The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-09-11
An "0utIander" on The War.

The following Illuminating letter
was written July "a at Cape Town by
the Rev. W. Dewdney Drew and was
addressed to an English non-conform-
iss clergyman. It presents remark
able picture Of the situation in South
Africa today. Mr. Drew lived IN the
Transvaal for some years before the
war, he was member Of the so-called
reform committee of the outlanders
IN johannesburg and when the war
broke out, he took the British side.
The letter follows:
The accompanying newspaper, which
contains a published letter Of mine,
viii reveal to you that by no means
echo the usual tale carried home by
South African ministers. Few OF
these know the Boer and those who do
are so worked up by war feeling that
they can only look upon him as an
enemy. The consequence is that the
bulk of the counsels at present ad-
dressed by British South Africans to
The home people are OF an intensely
party character. They are as lit to be
Srusted by you as description which,
let us say, a Tory might draw of the
Liberal party would,be 6t to be trust
I'D by foreigner.
There are Just two points on which l
feel impelled to write to you and they
both relate to an essential mistake
which we are making about the Boer
people. They are not people to pe
cowed, nor are they people to forget.
This bears, for one thing, very rele-
vanity on our conduct Of the war.
Every piece OF terrorism, every" severe
measure, - has so far recoiled on
ourselves. The burning and pillaging
committed by our troops, and to
which I can testify (kaving ridden
handreds of miles in their track, has
merely put the very devil into the
Beers. I have heard from their own
lips and from the lips OF their women
how it has affected them. To give
names, was dining one day last
month with the mother and two sisters
of the Commandant Kritzinger now
invading the colony, and with the
Miss Olivier, daughter OF the COM
wandant of that name, whom he is
engaged to marry. These ladies are
refugees in Basutoland, where l met
them. They were unanimous IN ascrlb-
ing the continued resistance OF their
relatives and countrymen to the
above mentioned cause. At Thaba'
Nchu, where my brotber-in-law's farm
is situated, there lives Mrs. Adams,
whom I have known for years. She
Is an English lady and ministers to
the sick in hospital, showing them
charity regardless of their nationality.
She told me, too, as I travelled home
ward from Basutoland that the wound
ed Beers were giving the same ez-
planation. From what | have person
ally seen of the ravages inflicted by
our troops on the Free State by fire
and pilfering there are revelations yet
TO be made to the British public which
will fulfil Mr.. Kruger's forecast and
indeed stagger humanity
I know nothing personally about
concentration camps, having never
visited one. However, T have, when
riding on the veldt, met conveys OF
women and children, and have also
seen them huddled by scores IN open
trucks which stood by the hour at
Springfontaein Railway station until
the line could be cleared for forward
ing them to the Bethulie camp. The
aforementioned contingent had come IN
the same day from Fauresmith, ow-
ing to Eclearin'' operations IN that
district. There were, Of course, in
eyitable discomforts, let such removals
be planned as wisely as possible, but
I do not think the Boer women would
make much of these. What will never
die from the memory Of the survivors
is the horrors which we have allowed
to fall upon them, not, Of course, in
tentionally, but through sheer mud
clement. The Government returns as
TO the mortality in these camps fur
nish only too convincing proof, and l
venture to predict that Miss Hob
houses finding will be virtually en-
dorsed by the ladies' commission
which has now sailed. It is the same
Kind of neglect which caused the hos
pital scandals, and which I have with
my own eyes witnessed going on IN the
fighting ditricts and in the near pres
ence of the enemy. A general sets out
10 CLEAR q given stretch OF country.
He is going to scoop human lives
wholesale into his net, but has no
notion Of what he Will do With tnem
when caught. The capture effected,
he dumps the unfortunates down on
the nearest camp, whose officer is at
his wits end to provide for them.
Then the troubles begin; children die
for lack OF milk, women are unattend-
ed in childbirth, and the Government
have to compile set of " returns"
which make an Englishman's ears
Single as he reads.
We have now the blended stupidity
and cruelty of these "rebel'' execu-
sions. am not surprised to see that
some dozen leading farmers were after
wards banished from the Cradock dis
trict. Probably, as the South African
News suggests, they refused to attend
when ordered. hear that the Muir
raysburg district is seething with
fury. Yesterdays papers report a
specially fierce and successful attack
on a military train in that neighbor-
hood. It will yet be found that the