The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-04-18
WHY The BOERS
WERE EXECUTED
THE DYING STATEMENT OF
COURT MARTIALED
OFFICER.
BOERs BRUTALLY MURDERED HIS
CAPTAIN.
Australian Carbineers Executed Dozen
of Enemy After Drum Head Courts,
Because Beers wore British Uniform.

Australian newspapers received by the
Sonoma are publishing columns devoted
Australian officers for having killed un-
armed Beers. While there has been, as
yetyet, no disposition shown to severely
CritiCise the policy of Lord Kitchener
in having the officers executed, there
seems strong undercurrent Of SYM
pathy for the men. All of the officers
concerned are declared by the Austria
liam papers TO have borne excellent re-
putations i'm that country and one of
Them Lieutenant Morant was a cultur-
ed man whose ability as a writer was
widely known under the nom deplume
of ''Ihe Breakers 1t would not be
surprising in the least, if. when further
details of the affair are secured by the
Australian papers the action of Lord
Kitchener We're not censured in very
strong language
The executed officers belonged to the
Bushveld Carbineers an irregular body
Of soldiers. Lieutenants Morant and
Handbook We're the men executed on
February q at Pretoria and Lieutenant
Wilton is the man who was sentenced
to life imprisonment The Australian
papers declare that the affair of the
court martial of the men is wrapped in
mystery especially that part relating
to the alleged murder of the German
missionary on this charge however all
of the officers implicated were acquitted
Three other men We're arrested with the
three officers but were later given their
liberty Lieutenant Morant who ap-
pears to have been the ringleader i'm the
shooting of the Beers and who in fact
made a short address at the trial
assuming all responsibility has made a
dying statement to a brother officer.
The executions of the Beers appears to
have been done on account of the
enemy wearing the uniforms of the
British. The first execution occurred
evidently to ayeuge the alleged murder
of Morants superior officer Captain
Hunt.
MuTants statement is as follows 1--WE
attacked some Beers near q farm at
Fort Edward, and Captain Hunt, late
Of the Tenth Hussars who was in
charge of our men was wounded. We
had to retire and leave him there but
/ after getting reinfOrCementS we again
/ went out to capture the Beers who had
captured our captain. One of the ma
| tive servants of Captain Hunt, then
came running up to me and said: The
/ captain had his neck broke. This up
1 set me a good deal and l Immediately
| inquired where he lay. The servant
| took me to where he was and found an
| other native servant by the mUtilated
/ body, crying like q child"
/ I'VE asked him what was the matter
| and then he told us that the Beers had
/ first tied a rope around the neck OF
/ Captain Hunt and had drawn it tightly
| across against a tree to break it, but
/ finding that they could not do so by
/ this means, one Of the fellows jumped
on Captain Hunts head with his heels.
| Seeing the Captain, my Chum, there in
| that aNGul state after we had left him
with only a wound IN the thigh, was
too much for me. l felt most horribly
/ angry. In fact, ! felt savage, and
/ some little time afterwards we captured
/ a Boer wearing Captain Hunts uni
form. We shot him after holding a
court martial.
"We held "a court martial on all the
/ Beers we shot. One of the Beers es-
/ capped and managed to get to Pieters-
/ burg where he surrendered, and told
the whole story. In the meantime we
followed and captured a man named
/ Byrne, together with thirteen other
Beers and as they We're all wearing
khaki we tried them and shot them
also"
1t appears that Hunt and Moraut
We're engaged to sisters at home. The
charge that MOrant and his men had
killed some Beers for the purpose of
securing money, was Indignantly denied
by the officer before he was executed.
Lieutnant Wilton who was originally
| sentenced to death but whose sentence
was subsequently cOmmuted to life i'm
prisonment for the reason that he was
alleged to have participated in one OF
two of the three alleged murders Of
Beers, has also written statement &c
the Australian papers in which he cor
rohorates practically the dying state
ment of Morant.
Wilton says: early i'm August of
last year. the Bushveldt Carbueers
We're operating in the northern Trans
yaal, and We're stationed at Fort Ed
ward. While they were there, it was
reported that a force of Beers We're In
possession of Nilioens farmhouse.
party of II men, under Captain Hunt
was order to attack the farmhouse, and
when they engaged the Beers there was
some sharp fighting, during which Cap
tain Hunt was wounded and the re-
mainder of the attacking party were
driven back leaving their wounded
captain on the field. The detachment
returned to Fort Edward for reinforce
ments, and then resumed the attack on
the following day, which was August 8
AS they passed through Beuben's mis-,
sion station, they were informed by one
of the men on the station that Captain
| Hunts body had been found, and thai
ktheir informant had prepared it for bu-
rial He further told them that lfe was
satisfied from the appearance Of tho
body that the Beers had deliberately
killed the unfortunate officer as he
lay wounded and helpless on the grOunl
The neck was broken and there were
marks of a boot heel which had beer
stamped i'm the face. The uniform haC
been stripped from the body and the
underclothes had been ripped up with 2
knife After receiving this informa'
tion. the Carbineers moved on to the
farmhouse attack. and fired severa
volleys into the farm house without re
celving any fire in return. The Boeri