A TRAGIC STORY OF THE BOER WAR

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 124, 16 May 1908, Page 4

A TRAGIC STORY OF THE BOER WAR

Six yeai> there was enacted in Pretoria a tragedy that would have created immense i-xciiement in Kngland 1-ad not the mind of tin* llriti-h public been «.tiKiivd with the hnrroiv of the Boer war. Tin- alfaii, howi-ver, wji.

uiore or hu-iod up by the pajN-r-. and it is an open ipitMiou whether one person out of tell emild recall the incidents connected with the name of Morant. On the ioth February. iMui. Lieutenant- Moraut and llaudcm kol lhe Bu-h----veh Carbineer- paraded for tlu; la.-t ti. outride Pietoria liaol, ami met thei. death a> only brave men can before :»f levelled rille.-s of a Jiring part\. Th -vents that led up t«» the i;agi> ending havf never bevu fully expounded t • tlie British puhiie, and though in of ju>tice the death *cuu-:i e ,i,h deserved, there wa> much in the cireuuistanees and surroundings of th.» that to a certain extent excused the deeds, and might have caused the authorities to grant a reprieve, the charge* against Morant. Jlam'eock, Witton, and Pictou. all ollieers of the Bushveldt were ilio murder of twelve Boer prisoner- and of the (l»*r- . man missionary, ll<- e, in the bush-veldt | surrounding Pieter>burg. of the latter ! charge they were acquitted, but were | found guilty on the oilier count*, with | the result that Morant and ilamhock were shot, Wittun >ent<*need to penal servitude for life, and Picton ca-hiered from the army.

Harry Morant, jailor, poet, stockman, and soldier, was Ixjru iu Devonshire in the yc;ir 1865, aiul started life as a naval ollicer. He left tliirs branch of the service under a cloud, uud ill ISN4 emigrated to Australia, whore for many years he eked out a precarious existence as cattle drover, shearer, miner, etc. Settled work, however, held uo charm for him, and, having thrown up soveral good jobs, as stockman, h c adopted a roving life, driving cattle, mining, breakitig horses, ete. It at the lastnamed occupation that he shone most, and his wonderful feats of horsemanship won for him the nickname of the Breaker," which Muck to him throughout his brief but eventful life. Although he made hut little effort to raise himself from the dissipated life he was leading in th,. land of the Southern Cross, his thoughts were ever turned towards home, and in 1899, when the Boer War broke out, he -aw a chance to retrieve his character and return to his loved county of Devon. With this object in new he enlisted in the Second Contingent of the South Australian Mounted Infantry, and in a verv fi nort tim e was promoted to the rank 'of sergeant. His regiment was attached to General French's column, and he attracted this officer's attention l,y his reckless bravery and daring horsemanship. After acting as the < literal's dispatch rider for some months, his wonderful knowledge of horseflesh was recognised by the authorities. and he wa- given a semi-civilian post in the Remount Department, where he not onlv served the tiovernment i lithfully. liut also riicceedcd in amassing a considerable anomnt of money. For the first time in seventeen years M-irant Mind himself iu po--essio n ot sufficient cash not only to pay his passage to England, hut to live iu a position of affluence for a considerable time, and he took advantage of the opportunity. For some months he lived the life lie had dreamed of—fox-hunting, love-making, dancing, etc.—and at the end of that period, when, either his cash in hand had run out or hi- welcome Income e\haustcd, he returned to Africa, having plighted his troth to a Devon

la*s. Before he left he obtained, through influence. a commission ill Baden-Powell's Constabulary, but on arriving at Capetown he found that a corps entitled The liushvehlt Carbineers was in the process of formation under the command of Major Ijenehan, late ol tie l New South Wales forces. The conditions of service in this regiment appealed to the wild, filibustering nature of Morant. and he managed to obtain a commission vithout much trouble. The war by this time had entered upon a stage when ~onie degree of exasperation inevitable on either ei'le. To the English mind it had been unreasonably protracted, and the freipient ose of the white Hag had engendered a certain amount of hatred for wily I'rothcr I'oer and his slim tactics, l'-x----artly what were the in-'ructions given to the I'.n-hvehll ( arhin-ci- will never be known, but it i- certain that there a mi-1 -r-Viiding that they rtere 10 undertake a ! "tally liiffcren: class o! work frnm that of the regular armv. The I'ritish forces by this lime were under a lioiieral who-.- name was as-ociated with .ill that w.i- -r\c]e and etern in time of war. and thete seems to have bem an inij>re i'"i throughout the regiment tint the stroi'g hand was not to be eiica-ed in a vchct glove. Morant, oil receiving liir. commission, proceeded to Pretoria, where lie stayed for a few day- with Captain Hunt, the officer commanding his troop. who wart engaged to the -i-ter of Morant's future wife. These men were the closest friends, ami there ap)>ears to lie little doubt that it was the love he bore his ibrother officer that led him to commit the de-perate deeds in expiation of which he loet his life. His first task on taking up his duties at Pieterspoort Passes, where he ilid not content himself with keeping the enemy at a distance, but, by hi* frequent raids into the outlying country, lie -truck fear into the hearts of the liners and incidentally brought in many prisoners. In dune he was reinforced bv Captain Hunt and fifty men. and tliev moved further north of Pieters-

lmrji. where they constructed a defensive building nut of a Katiir kraal, which tlii-v designated Fort Kilward. (in -Tillv 3rd, Captain Hunt, with twelve men. left Kort Edward'in pursuit of Commandant Viljoen, and finally came upon the enemy, who had taken up a -trong position in a iarm at Devil's Kloof. The attack failed, and the Eng-li-U Ml back, leaving taptain Ilunl wiiunded on the Held. Later, when the J«>er„ luid retired, (he Carbineers returned to find the unfortunate officer foully murdered, his luxly being shockingly mutilated and -tripped nl its cloth-

Mor.mt'- rag* l grief on hearing the new- wa- terrible to witne--. Tie called tin* garrison together to addre-> them. luit words i'aili'd hiii). ami li" Uolf- out into carrin<r« ;in<! awml «»f vi'Hjrt'iHur. On the «tl» An«\\*t he forth with iili the forcv :it lit- ih-.itli nf hi.- incml. ami (iimv up wiMi rU« « k n»-uty on the ;«t HeilvL-i. hnvinj? in "ne il;iv <nv«'rr»l j "t <"> Hp cj»r<*fullv laid his plnns t«»r iiijrlit attack. w ; i« foiled owiiij; ti. th- KU'sunpy -nrroundinjr th«* r.cMp. Hi- Hiiine. liowj'V'T. h;id hv lliitil,-.- had tlw cllV't oi para 1 y-iiijr the « n- uiv. and. th'my:h thrv were equal in number- and hail tin* Jlriti>h at a disadvantage. they lied. h-avin«r one man ln-hind wounded. Thi- man. VU-or l >y nanw. wa- wearing Captain Hunt's »■'(i.ik. and aft*r a " <lnim-head courtmarriar* he wa- rhot l»y M.'iantV ordel-. Perh.ip- thi- in'"k trihnnal j. r ave a r-dour of lawfuln*-.- t«» th»» extM-ntion in 'h<- eye- oi Morant. !mt to U\v it wa- murder pure and -iinp'.c.

T:»- -<*<•<.n,l <-rieie nf wliicli Morant guilty t'lnk plan- < \\ 'j:ird. tn 1 the < «'ld-l.lo«Mled brutality o; it far r»> pi«»ve tlie -avag«*. unrelenting -tat,, of min i he bad arrived at owing to the death nf V- friend, ami almo-t point- 1o !o-- of rea-oii. On day -•Ilrlit !»Oer- wore appmaeliitig the fort under the whit'* (lag to .-urrender. and Morant. taking with him i,ient>Mi:nt- Iland'-oek and Witton and three tnen. went out to meet them. Without even a pretence of trial the unfortunate men wen- dragged from their waggon u-'l

u ri tlw Uth September a patrol captmvd ihre,. ori-oner-. and thi'-e al-> wei" c\. < tiu-.! the fart thai one wa- a mere bnv b'tiding additional r-rneitv th" murder.

Thi- r-<.mpVt»- the li-t of proved <-rime-. but tle re i- every re.,-mi to !».■- licv,. that there were ortier outragewbieli nvt r to ti-bt. ('.-vtain it iihat a German mi—ionary of the name of Tfe--e w;i»s -l»»t on ]i?s way t«> I'ietersburg to j»rot<>-t agnin-t the murder-, but tin- rtiargo on thi- count not -üb-tantiated.

Although Morant ;tnd hi- .uljorrlinat'v: <iid aM in thn" power to prevent now* of thoir deed,. leaking through to the Mi'hcritiVs. a rPijrh idea of thp happening* became known in Pieter-dmr;:. and Major ]>nehjiii va«* up to invMii/at' k the matter. TTe found Morant •» '■hanped man. and being °f th" "pinion that hi* mind nnhinjjed. hj" was about to relieve him of !ii» rotnmnnd when hrok" out «'ith row-wed vigour. lh" Hiemy ,j notorious Irishman named Tim Krlh*. To rapture a rornm.inrlo with ;> ro];r.yn r.f equal number* in th* f!»>n*p bn-.h and wild country in the North of Mw T»-m:-vaal ran only he likpned (<> Hu> t.i-k of finding a ucedte in a buy-U-.-k. il-r.v

commando failed when the ofJieer in eoinmaud had hall a dozen columns endeavouring to round them up. and yet -Major Lcnehau confidently sent out Morant to perform this task with but a handful of wen. The fact tiiat he -uccmled j'h a lasting proof o! the wonderful soldierly qualities, the daring bravery. and marvellous resouru'lnlncaa of tin strong but misguided man.

i'UMiing forward with ail >peed he drove Kelly to the Portuguese border, where, under the very nuae oi Uommandant Beyers, who had set out lo mtereept him, h c rushed the Boer camp and captured Kelly and bis I'urcu' without the loss of a single man. To those who know the country in ibis district and the extreme caution of Brother JJoer this actiou will speak for itself. Jf ali the otliceiYj lwd had the initiative and dash of Morant. of a truth the war would have lasted but half the period it did.

The time was now drawing nigh when Morant was to answer for his deeds, but. being firmly convinced that he had not exceeded his orders, he took no steps to escape, although he had every facility for doing so. in hi* opinion he hud done his duly, relentles-ly, i>" doubt, but his task was to quell ilc Boers, who were raiding and trainwrecking in the vicinity, and t hi- Ir had accomplished with considerable *ucccm-, as th ( . peaceful state of his district proved. In October he was brought before > Court of Inquiry, but though kept under close arrest lie apparently had no gloomy forebodings av to the fate in stor,. iur hiiu—presumably all he anticipated was degradation from his rank. As a result of the inquiry he was remanded for trial by General Court Martial, which commenced to 6 it on January 21st, 10U2. i Directly the full facts of the murders 1 became fully known the liushveldt Carbineers were disbanded, and when the Boers discovered that, the men of whom they lived in constant terror wer,. no j longer upon the warpath, they rallie.l i again and renewed hostilities with considerable vigour, which clearly showed that the methods oi this irregular corps, though drastic in the extreme, were most effectual in bringing the war to \ clo-e. By January 22nd Commandant Beyers had Pieter»burg practically in a state of siege, and on the early morning of the 23rd he attacked the town, releasing 130 Boer prisoners laagered : outside. With his force considerably augmented, matters looked serious indeed for the garrison, and it was deemed advisable to release Morant and the others from prison, and allow them to taKe part in the defence of the town. How he acquitted himself on this occasion is only another proof of his remarkable qualities as a soldier, and although he was being tried for hi- life h • did not avail himself of the opportunities to escape to the Portuguese border, which to a man of his stamp would have been a matter of comparative ease. Seven hours after the fight, the Boer* having been successfully driven oil, the Court 3 Martial met as usual, and the trial of the prisoners proceeded.

On February 21st the prisoner* were handcuffed and sent to Pretoria l iv j train. still in ignorance of their late. Morant held out his hands for the cull's h' 1 exclaimed: ''This comes of 1-m----pirc building." It seemed that at last some foreboding of liis fate 1; ul entered his heart. (In the 24th the unfortunate men were informed of their sentences, which lmd already been referred to Hngland and approved by the authorities ther A . and tile n<, xt morning Morant and Handcoek were marched out of their prison where a firing party of eighteen men awaited them. They showed no sign of fear, and Morant refused a bandage for his eves. itii arm* pinioned behind hi* back he looked down the muzzles of tile rilles without treivor. "Shoot straight," lie exclaimed, "and don't make a mess of it."

Thus died Harry Morant. a murderer 'tis true, but, a murderer who committed his crimes with a misguided idea of avenging his friend's death. Flow often do' we for some sentimental reason reprieve a mail who lias taken life in cold blood, and yet Morant suffered fli,, extreme penalty for crimes coin niitted during a war in which both aides allowed themselves license, crimes which lie looked upon as legitimate ads of retaliation.