Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-08-07
BOer and Brit0n.
(Conclusion.)

(Conclusion.)
Broukhorst Spruit was repeated and
emphasized. On the night of Febru-
ary 26, 1881. Sir George Colley occu-
pied Majuba Hill with something near
one Thousand men. This position
overlooked the Boer camp at Laug's
Mex, and was of itself natural forti-
ficatlon. When the Beers saw the
British above them in commanding
position, they at first concluded to
evacuate their camp and accordingly
began to pack up. After consulta-
tion, subordinate commandent named
Schmidt agreed to make an attempt to
dislodge the enemy if he were allowed
one hundred and fifty men. The move,
it was thought, would in any event
prevent interference with their re-
treat. The British, when they saw
the white covers of the Boer wagons
moving to the northwest, broke into
wild cheers, but their rejoicing was
short-lived. The intrepid $50 began
their historic march up the hill on
three sides, and every Englishman
that got against the sky line was a
lost man. When they reached the top
they found it ringed with dead and
dying. The remnant Of the British
forces huddled together at the bottom
of the cup-like depression, which was
at the summit, scattered under the
withering fire poured into them, and
Sir George Colley was shot dead by a
Boer thirteen hundred yards away,
while in the act of giving the order to
cease firing. This ended the war.
The Beers had not captured a town
they had beseiged, neither had they
lost battle in the open field. The
battle of Majuba Hill, like our own
battle of New Orleans, was fought
after the terms of peace had been
practically agreed upon.
The South African Republic became
independent, with the exception that
the English government was to be its
agent in dealing with foreign nations.
English people were humiliated that
the war should be closed by defeat
of their army, but Mr.. Gladstone was
firm. He contended that the British
Empire was strong and great enough
to do right. The Beers thought thai
their difficulties were over, and that
they would thereafter be permitted tc
occupy their farms in peace and live
in their own way undisturbed, but the
Rand mines we're discovered, Johannes
burg sprang up as the mushroom
springs up in a night; vast wealth was
acquired as if by magic. Cecil Rhodes
one of the magnates of the Kimberly
diamond mines, came upon the stage
of South African politics with dreamt
of founding great empire there, al
Warren Hastings had done in India
The native races were brushed aside
as if they had been flies, or driven into
the slave pens of the Rand and Kim
berly. The two sturdy Boer Repub
lies and the Dutch population of Cape
Colony were in his path, and they
must be crushed before his dream
could be realized. So conspiracy
was originated with the full knowledge
and consent of Sir Alfred Miner, the
Governor of Cape Colony, and JOSEPH
Chamberlain, the English Colonia
Secretary, by which the Outlanders
as the mining population of the Rant
was termed, we're to rise against thu
Boer government, overthrow it, re
celve assistance from the South Afri
can Chartered Company, Of which
Cecil Rhodes was the head, and eventu
ally from the English authorities, ant
Dutch influence in South Africa was tt
be blotted out forever. To carry ou
this scheme DR.. Jamison, with nearl,
thousand men, many of whom wer,
from noble English families, started
out one summer morning from Mafek
ing, on the western border Of tn
Transvaal, to ride to Johannesburg, bu
the Beers were not to be taken by sur
prise. They collected their force
with a celebrity that completely dis
comftted the conspirators. Elevel
hundred men overawed Johannesburg
while thousand, under Cronje, rod
out to meet the raiders. When the
met the story was soon told; after tn
raiders had lost hundred men the
surrendered, and we're chagrined t.
J find that their enemies had suffered
loss of only four men wounded Th
Beers then began to get ready for tn
linvitable conflict. They began t.
store up arms and ammunition and t,
study the art Of war, for they under
stood that they would soon have Il
; fight for their liberties If they were t.
be maintained.
In the year 1899 the English govern
ment, In violation Of her treaty will
the Burghers, demanded q voice ii