November 20 , 1S99. OMAHA ILLUSTRATED J503E.
Boer Preparations for
South Africa War
Writing to the Imlcpcndont under date of
Johannesburg on the preparation of the
Boors for their war nn ( American resident
there says :
"Two weeks ngo I wrote that the reply
of the Transvnnl government meant war.
Since then nothing has happened lessen
the probabilities , but on the contrary
events seem rushing forward to that auful
catastrophe. The Free State raad has met
and vafter protracted secret session has
voted "without one dissentient voice" that
como what would they cast In their lot
with the 'South ' ( African republic. This ac
tion was expected and surprises no one.
Four days ago was published in the Gov
ernment Gazette a statement preparing the
public for marllal law when It should bo
proclaimed. This was followed two days
after by a proclamation suspending the
civil courts and martial law Is now expected
tomorrow or next day. Today's mall will
probably bo the last to leave Johannesburg
for weeks , perhaps months. All the uit-
lander newspapers arc expected to be sus
pended and no no\\s except such as has
fll'ercd through the government censorship
will bo allowed to leach the public. Wo
shall bo lit the position of those who arc
In the midst of the conflict and know less
about Jt than these at a distance.
"The last week has witnessed a general
calling out of the burghers nnd tholr de
parture ito the eastern and western fron-
llors. One cannot withhold a tribute of
praise to this people nt the way they have
sprung to arms and dare to meet im battle
array the might of Britain's empire. There
r has been no Inspiring music of fife and drum ,
no stirring addresses. None of these things
were needed. When notice was given ( that
arms would be given out all day long the
burghers wore waiting eager to obtain the
coveted " 'Mauser. " On Wednesday night
last week came the first rain after months
without a drop. The Doers have been wait
ing for this , prolonging negotiations for it ,
for without water and grass they could not
move. Wednesday night came a general
downpour and Thursday most active com
mandeering began. The burghers already
had their guns , buiu a horse and saddle
and bridle were as necessary as a gun.
Horses , mules , wagons , saddles , harnesses
wore seized alt sight. By law any citizen
can bo called upon to furnish 37 10s for
war purposes. Wherever articles taken
were worth more 'than this a receipt was
given for the amount and these receipts may
be honored some time perhaps. I was told
the other day by a British subject that he
had six horses taken at the time of the
Jameson raid. Ho obtained receipts and
still has them. When presented for pay
ment ho was told the horses were dead. How
could ho expect them to pay for dead
horses ? Some queer things happen during
this commandeering. The field cornet has
autocratic power and may commandeer
whom and where ho pleases. Cabs in the
streets carrying passengers may be stopped
and > the horses and harnesses taken and
the cabs loft. A lady who wad driving her
carriage In Johannesburg was thus stopped ,
her pony 'taken and the carriage left In the
streets.
"For moniths there had been a steady ex
odus of people from Johannesburg. When
two weeks ago nearly all hope of a peace
ful settlement was abandoned the exodus
increased and from 1,000 to 2,000 people per
day have been leaving. But when active
commandeering began there was a rush to
got away. On Friday the government com
mandeered the railway , which meant that
all trains must give way to government de
mands for shipping armed burghers , muni
tions of war , horses , wagons , 6tc. , to the
front. All this increased the desire to get
away on the part of these who have been
waiting till the last moment to leave. At
witnessed at itho station as the armed
burghers entrained and away to the border.
Old and gray-headed men who know what
war was , with solemn though determined
faces : young men with hot blood and
boisterous , boastful tones ; boys of 14 and 10
with guns over their shoulders nnd bando
liers full of cartridges , and the women ,
wives with babies in their arms , sisters ,
daughters , sweethearts , bidding goodby with
tear-stained faces , but courage unfailing ns
they say , "Boys do your duty. " Well , well ,
there ought to be some bottler way out of
this tangle tham shooting such people ns
thcso !
HiillilltilCM llnrrlcmlocl.
"JonlmnnestMirg looks ns If It were al
ready in a state of siege. Most of the stores
have barricaded their windows with cither
wood or galvanized iron. Some buildings
already fly the national Hag of their own
ers. One enterprising Yankee has barri
caded his store and painted In largo letters
outside "American property. " Several Ger
man flags arc Hying. All nationalities ex
cept British will bo allowed to remain
without special permits on producing pass
ports proving tholr nationality. British sub
jects will bo obliged to leave unless they
secure special permits to remain. Special
police are to bo s\\orn in for the protec
tion of Johannesburg. These will como
from the ultlandore , who will bo required to
take an oath that they will do nothing
against the government.
"There are more ways than one of raising
a loan in time of war , witness the "green
backs" during the American civil war.
This government Is anxious that the mines
should keep at work , so anxious tha' it has
amended the Gold low , providing for con
fiscation in case a. mine closes down unless
absolutely compelled to do so. But war
times are dangerous times , therefore the
government will provide special protection.
It Is going to take charge of the gold , give
a "receipt" for it , coin enough to pay ex
penses and return the balance after the war
is over ! And yet some people sny these
Boers do not understand .finance ! "
Famous Gordon
Highlanders
The reports from the seat of war in
South Africa show that the Gordon High
landers , the first battalion of the Seventy-
fifth regiment , the men whose dash and
bravery have made them conspicuous In
many campaigns , have again disregarded
danger and added more glory to their bril
liant record. In the engagement before
Glencoo they advanced with ringing , rous-
MARKET SQUARE , JOHANNESBURG.
the same tlmo It has rendered it inoro diffi
cult to furnish sufficient train accommoda
tion for the waiting crowds. People were
glad to take up with any sort of a place
in the train ithat was bearing them away
to a more peaceful clime and those who
had ipald for the soft cushions of a first-
class carriage were glad if only they
found a hard and grimy scat In a coal
truck.
"fn the meantime pathetic scenes were
ing cheers and , according to the accounts
received from there , "fell like an ava
lanche aglanat the enemy and swept over
tbo kopjes , bayoneting the broken enemy
In all directions. "
Tbo name of Gordon has for centuries
boon associated with gallantry and strife
and In the days of the 'border ' feuds it was
said of them :
The Gordons gude in English blue ,
They dipper their hose and shoon.
The Gordon of today has no battlocry
llko "Bydandl" which his ancestors shouted
lustily , but ho IB still a "Gordon glide" nnd
fights llko the early members of the band ,
who neither gave nor asked for quarter.
It Is less than two years since the Gordon
Highlanders attracted the attention of the
whole reading world by their dash and valor
and the story of the storming of Dnrgal
Hldgo will never bo told without reference
to the heroism of the Highlanders. It was
In this engagement that , when ordered to
the front by General Keinpster , Colonel
Mathlas rapidly formed his men and said :
"Men of the Gordon Highlanders ! Our
general says that position must bo taken
at all costs. The Gordon Highlanders will
take It ! "
I'lpor KlnilliiU-r'N IlorolNtn.
The officers sprang Into the open , the
pipers struck up "Cock of the North , " and
with a shout the leading company of the
kilted men were In the fire zone. Among
the first to show the way across the deadly
strip of ground which was being churned
by the bullets of the enemy was Plpor Kind-
later , animating his comrades with the stir
ring , familiar etralns , and "Cock of the
North" could bo heard above the rattle of
the musketry until a shot through both
legs laid him low. Even then the plpnr
would not give up , but , propped against a
bowlder , ho continued to play. At one tlmo
It seemed that the Gordon Highlanders
would be annihilated , but men sprang into
the depleted ranks , and with n cheer the
mixed tro'ps. led by the Highlanders ,
streamed on , and tha enemy seeing that
their barriers had been swept away left
their rock batteries and lied. But it was n
bloody victory , and the Gordon Highlanders
suffered most.
The origin of the organization line been
PIETERMARITZBURG , NATAL , FROM TOWN TOWER LOOKING WEST.
traced to the duke of Gordon , who , with the
assistance of his mother , raised the regi
ment. This was In 1794. The duchess rode
over the lands of her possessions dressed In
striking Highland costume , and called upon
the young men to enlist. She went to the
county fairs and , according to an account
of the organization , "she placed a shilling
between her lips , Inviting the 'gallants' to
advance. "
A regiment over 1,000 strong paraded
at Aberdeen In June , 1794 , and when the
men passed through London they were In
spected by King George. That year the
regiment received Its colors at Gibraltar.
Four years later they helped to quell the
rebellion In Ireland , and then they were
sent to Holland , where they did effective
work. It was there that the Gordons con
quered Egmont-op-5Cce , and fought and won
a battle In which both sides used only the
bayonet.
Siililiix Emblem Won in lOKypt.
Their next duly was In Egypt , where , on
the bloody field of Mandora , under Sir Ralph
Abercromble , they received the sphinx em
blem on their standard and the word
"Egypt. "
They attracted much attention at the
funeral of Nelson , after Trafalgar , and they
lined the streets of London again at the
queen's Jubilee ,
They were repeatedly praised by Welling
ton and their colors bear the names of nearly
all the peninsular battles. At Corunna six
Gordon Highlanders carried Sir John Moore
off tbo field , and the officers of the regiment
wear black cord on the c rfl of tholr
tunics to this day In mentor * f that fatal
field.
At Quatro Rrnn the Gordons nt their gal
lant Coloni'l Cameron , nnd at atrrloo tlioy
were In a great measure rc | slblo for the
defeat of the French. Thch alnr at that
tlmo wan the subject of man ilctures , nnd
the Gordon lltahlander wan ked upon as
u conspicuous hero In that inorablo on-
Tel-cl-Kculr. They nerved with brilliancy
particularly at 1CI Tcb and Tamal through
out tha Soudan campaign nnd the Nile ex
pedition of ISSl-'Sfi. Moving to Ceylon , the
Sovonty-fifth were soon again In India. They
served with distinction In the Chllral cam
paign , taking Malakand Pass with a brilliant
charge , and proved nt Dargnl Kotal Mnt a
Gordon IH at * good ns n Gordon.
The Hag of the Gordon HlKhlandorH boars
CAl'in'OWN AND TABLH MOUNTAIN
DU TOITS PAN ROAD KIMBERLEV.
counter. The Highlander were cut down to
200 men by the murderous fire , but they
charged In their old st > lc a French column
of more than 2,000 men. As
they broke into it the Scots
Grays , a famous Scottish- cavalry regi
ment , dashed up to their support. The Gor
dons grasped the manes and stirrups of the
charging cavalry and were dragged Into the
midst of their enemies , shouting the cry ,
"Scotland forever ! " and by this charge the
French column was completely broken up
and scattered. The biotherly feeling which
began on the field of liattlo nt that tlmo
still exists between the two organizations ,
and the Gordons arc Known In the English
army as the "Scot Grays' wives. "
After the Peninsula I ho regiment served
in Jamaica , where many officers and men
died of yellow fever. They arrived at HIP
front in the Crimea the day after Sebastopol
fell , the Russians , the wags said at that
time , having heard that the Gordons were
coming.
They saw no war service after that until
IS78 , when they took part In the Afghan
war. They lost many men in the battles of
Babul and Kandahar , and It was In this
campaign that Major now General Sir
George White , and Captain now Lieuten
ant Colonel "Dick" Conyngham won the
Victoria CrossIn ISM the regiment lost
many members on Mnjuba hill , and after
that the Gordons became the first battalion
of the Seventy-fifth regiment.
IlccMiril of the SfVcnly-Kirtli.
The Seventy-fifth regiment was raised
originally In 1787 as the Seventy-fifth Stir
lingshire regiment of Highlanders. The men
were the kilt for twenty years , but , owing
to the lack of Scottish recruits , they re
verted to the ordinary dress of the In
fantry of the lino. However , they retained
evidence of tholr Scottish origin by wearIng -
Ing a diced glengarry. Distinguishing them
selves at Mysore and Soringapatam , the
Soventy-llfth began Its glorious record ,
Buffeted about ns they were and afterward
attached to the Dorsetshire regiment , they
served In every part of the empire. In
the Indian mutiny three of their members
gained the Victoria Cross and before Delhi
so great was the slaughter that the Seventy-
fifth was led to the assault by a sergeant
and a corporal. Taking part In the Roller
of Lucknow , they covered themselves with
glory before the walls of that beleaguered
town and fey tholr gallantry through the
mutiny won for their colors "Delhi , "
"Lucknow" and the Royal Tiger , super
scribed "India. " In 1881 , when the shor
service system cnmo Into vogue , the Seventy-
fifth once inoro donned the kilt and was the
first regiment to land In Egypt , taking part
in the charge of the Highland brigade at
the following Inscriptions : The Sphinx ,
HUperHcrlbod "Egypt ; " the Royal Tiger ,
superscribed "India , " "Mysore , " "Sorlnga-
patam , " "Egmont-op-Xee , " "Mandora , "
"Corunna , " "Fuontos d'Onor , " "Almnra/ , "
"Vlltorln , " "Pyrmiew , " "Nlve , " "Orlhiw , "
"Peninsula , " "Waterloo , " "South Africa
ISSr. , " "Delhi , " "Lucknow , " "ClmraHlah.1
"Kabul , 1S7 ; " "Kandahar , 18SO ; " "Afghan
istan. 1S7S-'SO ; " "ICKypt , 18S2-M ; " "Tol-ol-
Keblr , " "Nile , 1881-85" and "Chltrnl. "
First Thanksgiving
Proclamation
In the Nowberry library , Chicago , there
Is a copy of the first Thanksgiving procla
mation in the United Status. Thuro were
earlier feasts na well as fasts , In fact , n
harvest festival waa held the year after
the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth ,
but this was the first appointed day nauiod
as a Thanksgiving day and set aside u such
by civil authority. The proclamation IB at
tested by the secretary of the council and
bears the seal of the colony.
The Thanksgiving was In honor of the
victories of the colonies in the King Philip
war. During the struggle with the Indians ,
fasts had been ordered , but when tlio tide
of war turned , and It approached a success
ful end , a day of thanksgiving appeared to
bo moio appropriate. The governor and
magistrates suggested the day of thanks
giving and won over the opposition of the
prc-.ichors , who wanted another fast. Peti
tions weio sent in by Increase Mather and
others , playing for a fast day , but the coun
cil on Juno 20 appointed Juno 29 , 1C7U , au a
day of thanksgiving.
The proclamation is as follows :
AT A COUNCIL Held ut Charlcstown ,
Juno the 20th , 1 ( > 7G.
The holy God having by a long and Con
tinued Series of his Allllcllvo dispensations
In and by the present Wnrr with the Heathen
Natives of this Lund , written and brought
to pass bitter things against his own Cove
nant people In tills wilderness , yet so that
wo evidently discern that In the midst of
his Judgements ho hath remembered mercy ,
having remembered his Foot Stool in the
day of his sere displeasure against ua for
our sins with many singular Intimations of
Ilia Fatherly Compassion , and regard : reserving -
serving many of our Towns from Desolation
Threatened , and attempted by the Enemy ,
and giving us especially of late with our
Confederates many signal Advantages against
thorn , without such Disadvantage to our
selves as formerly wo have been sensible of ,
If it bo of the Lords mercies that wo are
not consumed , It certainly bespeaks our
positive Tlmnkfuluoss , when our Enemies
nro In any measure disappointed or de
stroyed : and fearing the Lord should take
notice under so many Intimations of his
returning mercy , wo should bo found an In
sensible people , as not standing before him
with Thanksgiving , us well us lading him
with our Complalnte In the tlmo of pressing
Allllctions :
The COUNCIL have thought meet to ap
point and set apart the 29th. day of this In
stant Juno , as a day of Solemn Thanksgiv
ing and praise to God for such his goodness
nnd Favour , many Particulars of which
mercy might be Instanced , but wo doubt not
these who are sensible of Gods Allllctlons ,
have been as diligent to espy him returning
to us ; nnd that the Lard may behold us as
a People offering praise nnd thereby glorify
ing him ; The Council doth Commend It to
the Respective Ministers , Elders , nnd people
of this Jurisdiction ; Solemnly nnd seriously
to keep the same. Beseeching that being
porswmled by the mercies of God wo may
all , oven this whole people offer up our
Bodies and Soul ns a living nnd Accepta
ble Service nnto God by Jesus Christ.
By the Council , Edward Rawson , Boor.