Dastardly Treachery.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 45, 18 August 1894, Page 4

Dastardly Treachery.

Greed ol gold las been the cause \ •f many and many a ba§e dead, but it would be hard to find, even in fie- ' tional nan ative, a baser action than that committed by Troopers Danu>l« %nd Wilson, of the Bechuana police, for the sake of £1000 ; and it would be harder still to find one that led to more ghastly results. You will reKiember that just previous to the slaughter or Major Wilson and his 30 braves by Lobengula's remaining impi at Shangani river, a story got about to the effect that Lobsngula had sent in hW submission to Major Wilson, with a present in uold equivalent to £1000, and that iliQ verbal message of surrender and the gold hajj been entrusted by the old warrior's messengers to two troopers of *the Bechuana police, who had taken the money to themselves and suppressed the message of pence. The Btorv Tvas founded upon native gossip. and"its truth was, doubted by every white in the province. So convincing, however, were tho circumstantial derails afforded by some natives, that the authorities took the matter up. Their investierations resulted in t,e arrest of two troopers of the Bechusoa police, and these fellows, Daniels and Wilson, were put on trial. 'I he meagre details of the Court's procedure <=how that the two principal witnesses against these men were t>e indunas whom Lobengula entrusted with the message and peace off ring They identified Daniels and Wilson at once, and their evidence, together ■with that of other natives and whites. was amply sufficient to convict. And convicted the two scoundrel were, the Court giving them 14 years apiece as reward for their dastardly trencher v. Fourteen years ! It is a long term, but yet utterly inadequate to tbe crime. No honorable man can help feeling that " a danca upon nothing" would have been a fitter punishment tor two such coldblooded murderers. Murderers they were in every sense of the word. Their deed caused tbe death of Major Wilson and thirty of as brave Englishmen that ever crossed horses, of dozens of Lobengula'a followers and ofLobenguia himself. Daniels and Wilson were under military law when they did their surpassing deed of dastardly treason, and had their trial taken place before a mil'tary court, there can hardly be a doubt as to the Jate they would have met. If any assassins were deserving ot an ignominious death, surely Daniels and Wilson are the men.