Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-01-25

Canadian Officer Tells of q Loot
ing and Burning Raid.
EFFEoroF K1ToHENBR's1RoN HAND


EFFEOTOF KITOHENBR'S SIRON HAND
Llcutcnant Morrison of Ottawa Dc-
xcribcs t!.e March Through t.re
ste.ipaort vallcy--saci1ine CT =
Town CO I5ailssrocn,-Liisin.s OF s,.l-
/, Gicrs Ter -....1sa Cloc.Ns.
The Canadian troops in South Afri-
ca, according to recent reports, are
evidently not much in sympathy with
the harsh measures now being enforc-
ed against the Bocrs by Lord kitch-
encr III Il letter from Belfast, South
Africa, Lieutenant Morrison of Otta-
wa, editor CT the Ottawa Citizen, who
is Miih tuc Canadian artillery the. e
and has been recently mentioned in
dispatches fer gallant conduct in ac-
tion, describes tne march through .steil-
poort valley, north of Belfast lie
says i'll part:
Bright and early We marched OIL.
The Canadians, as usual, were in the
advanced guard, with the Fifth Ian
GERS and two pompoms. Colonel King
commanded the advance and General
Smith-Dorien the main body. During
the trek, which lasted four days, our
progress was like the old time forays
in the highlands of Scotland two CEN
turtles ago. The country is very like
Scotland, and we moved on from val
ley to valley, lifting cattle and sheep,
burning, looting and turning out the
women and children to sit and weep
in despair and utter misery beside the
ruins of their once beautiful farm
steads. 1t was the first touch of
Kitchener's iron hand, n terrible thing
to witness. and don't know that
want to see another trip of the sort.
1t rather revolted the most of us.
1--WE burned n track about six miles
wide through these fertile valleys and
completely destroyed the village Of
Wilpoort and the flourishing town of
Dullstroom. The column left trail of
fire and smoke behind it that could he
seer at Belfast. Many of the houses
We're surrounded by beautiful gardens
abloom with roses, lilies and holly
hooks and embowercd in fruit trees,
/ and with my glasses could see The
women and children bundled out, tleir
| bedding thrown through the windows
after them. The cavalry would ride
rapidly away, and the poor women
and children, utterly confoundcd by
the sudden visitation, would remain
standing III the yard or garden watch
ing helplessly their homes disappear.
in fire and smoke
Describing the sacl, Of Dullstroom,
Lieutenant Morrison proceeds: "On the
following morning the troops were up
long before daylight and marched off
at 4 o'clock. We had no trouble in
getting up at the right hour You
could hear alarm clock bells ringing
from nearly every heap Of blankets
upon the camp ground. and the veldt
hummed like n telephone office. When
a soldier loots house the first thing
he grabs is the clock. In the dim, early
dawn the column. nearly all mounted
men. moved swiftly north. We were
going to sack and burn the town of
DullStroom.
Nobody who was there will ever for
get that days work. About Z o'clock
in the morning our force seized the
town after a little fight. The Beers
went into the surrounding hills. and
there was nobody in the town except
women and children. We seized G
kopie overlooking the main street and
placed all the guns on it. willie the
cavalry galloped through and skir-
mislled up the hills beyond. The Beers
drove in our outposts on the flank
and began sniping the guns, and amid
the row of the cannonade and the
crackle of rifle fire the sacking of the
/ place began.
"First there was an ominous blush
haze over the town, and then the
smoke rolled up in volumes that could
be seen for so miles away. The Beers
on the hills seemed paralyzed by the
sight and stopped shooting. When the
lull came. General Smith Dorien in
vited the artillery officers to go down
into the pla 'e with him on a sort of
| OluClul appearances. 1ue tOWu was
very quiet, save for the roaring and
crackle of the flames. On the steps
of the church group of women and
children We're huddled. The women's
faces were very white, but some of
them had spots of red on either cheek,
and their eyes were blazing.
"The troops were Systematically
looking the place over. and as they
got quite through with each house
they burned it. You should have seen
the Royal Irish on the loot. They
helped the people out with their stuff
by heaving bureaus bodily through the
windows. putting pickaxes through
melodeonS and such like wantonness.
heard one yell: 'Begorry. Tim, here's
n nice carpet. Oi think Oi'll take it
home for the ould woman. Lind a
hand here Rr-r-rip! Up came q
handsome pile carpet in strips. And
SO the work went on. the officers stand
ing by iaughing at the costly fun their