Meanwhile, I succeeded in enlisting the services of Advocate Gardiner and Attorney Auret, Graaff Reinet, and made such arrangements that my witnesses could be present at the trial.

Advocate Gardiner arrived on the evening of the 6th of March.  The following day the court-martial commenced.  As my witnesses had not yet arrived, it was decided that the evidence for the prosecution should first be taken.

The counsel for the defence took exception to the charges of train-wreckage, ill-treatment of troops, and some instances of murder; charges which, prima facie, would not stand the test of examination.  These were then withdrawn by the prosecution.  After this subtraction there still remained four charges of murder, which we shall enumerate in succession.

1st Charge:—­

Murder.

On or about the 15th of February, 1901, it was alleged that I had killed and murdered Jafta and Solomon, natives, British subjects, at Grootplaats, Murraysburg, Cape Colony.

Mr. Boltman, the owner of the farm Grootplaats, was the principal witness for the prosecution.  He deposed that he saw one of my officers, i.e., Antonie Wessels, riding up to me, and after Wessels had spoken to me he rode back and shot the two natives.  Hence I must have given him orders to shoot them!  Besides, Mr. Boltman also declared that he had heard me say to two men, whom I had arrested along with the two natives in question, “Do you see these natives?  Well, I am going to have them shot, and in future I shall treat all armed natives in the same way.”  All these statements were refuted by one of the men to whom I was supposed to have made the remark of having the natives shot.  The man denied that he ever heard such a statement from my lips.

2nd Charge:—­

Murder.

In that I have killed and murdered John Vondeling, a native and British subject, at Tweefontein, Graaff Reinet.

In this case it was proved by the witnesses for the defence that the native had been shot three days before my arrival at the farm where the murder was committed.

3rd Charge:—­

Murder.

About the 18th of March, 1901, I had killed and brutally murdered a native at Prinsfontein, Tarkastad.

Mr. Mantel, the farmer, deposed:—­

One of Kritzinger’s men was with me as his commando passed some distance from my house.  Van der Walt said to me, “Do you see that man in front, riding on the large blue horse?  That man is Kritzinger.”  I then saw a few burghers riding up to Kritzinger, and after they had halted for a short while they went back and shot the natives.

My witnesses proved that at that particular time I had no blue horse in my possession.  Neither was there such a man as Van der Walt in my commando; and the natives in question had been shot by another commandant without my instructions.