As
briefly referred to in the last chapter, there occurred in the early part of
February, 1901, what I always regard as one of the most unpleasant incidents
of the whole Campaign, and which even now I cannot record without awakening
the most painful recollections. I refer to the summary execution of a
traitor in our ranks, and inasmuch as a great deal has been written of this
tragic episode, I venture to state the particulars of it in full. The facts
of the case are as follows:—
At
this period of the War, as well as subsequently, much harm was done to our
cause by various burghers who surrendered to the enemy, and who, actuated by
the most sordid motives, assisted the British in every possible way against
us. Some of these treacherous Boers occasionally fell into our hands, and
were tried by court martial for high treason; but however damning the
evidence brought against them they usually managed to escape with some light
punishment. On some occasions sentence of death was passed on them, but it
was invariably commuted to imprisonment for life, and as we had great
difficulty in keeping such prisoners, they generally succeeded, sooner or
later, in making their escape. This mistaken leniency was the cause of much
dissatisfaction in our ranks, which deeply resented that these betrayers of
their country should escape scot-free.
About this time a society was formed at Pretoria, chiefly composed of
surrendered burghers, called the "Peace Committee," but better known to us
as the "Hands-uppers." Its members surreptitiously circulated pamphlets and
circulars amongst our troops, advising them to surrender and join the enemy.
The impartial reader will doubtless agree that such a state of things was
not to be tolerated. Imagine, for example, that English officers and
soldiers circulated similar communications amongst the Imperial troops!
Would such proceedings have been tolerated?
The chairman of this society was a man by the name of Meyer De Kock, who had
belonged to a Steenkampsberg field-cornet's force and had deserted to the
enemy. He was the man who first suggested to the British authorities the
scheme of placing the Boer women and children in Concentration Camps—a
system which resulted in so much misery and suffering—and he maintained that
this would be the most effective way of forcing the Boers to surrender,
arguing that no burgher would continue to fight when once his family was in
British hands.
One day a kaffir, bearing a white flag, brought a letter from this person's
wife addressed to one of my field-cornets, informing him that her husband,
Mr. De Kock, wished to meet him and discuss with him the advisability of
surrendering with his men to the enemy. My field-cornet, however, was
sufficiently sensible and loyal to send no reply.
And so it occurred that one morning Mr. De Kock, doubtlessly thinking that
he would escape punishment as easily as others had before him, had the
audacity to ride coolly into our outposts. He was promptly arrested and
incarcerated in Roos Senekal Gaol, this village being at the time in our
possession. Soon afterwards he was tried by court-martial, and on the face
of the most damning evidence, and on perusal of a host of incriminating
documents found in his possession, was condemned to death.
About a fortnight later a waggon drove up to our laager at Windhoek,
carrying Lieutenant De Hart, accompanied by a member of President Burger's
bodyguard, some armed burghers, and the condemned man De Kock. They halted
at my tent, and the officer handed me an order from our Government, bearing
the President's ratification of the sentence of death, and instructing me to
carry it out within 24 hours. Needless to say I was much grieved to receive
this order, but as it had to be obeyed I thought the sooner it was done the
better for all concerned. So then and there on the veldt I approached the
condemned man, and said:—
"Mr. De Kock, the Government has confirmed the sentence of death passed on
you, and it is my painful duty to inform you that this sentence will be
carried out to-morrow evening. If you have any request to make or if you
wish to write to your family you will now have an opportunity of doing so."
At
this he turned deadly pale, and some minutes passed before he had recovered
from his emotion. He then expressed a wish to write to his family, and was
conducted, under escort, to a tent, where writing materials were placed
before him. He wrote a long communication to his wife, which we sent to the
nearest British officers to forward to its destination. He also wrote me a
letter thanking me for my "kind treatment," and requested me to forward the
letter to his wife. Later on spiritual consolation was offered and
administered to him by our pastor.
Next day, as related in the previous chapter, we were attacked by a
detachment of General Kitchener's force from Belfast. This kept me busy all
day, and I delegated two of my subaltern officers to carry out the
execution. At dusk the condemned man was blindfolded and conducted to the
side of an open grave, where twelve burghers fired a volley, and death was
instantaneous. I am told that De Kock met his fate with considerable
fortitude.
So
far as I am aware, this was the first Boer "execution" in our history. I
afterwards read accounts of it in the English press, in which it was
described as murder, but I emphatically repudiate this description of a
wholly justifiable act. The crime was a serious one, and the punishment was
well deserved, and I have no doubt that the same fate would have awaited any
English soldier guilty of a similar offence. It seems a great pity, however,
that no war can take place without these melancholy incidents.
