers was like hail on
a tin root. Every strand on a wire
fen e across the spruit was shot
away. Nearly all the artillerymen
dropped dead with bullets through
their heads. every horse was shot
down. and it was only by the most
desperate bravery that Broadwood
was able to extricate FIVE OF the
twelve cannon. The triple fire OF
the Beers so demoralized the Eng
lish that for a time It was thought
i prca, ,luvoOd hfrDeat( s,,ues e,,rray, .