The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-17
Life Story of am
UmdOmitable MAN
Career and characteristics of "Oom" Paul
Krueger, Recently Reelected President of
the Transvaal Republic.

4 should be had only through the med
ium of the British foreign office,
With the discovery of great stores
OF gold beneath the soil of the repub-
lie began the troubles of the Beers
The foreign population. lured by the
yellow metal, constantly Increased, and
they have caused the trouble which
now exists and which is familiar to
newspaper readers, and which culmin-
ated in Jameson's raid.
A MODERN WASHINGTON.
There have been but three presidents
| OF the South African republic during
its existence of forty-three years. I'm
| til 1871 NJ. w. Pretorius was president;
| he was succeeded by Thomas F. Brig
| ers, who served until the downfall of
I the republic in 1877. Then Stephanus
| Johannes Paulus Kruger became pres
| ident, and since then he has been the
| leader of the Beers, for whom they
| Rave the same feeling that Americans
| hundred years ago had for George
| Washington.
So humble is the origin OF President
| Kruger that very little is known of
| his early life. 1t has been said that
| he was horn in Mauch Chunk, Pa,
| and that at the age of II years he ran
away from America to Africa. This
story is told by Charles Kruger of
| indianapolis. However, the president
| himself says that he was born in South
| Africa, and the story is therefore chief
| ly interesting as illustrating the OBJ
| security which surrounds the early life
| of the statesman. Rustenburg, South
Africa, was his native town; the year
| of his birth was 1925, and he is now
| 73 years of age. His father was a
| farmer, and he received his training
| in the weld on horseback with gun in
| hand. His father belonged to the
| "Dopper' or Dutch Separatist church,
| whose members at that time gave more
attention to physical than mental ac-
complishments. so that Paul did not
see very much school, but he learned
a great deal about the use of the rifle.
| When the great trek began he was IL
years of age, and he accompanied his
| father during the exodus. 1t was then
! that he learned to hate the English.
Fierce battles took place with the Mat
abeles during the trip, and in these,
| youngster as he was, he used his rifle.
| After spending a year in the Free
State the family crossed the Drakens-
berg River into Natal Then followed
the murder of Retief and his party.
and laagers at the Bushman's River
were attacked, and when Dingman's
Zulus were repulsed with great loss
the trekers left the Inflated land and
entered the Transvaal.
| STRANGLED A PANTHER.
| When yet boy Kruger was famed
for his skill with the rifle and for his
| courage. He was a sprinter, too, and
he could outrun any of his young asso-
ciates. He wore no shoes, for his par
| ents were too poor to buy them, but
barefooted he trudged along the hot
sandy wagon roads of South Africa,
Few anecdotes are related of his
| youth, but one is told that illustrates
his courage at the early age of II. Ac-
companied by his little sister he was
taking his fathers span of oxen and
empty wagon home when they were
about five miles from home a large
| panther made it's appearance. The
oxen took fright and bolted. The jos
| things of the rude wagon threw the
little sister on the ground. She was at
the mercy of the ferocious animal.
Without a moments hesitation young
| Kruger jumped from the wagon and
went to her rescue. Although un-
armed, he fought the panther It was
hand-to-hand contest and lasted for
several minutes, and the panther at
| times seemed to have the best of it,
but the boy got the animal in a tight
| grip and with his strong arm strangled
| it to death.
For some time the Krueger family
remained at Potchefstrom, then the
seat of government, and then they
| moved northward A year afterward
he entered the Boer army,where he dis
! tinguished himself in the many little
| wars which We're fought and quickly
| rose from the ranks He became a field
| cornet (outside magistrate) then a dis
| trict commandant, then commandant
! and today he is commander-in-c chief of
the army as well as president of the
republic
| Through all of this period his cour-
age has been as marked as it was on
the day when he strangled the panther.
More than forty years ago he himself
amputated the thumb of his left hand,
injured in a gun explosion.
PRIED OUT HIS TOOTH.
A few years ago, when he was suffer-
ing from a toothache he gave equal
proof of his physical endurance. 1t was
suggested that he go to a dintist. He
| asked how much the tooth doctor would
charge and upon learning that it would
cost him a couple of dollars he refused
| to incur the expense. The pain had in
creased in a couple of days so that he
| could not sleep. Then he got up and
pried out the tooth with his claspknife
and went to sleep without more ado.
During the Jamson raid he was anX-
ious to lead his men in person. When
| the news reached Pretoria on December
81 that Jameson, with his force, was
| nearing Kruegersdrop Kruger saddled
his horse in order to personally lead
| the burghers into battle. Now that
| this jameson is on the Veldt," cried
| the old man, well soon see what he's
worth" The chief justice of the repub-
lie had great difficulty in persuading
the president that his brains in Pre-
| tora were Of more value than his hand
and eye would he on the Veldt.
Peace as we'll as war has been the
| scene of Kruger's exploits. During ten
years preceding the war of indepen-
dence he was member of the excu-
| tive council, and in the following year
ne was elected president. Since then
no one has thought of choosing anyone
else as chief magistrate. During these
sixteen years his power has been ab-
solute, ana the wisdom of allowing him
| 4. l.. 4.