The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-13
KRUGER THE STEADFAST
A FRIENDS NARRATIVE OF HIS LIFE
FROM BOYHooD.
The Boer President n Mighty Hunter
and Athlete in His YOuth-Some of
His Famous Exploits.

were next door nelgnDOrS in RaStenburg
over half a century since, and the extraor-
binary personality of the Boer President
finds loving deneator in the visiting
postmaster general
Dr. Van Alphen was interviewed on the
subject of President Kruger while on his
way to attend the international postal con-
gress in Washington.
when l was born," said Dr. Van AL
phen, Paul Kruger was a great stalwart
lad of sixteen or seventeen-the acknowl-
edged leader among the boys in all feats
of strength and skill. He took me under
his protection at an early age, and it was
he that taught me to handle the rife, to
ride and to manage horses and cattle In
the fights with UmziIigase, the Matabele
chief Kruger always led our section, al
though there were many men older and
more experienced in arms than he. He
could outrun and outshoot any man of his
age. 1 we'll remember that on one occasion,
in order to win wager from a neighbor
named Jacobs, Kruger ran a race against
a fleet horse and won it, too. The course
extended fully 700 yards. Many times have
1 watched him in running contests with the
very best long-distance athletes of the KAT
frs and he was never once defeated by
these natives of the veldt, Notwithstanding
the fact that while the Kaffirs ran naked,
Kruger always carried a rife and wore
his ordinary clothing in these races His
nickname among the Kaffirs was Wind
foot
about his wonderful shooting could tell
you tales for hours. Almost every Boer is
good shot, that to win pre-eminence with
the rifle among us one must be marks
man of extraordinary skill Such assuredly
was Kruger. The number of slain ee-
plants lions and buffaloes represented by
the notches on his rife surprised even Mr..
Selous, the renowned hunter There is one
story told widely of the President, of which
pened to be buffalo hunting when the beast
which he was chasing stumbled into
water hole, and the hunter unable to pull
up his horse, was thrown on top of the
struggling animal The odds seemed to be
altogether in the buffalo's favor, when,
suddenly springing up, Kruger seized his
held the animals head under water until it
was drowned. The furious struggle be-
tween beast and man lasted. as Kruger
himself told me, for fully twenty minutes.
KRUGER IN BATTLE.
II was with Kruger in a battle fought
against the Matabee in 1865, on the banks
of the Limpopo. This was one of the last
fights of that long and bloody struggle
which ended in our driving the Matabele
tribes beyond the Limpopo for good On
this occasion the blacks had made an in
cursion under son of Umziligase, and
several of our farmhouses had been burned.
But it the murder of two female chill
dren which aroused US far more than the
destruction of our property. l acted as
sort of courier on that occasion, riding
from farm to farm summoning the men
and boys. We mustered about seven hun
dred rifles, and with Paul Kruger at our
head Che had not yet entered the Execu-
tive COunciD, rode against the enemy.
Some of our men wanted to ride straight
toward where the Matabele lay, but Kru-
ger tried strategy. He marched a few
leagues up the river, and then sent out
decoy party to lead the saVages on. See
ing what they believed to be our full force
retreating the Matabele pursued Mean
while Kruger had disposed the main body
upon rising ground in ambush behind
some rocks. The enemy were permitted to
cCme well within range, and then Kruger
gave the word to fire. We simply moved
them down, and continued to fire until they
fled in confusion, leaving their leader dead
behind them. Then it was our turn to pur-
sue, and there were very few Of that tribe
left when Paul Kruger had finished with
them
II recall a grim albeit humorous Incl
dent in that battle. One of the Matabele
had thrown an assegai, and Kruger, ris-
ing at the moment, received the weapon in
his hat. He coolly removed the assegai
and stuck it, head upward in his belt. But
his quick eye had noted the man who threw
it, and he kept watch upon that man
through the remainder of the fight. When
the Matabele broke ground Kruger was
first after them. We pursued to the banks
of the Limpopo, the enemy jumping in and
swimming across. All this time Kruger
had never lost sight of the assegai thrower,
up above the water Dom Paul seized his
weapon, launched it cleverly, and sent the
poor fellow to the bottom with his skull
pierced. All he remarked coolly, 1t seems
that / have the better aim
kruger has remarkable power over ami
mails of all kinds, wild and tame. There is
all fian tod Sfn af mt SR1rr
a lion to rout by sheer GOODNESS while I'M
armed save for an unloaded rifle l myself
have seen him soothe. mad horses into
quietude. His magnetic influence over
mankind is fully as strong. Black men are
like children before him. One Renaissance
comes to me (for which, by the way, the
English have every reason to remember the
Presidents name with gratitude.) 1t was
after the death of General Cooley and the
utter rout of the English by our forces.
'Some of our young leaders, burning from
the sense of recent insults, wished to push
into British territory and there plumber and
Stay. AS was only natural after such a
victory the hot-headed majority was with
them, and things looked very bad for Brit
ish South Africa But Kruger suddenly
arose in the Assembly and despite the angry
shouts of the physical-force party succeed
ed in obtaining a hearing l do not be-
leve that he spoke longer than five min
utes, but in that brief space he managed to
say much and to say 1t so fOrcibly and
keenly that the opinion of the council
changed instanter. AS for me- l felt that
the then councillors keen eyes had singled
me out individually in the throng. On in
quiry l found that every single member of
that council had experienced the same
feeling of being scrutinzed by Kruger's
eyes In fact, we were hypnotized by the
man, and his sage counsels conquered.
British South Africa escaped pillage on that
occasion, thanks to Paul Kruger.
KRUGER'S FATHER.
"Kruger's father is celebrated in Boer
annals He it was who, in 1S4S, led the on
slaught upon the English forces at Boom
platz and worsted Sir H. Smith, the Brit
ish leader in a hand-to-hand encounter
Old Kruger was strict disciplinarian, and
as Paul was wild boy the stern parent
had to chastise him freely and frequently
However all our fathers We're Spartans in
those days, so that the lickngs both Paul
and myself received made very little i'm
preston upon US. The old Kruger home
stead was at Rastenburg but the Presf-
dents farm to-day is at Waterkloof west
ward from Pretoria. No Boer, whether an
official or not can be quite happy without
cattle and corn to raise. The President is
a farmer so am l. so is DR.. Leyds the sec
rotary of state, and every member of the
government. We are a nation of Cincin-
natl and when our public services end we
go back to our cattle and our plows.
''Of Emperor William OF Germany Presi-
dent Kruger has high opinion. This may
be partially accounted for by the Enlper-
or's good will toward the Transyaal and
by the fact that Kruger's mother was of
of rortPh