Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-09-05
TROUBLE OF THE HERERos.
The Deeds Which Started German.
Little War in the HinterIand,

the Frankfurt Zeitung published
statement of traveller who had il
returned from the scene of war, b
ing made his home while there
Windhoek and Okahandja, He
clared that the merchants and tr
ers had purposely involved the
tives in debt and had then pursue
course of levying on their goods
chattels that would have been resi-
ed by any civilized community
| the world. According to this ST.
ment. the traders are largely
charged soldiers whom the mercha
equip with wagons and oxen, an
load Of goods. The soldier-tra0
sold at first largely on credit. IT.
told the natives that they need
| pay then, but might pay at a. la
trip. The natives under these
ducements bought heavily and at
ter periods they paid a little and
der the generous promises of
traders they bought still more he
lily. The merchants who back the
traders favored this extension
credits until sometimes natl
would owe a merchant as much
| $4,000. All that time the trader W.
telling the native that "any tin
| would do to pay his debt"
Finally the trader having involve
vii l.
gan to collect. The wealth of ii
Hereros is principally in cattle. The
are almost religiously devoted
their stock, taking every possibI
care of it and even at times lettin
favOrite animals die Of old age rattle
than kill them. But the trader ha
no sentiment in this regard, an
when he started to collect he pre-
ceeded to drive away the stock o
the debtor. AS the merchant mad,
an average of 70 per cent. on tn
goods that he sold the trader, and
the latter generally made 100 pc
cent. in their sale, besides making !,
profit Of 20 per cent. on the cattl
that he seized, it is easy to see hov
an intelligent native would come il
time to resent such a procedure.
This was the groundwork on which
the present discomfort and warlik,
attitude of the Hereros was built
According to dispatches from British
BechUanaland, the immediate trou
BILE arose from the shooting of a ma
tive by a German officer. The shoot
ing was unprovoked and the news O
the event spread like wildfirt
throughout the Hinterland. Runner
were sent from camp to camp ant
from these to the larger towns, unit
every section of Hereroland ant
Ovampoland was aroused. The me
began to arm Immediately. Exped
tons were sent in various directions
Okhandja was cut off and Barme
and Windhoek itself threatened
Isolated families of German settler
were killed, and when the sma
forces of the Germans took the feel
to relieve the garrisons at varior
points they were beaten back wit
serious loss.
The German troops in the color
gave back bloodshed for bloodshe
and torture for torture. With the
magazine rifles and machine gun
against the breach-loading rifles ar
bows of the natives, a small for
was the equivalent of a large body
Hereros or Hottentots. While t.
number of German soldiers in t,
field was scarcely 1000 men, tn
managed to hold at bay a natl
horde many times their own numbt
Word was sent to Berlin and after
spirited debate in the Reichstag
credit of $4,000 for a punitive ext
dition was voted and a further ere,
of $4,000 for the budget for t
present year was passed. With Il
money 1000 more soldiers we
equipped and sent into the field. IT,
gave the Germans about 1000 men
the field, but after two months in
colony the world has yet to hear tt
the soldiers of the emperor ha
fought any decisive battle with
natives.
Meantime another and still mo
important move has been made
the shrewd natives. In the fig
against the Germans they have be-
given to understand by their leade
that they have the sympathy of Il
British. The natives confoundiJ
the German soldiers and traders wi
the beers, and knowing the BIRTHS
have recently been at war with t.
latter, have come to the conclusi,
that the English will be their frient
in the great conflict with the inva
ers. This belief has been gtrengt
ened by an event that occurred la
November. In 1900 the native
killed boer, and last fall three n
tives were arrested by the British a
thorities in the section Of the Tran
vaal bordering on German Southwe,
Africa. When they were brought l
for trial their chief, Liuchwe, can
! to the court and produced Tette
written to him by the British col
| II II