SOUTH AFRICAN COMMANDER REBELS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2281, 15 October 1914, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICAN COMMANDER REBELS

MARTIAL LAW PROCLAIMED ■■ i ■■■■■■■' \' ■ '. » TREACHERY DENOUNCED BY DUTCH AFRICANS By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Capo Town, October 13. Official.—Colonel Maritz, in the north-west of the Cape province, rebelled and joined the Germans. He arrested officers and'men under him for refusing to join, and ajso made an agreement with the Governor of German South-West Africa for the cession of Walnsci. Bay. . _ . - General Smuts, the Defence Minister, is taking prompt steps to crush tie rebellion utterly, and martial law has been proclaimed throughout the Union. ■ .'.■■'.' Later. The proclamation of martial law caused a sensation. There have been disturbing rumours of Colonel Maritz's loyalty. His command was mobilised in a disaffected area, and was based on Upington, in the Orange River, about 80 miles from the German border. The of the. South Africa party was summoned and reprobated the rebels in the strongest terms. The party has. telegraphed to Mr. Steyn and other leaders of the party to exeroise a restraining influence; The nowspaper "Onsland" indignantly denounces Colonel Maritz's treachery and tildes the Dutch to support the Government. Pretoria reports that the incident has stimulated the rifle training associations. . Judgment is suspended as to whether the Generals named by Colonel Maritz are really implicated. ( . ' Piet Delarey, a nephew of the late General Delarey, has raised and will lead Dutch mounted commands under General Botha, DISCOVERY OF MARITZ'S DOUBLE-DEALING. (Rec.; Ootober 9, 10 p.m.) i Cape Town, October 13. ' Since General Beyers resigned' there have been indications fiat something was wrong wtih the north-west Cape forces, under Colonel Maritz. The Government dispatched Colonel Brits to supersede Colonel Maritz, and in reply to Colonel Brits's message to report himself, Colonel Maritz answered: "I report to no one." ■» Colonel Brits therefore sent Major Bouwer to take over the command, and on arrival at Colonel Maritz's camp, Major Bouwer and his party were made prisoners. Major Bouwer was subsequently released, and returned with an ultimatum from Colonel Maritz to the Union Government, stating that unless ha was given, a guarantee before 11 o'clopkon Sunday morning that the Government would consent to Generals Hertzog, De Wet, Beyers, Kemp, and Muller meeting him, so that ho could take their instructions, he would immediately attack Colonel Brits's force. ; ' . Major Bouwer. reported that. Colonel Maritz possessed German guns, and the rank of a German General and Commander of the German forces. Colonel Maritz arrested all tho-offioers and ten man who were unwilling to join the Germans, and sent them to South-West Africa. Major Bouwer saw an agreement between Colonel Maritz and the Governor of South-West guaranteeing tho .Union's.independence, ceding AValfisch Bay and other places to the Germans, and undertaking that Germans should only invade tho Union at Maritz's request. . Colonel Maritz boasted of the possession of large supplies of war munitions and monoy obtained from the Germans, and declared that he would overrun the whole of South Africa. The Government is taking drastic, stops to quell the rebellion. BRITISH TROOPS LOST BY TREACHERY. (Rec. October 14, 10.25 p.m.) ; London, October 13. The "Daily Telegraph's" Johannesburg 1 correspondent states the surrender of two squadrons of tho South African Mounted Rifles and a section of the Transvaal Artillery in Namaqualand, details of which wore cabled on October 0, was due to the treachery of Colonel Maritz's accomplice. Tho cable messago referred to was as follows:—"Router's correspondent with the Namaqualand expedition, cables, October 1, tho details of tho fighting loading to tho surrender of two squadrons of the South African Mounted Rifles and a section of the Transvaal Artillery. Tho advance guard of the force occupied a wator-hoie, which was, approached through a narrow defile. The Germans had apparently retired, but when tho party outspanned for the night two thousand Germans,' with ten guns, attacked them from the surrounding kopjes and seized tho defile. Tho fight was continued tho following morning, and every Transvaal gunnor was killed o:- wounded, Meanwhile, tho main forca jaado desperate efforts to rescue the advance guard, «wl two nquadroiis suffered

heavy casualties from machine guns in attempting to force a second entrance mto the valley. By noon tlie British ammunition was exhausted; the party destroyed the guns, while the riflomen kept down the enemy's firo. The British then hoisted the white flag. The German commander complimented the South Africans on their gallantry and the accuracy of the gunfire. They treated the prisoners well and huried the British dead with the honours of war." LABOUR LEADERS JOIN FORCES. (Bee. October 14, 9.20 p.m.) , Cape Town, Ootober 13. Messrs. Oresswell and Madeley, pprominent Labour leaders, have offered to serve in the forces.