Evening star., 1899-11-04
Private Life of the Head of the Boer
Republic.
A Man OF GREAT SHREWDNESS
No Love for the English, but Plenty
for Americans.
p RSONAL EXPERIENCES
Written for The Evening Star.

| Written for The Evening Star
| The writer as been much with Dom Paul
| Kruger. What is here written is gathered
| wholly from personal experiences, or what
! the president of the Transvaal has told me.
| First pray to God for guidance and in
| spiraton, ths'. fight" This is his motto.
| Imagine yourself standing in the presence
| of a man about six feet three inches in
height, some what stoop- -shouldered and
| built like giant; his hair white with
years; his features homely and coarse.
wearing an ill-ftting black double-breasted
! Prince Albert coat reaching below the
| knees; such a man is Dom Paul. Void Of
| book learning, apparently not talented
| above the average man, armed only with
| his natural crattIness, he has been thorn
in the side of the greatest diplomatists and
| statesmen in England for twenty years.
He was born on October 10, 1925, near the
| present town. Of Graft Renet, Cape Colony.
| His parents We're South African farmers,
| who had left their home in Europe a few
| years before Paul was born, hoping for
| good fortune in the new country. But it
| did not come. They remained mere squat
| ters. and al the time Paul born his
! which meant little. The future president
| of the Transvaal was christened S. j. Paul
hruger but at an early age the first two
| initials were dropped He uses them now
| when signing state papers.
| A Fine Rihemnn.
Paul was taught at an early age to pray
| and handle gun. AT seven years of age
he the best shot in that section. He
| was fearless boy When he was nine
years old his parents resented British regu-
| lations and moved to the northeastern part
| of Natal colony, not far from Ladysmith,
| the first important strategic point in this
| war.
| Thara two nIi to- g.,
| girl and boy, both younger than Paul.
| The brother was killed in a native fight in
| the Natal colony and the sister lived to see
| her brother made president of the Trans
| vaal.
| When Kruger was about seventeen years
| Of age his father, sister and he went with
| the bullock team some distance into the
orange Free State. The senior Kruger was
| forced to remain and told Paul to- take the
| cam home and to look after his sister.
| Il take care of her, father" was the
| reply.
! Everything went well until Paul and his
| sister were about five miles from home.
! lhen panther appeared in the road. The
sixteen bullockS in the team took fright
! and ray away. The joltiEg of the crude
| wagon threw the sister from the seat into
| The roadway, where she was completely at
| The mercy of the panther. Paul at once
| realized her danger, and though he was un-
| armed ran to her rescue. The panther by
| this time stood with cleaning eyes over the
girl. Paul tackled the panther in a hand
| Z,
| and as Kruger himself told me, he believed
| once or tw.ce that the panther was going
| 20 prove too much for him. But finally he
I got ahOid of the animals throat and literal
| ly choked the creature to death. With the
| grit of a bulldog Kruger held his grasp on
| the panther's throat and only released it
! when the animal gave up its struggles in
| death.
| First Meeting With Kruger.
| 1t was in the latter part of 1879 that /
| frs haI he. NC ,f,
Kruger. He then a man over fifty
| years of age, but as strong, erect and
] bust as the average man Of thirty-fiye. He
| seemed to possess the strength of a giant.
! The Beers at that time We're on the verge
| of war with the British. When l was
! introduced to krdger he was suspicious OF
| me, and 1t was only when assured that |
| was an American that he became at all
| taiEative. In those days Kruger would
| talk English but since the visit of Sir
| Henry Lock to Pretoria in 1893 the Trans
| vaal president has positively refused to
| utter one word of English. The Kruger of
| 1879 was a poor man. he had difficulty IN
! supplying his family with the necessities Of
| life, for besides his wife he had ten chill
| dren to care for. He lived then in a hum
| be farm house, but he left the farm to care
| for itself, for he had a more important
| matter to attend to-the creation OF a
! o.ution against the English. Gen. p. J.
Joubert, the now commander of the Boer
| forces and vice president of the Transvaal,
| young IFetOrluS, son OF the countfyS first
president, and Kruger were planning for
| the Boer uprising, which came the follow
| ing year, resulting in the independence of
| the Beers in 1881. 1t was these three that
[ managed the campaign against the English
! forces under Cen Cooley at Majuba Hill
| The next time that 1 met Kruger was
in 1894. Although he was now the presi-
| dent of the nation, and reputed to be worth
| 81, 900, 600, ! found him simple and as
! democratic as he was in the days of 1870
when he was unknown to fame and had
| hard work to support his family. 1t was
on this occasion that l realized the great
qualities of this man. He cordially invited
| me to become his guest during the short
time that 1 was to remain in Pretoria, an
| invitation which | readily accepted. He
would not talk English to me on this
casion, SO | had to carry on nay conversa-
| ton with him through other members of
the family.
| He Loves Americana.
| The old president never tired of talking
about the United States, designating this
republic as his big brother, and wishing
| that he were in a position to make a
| treaty with America in order that he might
| favor our merchants in trade.
| Il can trust Americans he would say
''for l know that they do not want my
| country
Before left his residence he said to me
to the United States tell the people there
| for me that there is a small nation here
loving their country and their lib
erty, and fdoIzing- the American flag
and the free institutions Of your
country. May the United States ever pros
per and remain true to the principles estab-
lished by her founders is my earnest wish"
AS he finished talking a tear was seen run
| ming down the old mans cheek.
| He often talked of the days when he
drove his fathers old bullock team, and
| now prdes himself on the fact that he is
still able to crack thirty-foot whip over
| sixteen buliocks.
| 1t would be impossible to find a man who
Is better Judge of human nature than
! Kruger. His likes and disikes are spon-
! taneous with him and 1t generally turns
out that his first impression is a correct
| cne. He scrutinized when l was
| stranger to degree that was embarrass-
ing, as he does all Britishers. If there is
| anything about a person which meets with
the old presidents disapproval his secretary
| is told to close the interview.
His Home Life.
| The home life of Kruger is the most
charming imaginable. What is here writ
| ten Of IL is from my own experience