The Forrest City times., 1896-02-07
THE TRANSvAAL-
President Kruger Is a Brave Old Dutch.
 man, Who Knows No Fears.

man, Who Knows No Fears.
 Although the Transvaal is in name a republic, 1t is really governed by Q despotic oligarchy. Indeed, it might be said to be ruled by triumvirate, consisting of President Kruger, Gen, Joubert and Gen. Shit. The chief and best known of these is President Kru- ger, or "Oom Paul." as he is almost universally called by the Boers. He IS robust old man of something moro than 70 years. In early life he was physically the strongest man in tho whole Transvaal, and he is even now by no means decrepit. He has a long, narrow head, with small, cunning eyes deeply set under furrowed brows. large and rather coarse nose and mouth and struggling beard. There is little of the phlegmatic Dutchman in his manner and conversation; on the con- trary, he is voluble, excitablc and given to profusion of gestures.
 In religion he is Copper" is, a member of the most conservative and bigoted sect among the Boers. He used to be great fighter and leader of raids H mere lad he distinguished himself in a aampaign against the Zulus. A Boer
 petition on the upper waters of the
 lal river received tidings at the close of d days fighting that Zulu impi was advancing to attack them. The Boers, all excepting young Kruger, refused to believe it and lay down to sleep, but Kruger believed the news, determined to keep watch all 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. lie had just time to give the alarm when thousand or more Zulus charged full upon the camp. There was desperate struggle, but the Boers were at last successful and the Zulus were repulsed. But had it not been for kruger's watchfulness there is little doubt that every one of the Boers would have been slaughtered.
 Kruger bears upon his body many scars of bullets and spearheads. His left hand is minus 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 entreated his comrades to amputate the mem. Der. One of them tried to do so, but his heart failed him and he gave it 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 job he made of it. 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 un- tanned leather which form the usual costume of a Copper" Boer. But on his return home his astonished friends bcheld him clad in high silk hat a long black frock coat and polished boots. He told them that England was 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 tree to smoke 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 word of English, and there is no man in the whole re- public who regards Englishmen with more hatred and contempt than h., does.-N. Y. Tribune.