The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-07-03
COURIER FRIDAY JULY 1896

"Out colonel, riding to the front, Or
dcied the fellows to stack their arms
and give UP their leaders, and / think
they would have done it If one giant of
q mall hadn't stepped out and made q
fiery speech telling them that they
We're more than double our numbers.
that We had no revolvers, and, at last,
ordering them to fix bayonets and
drive us off the field. We We're formed
Ia a long line, two flies deep, and the
moment these threatened words We're
uttered the colonel shouted, Draw
swclds, trot. gallop, charge And we
swept down on them like whirlwind,
befcrA they could form square
I'm an instant their ranks were brok-
en-, but they neither ran nor surren-
dered. Every man fought savagely
and sIveral of our horses had been
kille1 by bayonet thrusts, when Kru-
ger, his eyes blazing with fury, rode
straight at the big man who had spok-
en-, parted his fierce lunge and with a
sidelong stroke cut the top of his head
clean off But the next moment, while
each one of us was busy defending
himself, more than twenty of the mutt
neers surrounded Kruger, some strik-
ing with gun butts, others trying to
run him through, and others, again,
trying to pull him off his horse. His
uniform was torn and pierced In doz-
en- places, and how he escaped instant
death seems a miracle. Like circular
lightning flashes, his saber whirled
around his head, or darted out like a
tongue of flame from side to side, md
wherever it struck there lay dead
man!
After fighting desperately for ten
minutes or so the rebels, seeing that
the game was lost, threw down their
arms and cried for quarter. Then,
when all the survivors had been prop
erly surrounded by guards, it was
found that Kruger had, single handed.
killed no fewer than fifteen, while
neither he nor his horse had received a
serious wound That's why I said he
was a great swordsman."
How many Of the rebels did you
kill, Mr.. Heuval?''
"We1l,'' modestly replied Joe, II did
my best, but don't believe killed
one, though slashed two or three
pretty badly. thought myself mighty
lucky to get off with this bayonet
| thrust" And he rolled UP his sleeye,
exposing to view deep scar on his
! left forearm.
What kind OF a looking man Is Pres
ident Kruger?" asked.
Hes about five feet nine tall, and
when I last saw him, twenty-three
years ago, he had dark hair and
weighed, i suppose. about one hundred
| and sixty-hve pounds. I really can't
tell the color Of his eyes, but they were
pleasant to look at, except when lie
was angry, then they had sort Of
stony glare that wasn't very nice to
face. He was very muscular and q
great deal stronger than many men fif-
ty pounds heavier. When he'd once
made up his mind about anything, he
was as obstinate as a mule, and would
take his own course in spite Of all olo-
position, If any power wants to get
possession of the Transvaal, he and a
good many more like him must first be
killed off, for he'll fight to the death for
what he thinks his rights
When did he first so to the Trans
| vaal?''
sgrhat + don't know. When We left
the army he went to the cape OF GOOD
Hope and lost track Of him until long
after came to America. Then heard
that he had got rich in the Transvaal
and was the biggest man there. Now
he's the head Of the South African re-
public, while I, in this greater republic,
am still only Joe, though I had better
start in life than he, my people being
all wealthy
How do you account for your old
chums luck being so much better than
yours"
1T wasn't luck at ALL honestly an
swered Joe. Kruger worked hard and
steadily for what he's got, and de-
serves it all. threw my life away in
foolishness, was led into bad company
and had at last to leave the country to
escape the penalty due to a political Of