"The baby's holy little life" Read the full letter
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Letter ReferenceSteyn Papers: Emily Hobhouse (Olive Schreiner) 156/3/12/2
ArchiveFree State Archives Repository, Bloemfontein
Epistolary TypeLetter
Letter Date After Start: August 1902 ; Before End: September 1902
Address FromJohannesburg, Transvaal
Address To
Who ToEmily Hobhouse
Other Versions
PermissionsPlease read before using or citing this transcription
Legend
The Project is grateful to the Free State Archives Repository for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of their collections. The letter exists in the form of a handwritten copy made by Emily Hobhouse; the original cannot be traced. The letter has been dated by reference to content and a note from Emily Hobhouse added to it.
1From Olive Schreiner
2Private
3
4Dear Miss Hobhouse,
5
6From your letter it appears you never got the long letter I wrote to
7you while you were in Kimberley, & in which I told you how I had spent
8the sum of £10 in detail.
9
10£3.10 I spent for Mrs Nienaber & her six children in groceries &c: Mrs
11Neinaber ^Nienaber^ is the wife of one of the men you mention. She had a
12little baby born just 3 months to a day after its father's death. The
13little thing called Sarelleina ^Sarellina^ after its father ^(Sarel, i.e.
14?Charl)^ seems delicate & not so strong as the five boys, I suppose
15owing to the strain the mother passed through before its birth.
16
17The rest of the £10 I spent in supplying the needs of destitute
18families whose husbands and fathers were suddenly imprisoned, leaving
19the families quite unprovided for.
20
21The other two men who died the same day, one Nienaber and one
22Nieuwhoudt, were not married but the poor old father of the
23Nieuwhoudts has been left with one very delicate daughter, and has to
24work hard for bread.
25
26If it were possible for you to collect a little money for Mrs Nienaber
27and her children the best plan would be to put the money in the hands
28of the Dutch Minister of the place and Mrs Jan Cilliers one of the
29Churchwardens who would see how it could best be spent for their good.
30
31If you could collect a little money for the two Nieuwhoudts
32^(Nieuwoudts)^ who we hope to have out (of prison) soon it would be a
33great thing.
34
35The poor woman, Mrs Nienaber works very hard taking in washing &
36ironing to support her children.
37
38If you could also collect a little money for the putting up of a
39monument to the memory of the three men, it would deeply touch and
40comfort our people.
41
42This matter has been eating into my heart for 18 months and I can
43hardly write of it.
44
45I hope you will get this letter as I am writing in Johannesburg where
46martial law and the destroying of letters is not so strict as with us.
47
48My husband wrote you a long letter last week which I hope you got.
49Yours
50Olive Schreiner
51
52Undated – received Sept 15 02.
53
Notation
Hobhouse has written at the top of this letter, ‘August – after War 1902’ and ‘Rec’d Sept 15 1902’ and also ‘copied original letter sent as Receipt to the Committee. E.H.’.