Lancaster Standard and County Advertiser. — 1902-04-04 (Lancaster, Lancashire, England)

SHOOTING NATIVIN LIKE RABBITS. Whiist at Pieter,,urg Ile officers had been exemplary—the Guidon Highlanders were there, and there were it/ addition about 200 whites; but it WWI not long alter the bush country was entered that Capt. RAinson and the men of the "A" Squadron found that they had peculiar people to deal with in some of the remaining officers. Capt. used to kill niggers ax one would shoot rabb.ts. To giv.. an inat..nce. On one occasion he was chatting with another officer—a native was standing close by. The captain noticing him, pulled out his revolver, and, absolutely without reason, shot him dead. The captain then replaced his revolver, mud went on talking as if nothing had happened. The natives called him "Balaula"—"Balaala" being Zulu for killing or murdering. The men noticed too, that when Capt. or Lieut. Hancock had a spite against a rano he was, told off to scout on the right flank, and that ! he very rarely returned. He may, of course, have been killed by a lion, he may have been shot by a Boer—certainly shots were sometimes heard; but they had their own views of what had happened, and when any of the meu of "A" Squadron were told off to the right flank they took great care to gut some ot their coinpauions to go with them and to watch very carefully Capt. and Lieut. Hancock.  Three two officere or: suspicious of the "A" Snuadron. the men of which were yen much attached to their officer, Capt. Robinson. Tue latter had remonstrated with Capt. and some of the other officers i.n their me.hods. His remonstdances failing, he made some excuse to get leave. and 'attuned to the base. On hearing he was going in to Pietersburg his squadron eaddled up and said they would accompany hdu, and it was only on his urgently dissuading them, telling them that it would be mutiny to do so, that they temained behind. The captain and Lieut. Hancock did not like H.binson returning to rietersburg; they were afraid de Would tell tale', and he had hardly reached there when he was arre,ted on a trum,:ed-ap charge and court-martialled. He was, however, acouitted, the court consisting mainly of offi,ers of the Gordon. Highlanders.  After Captain Robinson had gone to Pietersburg and when the BuAlveldt Carbineers were about 200 miles north of that place news came to them that • party of Boers ten in number were jontheying towards Pietersburg to surrender, and that they had a large sum of money, £20,000. with them. As a matter of fact, they did po.sess this sum, but as it turned out it was in Transvaal paper money. It was this mosey which, no doubt, excited the cupidity of Lieutenant Hancock. The Boers were unarmed. and coming up to the Bushy,ldt Carbineer told the officer in charge that they were Journeying to Pietersburg to surrender. I am not certain whether CaWain or Lieutenant Morant were with Lieut. Hancock when the Boers surrendered, or either or both, hut there were some commissioned officers with him, and he, in order, no doubt, to get his men to imagine that what he was doing was legal. held a mock court-martial on the Boers and ordered them to be shot, and he directed Smut. Major Morrison. so senior non-com., .to carry out the execution.  ME.N