The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-12-02
ALL
TO TREACHERY
DeWet Says Boer Cause Was Lost
Through DeseTtion Of His Own
People.
inside INFORMATION IN new BOOK.

London, Dec 1. - Had not so
many of our burghers proved false to
their own colors, England as the great
Bismarck foretold, would have found
her grave in South Africa"
That is the keynote Of the Boer gen.
cral DeWett's book entitled, "rhree
Years of War" dedicated by the Boer
general, ".ro my fellow subjects of the
British Empire"
1t is perhaps the most remarkable
book by the most remarkable leader
that any recent war has produced. The
concise, simply told tale Of the extra
ordinary campaign is marked through
out with the stamp of truth. The bald
ness of the narrative only serves to
bring into strong relief the fiery pas
sages where strong man literally
blurts out his soul in pathetic regret
or bitter denunciation.
In thus taking the public into his
confidence DeWet lcses nothing of the
glemOr with which his exploits in the
field surrounded him. in criticising he
spares no one; Boer and Briton come
equally under the lash. DeWet declares
that whatever the English people may
have to say in discredit of Gen. Bull
Ter he had to operate against stronger
positions than any British general.
Throughout the work the Boer general
has but slight praise for Lord Roberts
and little more for Lord Kitchener. Gen
Knox is almost the only British gefer-
al who seems to have struck DeWet as
commander with real military gen.
ius. OF Tommy Atkins" he has
many kindly words to say and declares
"the British we're lar from being bad
shots" The comparative immunity OF
the Beers from harm, DeWet constant
ly and most feryently attributes to the
} interposition OF God.
r@.sf- any reader" says, 'is eager to
know how 1t was l kept out of the
enemies hands, can only answer, al
though may not be understood. that
I ascribed it to nothing else than to
should fall into their hands. Let those
who rejoice at my miraculous escape
give all their praise to God" Never
theless the book teens with accounts
of military and other strategies by
which DeWet outwitted his pursuers
frequently he recounts cases of de-
sertion and panic among his own mer
when his entreaties and '.sjamboking'
were all of no avail DeWet pays a
tribute to Gen. Cronje for his bravery,
but declares that he lost at Paardebc
only on account of his fatal obstinacy
to leave the laager as he was advised
to DO by Gen. Botha and by the writer
himself. Regarding his own forces Ne
Wet writes:
''lt was far easier to fight against
the great English army than against
treachery among my own people and
iron will was required to fight against
both. Once, II only our orders had
been carried out a little more strictly
and If only the most elementary rules
Of strategy had been observed in our
effort to break the British lines Of
communication, Lord Roberts and his
thousands of troops would have found
themselves shut up in Pretoria, where
, they would have perished of hunger.
1t was not the skill Of their comman-
der in chief that saved them"
OF the blockhouse DeWet is frankly
contemptuous. "The blockhouse pol
ley" he says, might equally well have