TOPIC:

Hope I've placed this in the right category.

Came across an article the other day concerning Pte Arthur Gretton, serving with the 2nd Volunteer Battalion Yorks and Lancaster Regiment in South Africa. In a letter to his brother dated 30th July 1900 from Platrand he said he had sent home two cases of Mauser bullets, acquired at Wakkestrom from a Boer who seemed unsure whether to surrender or shoot. It appeared to Pte Gretton that the bullets were poisoned as a scratch on his hand became "nasty for a week or two" and he advised his brother to wash the bullets thoroughly with hot water and soap when he received them.

I've seen references to explosive bullets in soldiers' letters but never poisoned ones before. Has anyone else heard of this?

Volunteer 1860
Many references in both ABW and the Spanish/American war about the use of so-called "Poisoned Bullets" by the other side. The fact that any applied exterior salve would be abraded by the passage of the projectile through the barrel seems to have eluded the story-tellers.
A distinctly possible explanation for the "Poisoned Bullets" story is that the Boers had a big problem with certain types of 7mm Mauser rounds causing breech explosions. A remedy was to heavily smear the projectiles of the offending ammunition types with some sort of grease. Another possible explanation is that some German-made .30" Mauser pistol ammunition (with soft-pointed projectiles) had a greenish preservative applied. I have seen both individual rounds and those in 10 round chargers so treated; apparently at the factory.
Hope this helps
IL.

This letter in The Weekly Standard and Express (Blackburn), Saturday, January 13, 1900 mentions poisoned bullets at Elandslaagte:

This letter is from The Bury and Norwich Post and Suffolk Standard (Bury Saint Edmunds), Tuesday, April 03, 1900:

This note in The North-Eastern Daily Gazette (Middlesbrough), Saturday, April 07, 1900 echoes Ian's earlier suggestion:

A further note about Sir Frederick Treves from The Standard, Saturday, April 07, 1900: