A Womans Part in a Revolution | Page 3

of a thousand miles will be one of great
discomfort.[1]
There are many anxious souls in Johannesburg to-night.
Betty and I are sitting up. The night is sultry, and we have dragged our
chairs out on to the verandah which overhangs the street.
MIDNIGHT.--The town has quieted down. Once a wild horseman
clattered down the street towards the 'Gold Fields' shouting, 'A
despatch, men! a despatch. We've licked the Dutchmen!' A few heads
peered out of windows--but that was all.
DECEMBER 31.--My husband came in at 4 o'clock this morning,
looking very tired. He was on the point of going to bed, when a
messenger came from the 'Gold Fields' and hurried him away.
The streets are alive at a very early hour, and the excitement increases.
The Reform Committee sits in perpetual session in the offices of the
'Gold Fields.' They are appointing sub-committees for the safeguard
and comfort of the town; 51,000_l._ for the relief of the poor has
already been raised. Messengers are sent out to call in all the women

and children from the mines. Arrangements are being made for the
housing and feeding of these. Nothing is forgotten, and everything goes
on with the utmost method and precision. It is like a great, splendid
piece of machinery.
The merchants have sent up a deputation to try to bring the President to
reason. He has temporarily removed the dues from food stuffs as a
result of the interview. The Government has prohibited all telegraphic
communication. We are cut off from the world.
The Reform Committee repudiates Dr. Jameson's inroad, but publishes
its intention to adhere to the National Union Manifesto, and 'earnestly
desires that the inhabitants should refrain from taking any action which
can be construed as an overt act of hostility against the Government.' A
certain tone of security and dignity pervades all the notices of the
Reform Committee. The town is sure of success.
In order to silence rumours in regard to the hoisting of the English flag,
Mr. Hammond after some difficulty secured a flag of the Transvaal,
and took it into the committee room this morning. The entire body of
men swore allegiance with uncovered heads and upraised hands. The
flag now floats from the roof of the 'Gold Fields.' The merchants have
closed their shops and battened up the windows with thick boards and
plates of corrugated iron. Boer police are withdrawn from the town.
Excitement at fever heat, but everything running smoothly. No
drunkenness nor rioting. The streets are filled with earnest-looking men.
Near the Court House arms are being distributed. At another point
horses are given over to the newly-enrolled volunteers.
4 P.M.--I have driven from one end of the town to the other, through
busy crowded streets, without seeing one disorderly person, or being
regarded a second time by one of the thousands of men filing solemnly
past my carriage. They would form into squads and march gravely to
their posts of duty. A splendid-looking set of men, ranging in age from
25 to 35. Men from every walk in life, professional men, robust miners,
and pale clerks, some among the faces being very familiar. My eyes
filled when I thought of what the future might be bringing them. At the
hotel dinner Mrs. Dodd, Betty and I were the only women present. The
room was crowded with men who spoke excitedly of a possible war
and exchanged specimen cartridges across the table. I hear that one
thousand Lee-Metford rifles have been given out. The town is now

policed by Uitlanders under Trimble.
The Americans have held another meeting. Five hundred men were
present, and with only five dissenting votes determined to stand by the
Manifesto. After this meeting, the George Washington Corps of 150
members was formed.
Following are the names of the various Brigades:--
Australian, Scotch, Africander, Cycle, Colonial, Natal, Irish,
Northumbrian, Cornish, and Bettington's Horse and the Ambulance
Corps. Most of the mines are closing down. Women and children are
still flying from the town. Alas! some men, too, who are heartily jeered
by the crowd at the railroad station.[2]
St. John's Ambulance Society is advertising for qualified nurses or
ladies willing to assist.
Natives are in a state of great panic. One of the Kaffir servants in the
hotel gave me a tremendous shock this morning by rushing into my
room to fling himself at my feet, sobbing and imploring me not to
allow the Boers to kill him.
LATER.--The sultry day has cooled down into a calm, moonlit night.
This evening the Reform Committee received a deputation from the
Government consisting of Messrs. Marais and Malan; these gentlemen
showed their authority from the Government, and were duly accredited.
They are both progressive Boers and highly respected by the Uitlanders.
They stated that they had come