The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1896-02-19
THE TRAHSNAAL
President kruger Il a Brave Old Dutch
u2an- Who Knows No Fears

Is.an- Who Knows No Fears
Although the Transvaal is in name
republic, II is really governed by a
despotic oligarchy. Indeed, it might
be said 10 be ruled by triumvirate,
consisting of President Kruger. Gen
Joubert and Gen Smit The chief and
best known of these is President Krn-
ger. or Dom Paul" as he is almost
universally called by the Beers. He
is q robust old man OF something more
than 30 years. In early life he was
physically the strongest man in the
whole TransTaal, and he is even now
by no means decTepit. He has long,
narrow head, with small, cunning eyes
deeply set under furrowed brows. a
large and rather coarse nose and mouth
and a struggling beard. There is little
Of the pblegma1ie Dutchman in his
manner and conversation; on the con-
trary, he is voluble, eNcifable and given
TO profusion of gestures
In religion he is "Dopper"-that i.
a member OF the most conservative and
bigo1ed sect among The Beers He used
to be great fighter and leader of raids
against the natives. When he was
Here lad he distinguished himself in g.
campaign against the Z1lus. A Boer
expedition on the upper waters of the
Naal river received tidings at the close
OF days fighting that Zulu impi was
advancing to attack them The Beers,
all excepting young Kruger. refused TO
believe it and lay down TO sleep, but
l. hal u 10
10 keep watch ali night and persuaded
one comrade TO sit up with him.
Sitting on wagons on opposite sides
of the camp. their rifles in their hands.
they watched all night At length, just
before daybreak, kruger's keen ear
caught the sound Of approaching feet
He had just time to give the alarm
when a thousand or more Zulus
charged full upon the camp There
was a desperate struggle, but the Beers
were at last successful and the Zulus
were repulsed. But had ii not been for
Kruger's watchfulness there is little
doubt that every one OF the Beers would
have been slaughtered.
Kruger bears upon his body many
SSd1c VI O0lICIe anu AcdNS- LIZ
left hand is minus q thumb, which he
lost many years ago. He was out hunt
ing when his gun burst and terribly
mangled the thumb. He was afraid
lockiaw would set in, and SO en1reated
his comrades TO amputate the mem
Der. One of them tried TO do SO, but his
heart failed him and he gave ii up
Thereupon Kruger seized knife with
his other hand and himself cut off the
mangled thumb. The very small scar
now remaining shows how good a JOB
he made of il. He has several times
visited England on missions for his
countrymen-
He first went wearing the broad felt
hat, the short jacket and shoes Of IN
tanned leather which form the usual
cost ume of -DoPper" Boer. But on
his return home his astonished friends
bcheld him clad il a high silk hat,
long black frock coat and polished
boots He told them that England was
a good enough country and contained
some fine houses. but all the land seemed
to belong to some one. Even outside
of London you could not sit down under
2 tree TO smoke a pipe without having
some one come up and say the land
was his and ask you what you were
doing there Kruger has stubbornly
refused to learn q word OF English.
gnd there is no man in the whole re-
public who regards Englishmen with
more hatred and contempt than b..
does-N Y. Tribune.