Swansea Journal and South Wales Liberal. — 1901-10-05 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

BOER TREACHERY.  Lord Windeor at Cardiff a few days ago declared that it was simply insanity on the part of the people of this country to take the side of the Boer in the present disastrous war. We entirely agree with that statement, and will go further, and say that the Boers themselves do not deserve the slightest sympathy when they stoop to such treacherous tactics as that which has robbed us of young Lieutenant Ronald Miers, whose brutal murder will be particularly deplored in local circles by reason of the family connections between the deceased and the 'Mrs, lately of Ynyspenllwch House and Stout IGLU, Gower. It appears that young Miers, who was a lieutenant in the Somerset Light Infantry, and was employed with the South African Constabulary, was holding a post at Riversdraai when three of the enemy approached with a white flag. They halted, and a corporal went to ascertain ihe nature of their visit, but the Boers said they had a confidential statement to make to the captain, and wished to see him alone. Lieutenant Miers, we are told, mounted his horse and went off. When he reached the Boers he dismounted and entered into conversation with the men. Hardly had he done so, when one Boer lifted his rifle and shot the officer through the back, while the others shot his horse. The party then galloped away. Can anything be more terrible or diabolical than this brutal murder? Young Miers was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Miers, late of the 7th Cameron Highlanders, furmer!y iresident of Stout Hall, Gower, and now of Wingfield House, Stoke, Devonport, and a nephew of Mr. H. N. Miers, who for a ion time resided at Ynyspenllwch, near Swansea. Born in Gower just over twenty...iv-dr years ago, he, after his College days, entered the army as a subaltern, thus following in the steps of his father, who has seen much active service in Egypt, India, and Canada, and who was at one time an adjutant of the 3id Glamorgan Rifle Volunteers. Two other brothers of the deceased, it may be here .observed, Captain Douglas Miers, of the Cameron Highlanders, who is now with his regiment in South Africa, and Sub-Lieutenant Morris Miers, of the Royal Navy, are both serving their country. The late Lieutenant Miers very quickly became as great a favourite in the army as he had been at Mottingham House School, where, the "Pall Mall Gazette" tells us, he was "loved by all who knew him." He was also possessed of courageous doggedness, and that, and that alone, passed him into the army. He was also a splendid athlete. "Twice at Aldershot," says our contemporary just referred to, "in the year before the war began, and in September of the following year, he won the middleweight boxing championship of the army. He was not a clever boxer, his fine nature could not be persuaded to press an opponent, hard hit, by blows coming of weight-lifting, of which Miers was a middle-weight champion. There, and afterwards in South Africa, his life, a hard-fought life, was marked by a sense of duty, which carried him to his • death." Both among our Tommies at the front, and in local circles where the family is held in such high steem, though not new living in our midst, will there be much by/apathetic indignation at the loss of such a promising, cheery young officer. We would not like to state that the Boer commandants in the field are capable of knowing everything that transpires among their men, but this additional evidence on the treacherous use of the white flag makes us almost bound to say that they countenance such uncivilised methods of warfare, or otherwise we should hear of some severe punishments by way of example to others.