John Neethling Murray, b2c8

Ordained as a Missionary in 1898.

John Murray son of the well-known Reverend Andrew Murray, was arrested at Elandsfontein during October 1901, due to his sympathy to the Boer cause. He was paroled to his parents’ home at Wellington, but was re-arrested because of an anti-British remark he wrote on a postcard. He was brought to Beaufort West to be tried for treason. According to Vivier in his book Hooyvlakte a military court found the Reverend John Murray guilty and sentenced him to death. However, after pleas by certain influential people, his sentence was commuted and he was banished to Silkot, India.2 According to historic researchers Taffy Shearing and Ruth Labuschagne John was initially sentenced to only three months hard labour and then deported to India for not complying with his parole orders and for ‘improper expression against Her Majesty’s forces on a postcard