The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-08-24
KIrCHENER's HIGHWAYMEN.
Brutal Treatment OF Boer Women and
chilhren

When Joe Chamberlain and his gang
of pirates and pawnbrokers first de-
scended upon the South African re-
publics the world was RECALLED with
griSly stories of the ignorance, dirt,
and general degradation in which the
burghers habitually dwelt, says the
Washington Post These latter were
described by the hired men of the
gangs press bureau as rude and filthy
savages, persons of vile habits, mar
row intelligence, and hopeless mental
and moral inferiority. We were asked
to believe that England had entered
upon her unutterable enterprise in the
name of human eXalMtion.
And every servile anglomaniac and
writing toady in the United States
believed it. 10 this day, in fact, one
can hear ladylike persons of both SEX
es, with beveled chins aud fixed,
CLASSY eyes, babbling of England's
course as 80 noble, so unselfish, YOU
know" Barbarism must give way to
culture, tyranny to freedom, don't YOU
see. etc.
BLESSINGS of liberty and enlightened
institutions must be spread. ell? Un-
washed Beers. with their primeval
savagery. burden the earth, check the
march of progress. stand in the way
of sweetness and light. and all that
sort of thing, don'tcherknow? And
SO on.
1t is interesting. in this connection,
to examine the letters sent home by
British soldiers and furnished to the
press for publication by their recipi-
ents Here is an extract from one Of
them, published in the London Truth.
1t comes from Il Yeoman attached t.
Paget's column--a command conspic-
uous for its achievements over help
less women and children:
Some days we would start Off early
in the morning and try during the
whole day to burn as many farms as
we could
1--WE used to ride up to the farm door
half dozen of us-dismount, and
rap with our rifles on the wood. We
did not wait for an invitation. In we
went. and said to the woman, Pack IN.
missls; there's a cart waiting for us.
And we gave her ten minutes and then
with her youngsters she was packed
into an open wagon and driven to the
nearest camp.
I'VE used to have plenty of fun.
All the rooms were ransackcl. You
can't imagine what beautiful things
there were there. I've smashed dozens
of pianos. Some would commence
playing OH the keys with the butts of
their rifles. Others would smash Off
their legs and panels. Pictures would
be turned into targets. After this we
would set the building on fire.
1--WE would do the same with the
next farm we came across. We had
to shut our eyes to great many
sights. The mothers would implore us
to leave them in peace. and when we
would not listen to them we were the
verdOmmte rooinek. 1t was not al-
ways pleasant, but we had to do our
duty. | have often seen Il mother
with a tWo-months-old baby Mt the
breast and little ones around her, with
a number of Kaffir women bowling in
sympathy"
Pianos, pictures, beautiful things"
In the Boer farmllouses? Is this cretli-
Bile? But hundreds of simple minded
English soldiers have given the same
testimony and have told with shame
and sorrow of their part in the de-
struction of these symbols of barbar.
ISM in order to spread the Chamber
lain propaganda of ecstasy and eleva-
ton. This writer has his identity con-
cealed, and for most pressing reason;
but others, officers, Canadian volun-
teers, men of influence, with no fear
of Chamberlain before their eyes, have
spoken in public to similar effect,
and 1t has come to pass that such
things may now be said in London
to respectful and sympathetic audi
ences without peril of molcstation by
the mob
Women, also, have begun to testify
not crazy cranks and irresponsible
agitators. but women of high character
and unassailable authority. Miss Hob.
house has given evidence ms to the cru
city with which the Boer captives-
women and children and decrepit non
combatnnts-arc treated by the British
authorities in charge of the pens in
which they are huddled She has
shown that the prisoners are suffer-
ing neetllessly; that humanity has no
place in the British scheme; that the
death rate among the captive children
is appalling. And now comes a coad-
jutor of Miss Hobhousc, who speaks
from actual experience and observa-
ton in Kitchener's prison pens, rs
follows:
"When left Pretoria 1t was already
very cold, even inside my own home.
What it must have been outside in the
tents on the bleak hillside shudder
to think. Yet that was only the begin.