ommando. No report was
ever made to me of natives being shot at Grootplaats.

2nd Charge:--

On the 15th of February, 1901, I went to Poortje. I camped there
for the night. On the 16th I went to Driefontein, the farm of du
Toit. That was Saturday. From there I went on Sunday to the farm
Tweefontein, Minnaar's. I have not had a man named Van Aswegen with
me at Minnaar's. I know a Van Aswegen; he is a sergeant in Smit's
commando. He was not at Minnaar's when I got there. I do not know
where he was. On the 12th of February, 1901, I saw Van Aswegen on a
farm, the name of which is unknown to me. The owner's name is
Burger. There Smit and his men left me. I next saw Van Aswegen on a
farm in the Richmond district, the owner of which is Meiring. I
stopped at Minnaar's for the day, held service, and left there in
the afternoon. I know nothing of the shooting of a native there. No
shooting of a native was reported to me. Van Aswegen certainly had
no orders from me. He was not under my control, he was under the
control of Smit. Nobody belonging to my commando had any orders
from me with reference to shooting natives.

3rd Charge:--

The Court does not think it necessary to take the prisoner's
evidence on this charge.

4th Charge:--

I crossed the Orange River into the Orange River Colony on or about
the 15th of August last. It is brought back to my memory inasmuch
as Commandant Cachet was killed on the 15th of August in the
district of Venterstad in the Cape Colony. I did not take any
natives prisoner prior to crossing the river. Commandant Wessels
was with me before I got to the river, about five or six miles from
the river he left me and crossed. I crossed the Orange River on the
Bethulie side. Wessels crossed the river on the Norval's Pont side.
I did not see him cross the river. After crossing I went to the
first farm. No one was at home there, and I off-saddled. The name
of the farm is unknown to me. It was a farm that had been burnt.
When I arrived at that farm there was no other commando there.
Before I crossed the river I heard rifle-fire, but after I had
off-saddled for a little while I heard cannon-fire. The firing came
from the west, from the direction which Wessels had crossed the
river. The cannon-firing also came from the s