Episode 46 - A German is executed and the Australians hold off Koos de la Rey.

In July Lieutenant Hans Cordua who was a German, had led a plot to overthrown the British once they’d arrived in the Transvaal capital.   Lieutenant Cordua had fought for the Boers and was captured but later released on parole. He’d barely gained his liberty before he hatched a plot to assassinate Major Carl Barchard who as an officer of the West York Regiment. He also apparently planned to kill Lord Roberts who commanded the British army in South Africa.   The English were tipped off by a British agent who said Cordua would be dressed in British army uniform when he tried to kill Barchard, and that there would possibly be other assassins.   After a lengthy court martial, the German was found guilty and sentenced to be shot.   Cordua was brought before a ten-man firing squad after he’d written the last letter to his family. He preferred no blindfold, staring straight at his executioners.  Ready .. Aim .. Fire. After the execution it was found that seven of the ten rounds had penetrated his heart, so much for the theory that in a firing squad, only one rifle has a round - the rest blanks. It’s also to be noted that in shooting terms, this was quite an accurate grouping.   I found a San Francisco Call newspaper report into this incident published later, in 1903, which featured the headline “War Romance has sad ending” Court Martial Robs a Boer girl of her sweetheart…”   The story doesn’t quite end there. Apparently the sweetheart hired a hitman in Pretoria to climb through Major Blanchard’s window one night to kill him. Unfortunately for the sad Boer maiden, the hitman was expected and was shot dead by Blanchard who woke up with his window being raised, firing at the man at point blank range. Major Blanchard ended up in the USA and spent some time traveling about, spinning many a yarn about his experiences in South Africa.