to illustrate the nature of
some of the charges brought against Boer officers and burghers when
court-martialled by the British. These charges of murder were, as a
rule, associated with Kaffirs who had been shot, either in fair fight or
as spies. Our officers were held responsible for the acts of their men.
Moreover, by proclamation, any officer or burgher convicted of shooting
a Kaffir or Hottentot, after having surrendered, could be charged with
murder and condemned to death. The principle laid down in this
proclamation, that the life of a surrendered foe should not be taken,
must be endorsed by every right-minded man. The burghers, however,
argued that, since the war had not been declared against the coloured
races, they had the right to deal with armed natives in the most
effectual manner possible, especially if these natives were not British
subjects, but belonged to the Republics. Besides, some of these natives
gave no quarter to our men. We could cite several instances where
burghers had been murdered and mutilated in a ghastly manner. To mention
one instance, while peace negotiations were going on, 56 men were
savagely cut up and mutilated by the Kaffirs in the district of Vryheid,
Transvaal.

Eventually we were placed in such a position that we hardly knew what to
do with armed natives. What if they refuse to surrender? Shoot them ...
and then you are a murderer. Let them go ... and then you will pay the
penalty. It was perplexing to know how the British wished us to act. The
Boers, regardless of consequences, did what they thought right.

For the sake of such as were interested in my trial, I submit in full
the charges, my evidence, and the addresses of the prosecutor and
counsel for the defence:--

_Charge Sheet_.

The prisoner, Pieter Hendrik Kritzinger, a burgher of the late
Orange Free State, and ex-Assistant Chief Commandant of the
(so-called) Federal forces, is charged with:--

1st Charge:--

_Murder_.

In that he, at Grootplaats, Murraysburg, on or about the 15th of
February, 1901, killed and murdered Jafta and Solomon, natives,
British subjects.

2nd Charge:--

_Murder_.

In that he, at Tweefontein, Graaff Reinet, on or about the 15th of
February, 1901, killed and murdered John Thomas, a native, a
British subject.

3rd Charge:--

_Murder_.

In that he, at Prinsfontein, Tarkastad, on or about the 18t