Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-06-23
HOTTENIOT'S GREAT WAR
Germany Annoyed Over Fail
ure in that Little Affair"
ENORMOUS SUMS SPENT
Natives Natural Born Bush Fighters
Two Thousand OF Kaiser's
Troops KilIed--Africans Show
Remarkable Mercy--Enropcan's
Living Up to Emperor's Epigrans.

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The present rebellion broke out IN
| German Southwest Africa during
November, 1903. The German yoke
| had been anything but easy and the
natives had long planned an upris-
Ing. 1t was left to the Bondelswart
| tribe OF Hottentots to attack FIRST.
| They started by storming the Ger
man station OF warmbad. In the
/ southeastern part OF tho country,
near the Orange River. This attack
| opened the eyes OF Colonel Leutwin.
governor OF the colony. to the seri,
BUSINESS OF the situation. and he hur.
ried a message to the home govern
not begin to put down the natives
Troops were Immediately sent from
Germany. until by the following May
there were 5000 on the lsld
The Herreros, the strongest tribe
In the central and northern part Of
the protectorate, who were well
armed and had plenty OF ammunI
ton. rose In January, 1904. They
| were under the command OF Chief
( Marengo, now the hero OF the war
| and the most enlightened of the ma
| tives. who has carried on the fight
with all the logged persistence OF
the Germans themselves. In June,
1904, Gen Won Trotha assumed COM
mand OF the troops and became gov
ernor In the place of Col. Luetwein
| the following November.
In August OF that summer the
| Germans routed the Hereros In a
notable mountain battle at Water
berg. Marengo had to fec and his
troops were scattered, but he con-
tinued to carry on an effective guer-
| rilla warfare In the mountain fast
nesses. BY November OF that year
there was a general uprising OF the
Hottentots under Hendrix Witboi,
who originally resisted the encroach-
ments of the Germans In 1888.
The war was prosecuted with o
siderable vigor throughout the vim
ter. In April, 1905, Gen. Won Trotha
said that he had finally succeeded In
putting down the Herero revolt. This
OOdoty nCWtftlg HlOfGA W INV tANtiO
foundation. for Immediately after
ward the natives renewed their dep
relations with increased determine
ton. Won Trothat. only the month
after he had announced the end.
thought himself, compelled, In or
der to really put down the revolt, to
set a price on Witboi's head and to
order that every male Herero in the
colony should be shot on sight.
Prince Won Bueiow. however. conn-
fernandez this savage proclamation.
The uprising had long since
| spread to the German East Africa
| protectorate, which lies directly
south OF British East Africa. The
Nasal tribes there, considered one
of the most warlike tribes ia Africa
had revoited and attacked the Ger
mans and the Germanized natives
| with energy and success. Their tac-
tics are not unlike those of the
American Indians. Their chief work
is to deprive their enemies OF their
cattle. One half Of an attacking par
ty engages the men In a fight for
their lives, while the other half
stampedes the cattle and drives
them OFF to some secure corral. 1t Is
said that some OF the Masais have a
sort OF hypnotic influence over the
animals. leading them wherever de-
sired by merely getting In front or a
herd and whistling a soft. alluring
tune and tapping gently on a tightly
stretched skin shield. Their con-
slant incursions have practically de-
populated the village settlements OF
the Pangani Plain district.
German Southwest Africa proper
covers $4,000 square miles and has
a native population OF about 200.-
900. All the negroes are natural
born bush and hill fighters and their
great aim always Is to get the Ger
mans to march far of into some des-
ert region, where they die Of either
starvation OF disease. not being able
to find a way out.
1t Is a mistake to assume that the
natives of the German protectorate
are savages. They have been de-
scribed as semi-barbarous, but In
cases this does them an injustice:
for many of the better kind are
highly enlightened and give evil
dence OF 1t In cases where civilized
nations are sometimes found lack
Ing. Marengo himself Is described
as a a OF parts who takes delight
In acts OF magnaminity. AS a fair
example OF this 1t is told how he paid
the passage home OF a German set
tier whose property had been ruined
by the chieftaln's men In the course
of the war.
The Hottentots throughout the
rebellion have often done acts OF
mercy. One leader upon making an
attack one day restored his cattle to
a man because the latter said II they
were taken he and his children
would surely starve. Many cruel
things have also been done by the
natives. They believe they are fight
Ing for a big stake.
AS for the Germans. they are said
to be practicing In Africa man OF
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