Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-04-10
Civilized Warfare.

The following is from the pen of one
OF the soldiers that formed the hollow
square that shot Commandant Scheep-
ers:
.'Commandant Scheepers was shot
at 8 o'clock. They brought him from
town in an ambulance van, with the
band playing and the firing party fol-
lowing behind. When they got him to
his grave he begged to be allowed to
stand up and face death, but they tied
him down in a chair and blind-folded
him. Then ffteen of the Coldstream
Guards stood ten paces from him and
fired. The volley almost blew one
side of him away, and it was a sicken-
ing sight. He must have been a brave
man; he did not finch or turn pale.
They buried him as he was and broke
up the chair on which he had sat,
throwing the pieces on top of him.
when it is further remembered that
the tune played by the band that con-
veyed %Scheepers to death was a rollick-
ing one, and that the victim at the
time was suffering from severe wounds,
the rage and horror excited among the
Beers by the execution may be i'm
~agined."
Another c%ablegram from London
states:
1.-The latest returned South African
hero is Sergeant Paish of the Glamor-
ganshire militia. He hanged with his
own hands four Beers accused of break
ing their parole, a punishment which
in itself is a breach Of civilized usages.
What specially aroused lingo admira-
ton was Paish's description OF the
pretty scene created by the wife of
one of his victims when she saw him
practicing the hanging beforehand
with an old anvil. This practice was
carried on in a public place so the
women could not fail to see.n
This is very amusing and interest
ing reading. The c%ablegram does not
inform US, but we suppose this dis.
tinguished British officer, and expon.
ent of civilized warfare, took kodak
snap shots of the ''pretty scenes" that
Boer women and children made while
it was being demonstrated by a dunn
my how the husband and father was
to be choked to death. Not a contor'
ton of the c~ountenance of the women,
not a movement of a muscle that be
tokened agony OF mind on the part o
the child was lost. The implorinE
hands OF little children, the tear upor
the cheek of wife and daughter, thu
grave countenances Of the people il
the background, Mortified at willfu
and deliberate murder, all, we sup
pose, were set forth by this soldie
artist for the delectation Of the ultr
fashionable set in England. Perhap
the pretty scenes will be reproduce
in this country to please our societ.
ladies and gentlemen. What a pit,
this Christian soldier, this pink 0
pl0by, ulu uOb udfo buo lUEtSlRnJ Y
preserve the photographic records 0
the screams of the women whose hus
bands were being done to death befor
their eyes, or the wailipg of the chile
ren whose fathers were being slaugt
tered to make an amusing spectacle
How lucky for these people it is thu
there is no God to hear the cry OF tn
widow and the orphan, and how fortt
nate for the English that the fool Boer
think there is One who forbids them t
take vengeance upon their enemie:
This superstition caused them to re
turn the wounded Metheune to th
English on the ridiculous ground ths
they could not properly care for hin
and they disliked to infict needles
suffering upon a fellow man.
The execution OF %Scheepers seems t
have been dull and uninterestine
There was no Mrs. S%cheepers preser
with her children to make a 'sprett
scene" Would it not be very VI
comfortable for Sergeant Paish and tt
ladies and gentlemen he has amuse
80 pleasantly if there should be a ju
God, after alp 1t is about time Il
some good brother at a conference
rise in his place and thank God Il
the work being done by the English
South Africa. England is a Christie
nation. The approving United Stat
is another Christian nation. A heatht
nation would be an improvement.