Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-11-03
ORANGE STATE LEADER.
General Grobler, Commander of
the Free State Forces.
PREDICTED THE WAR YEARS AGO.

He Is Only Thfrty-six Years old. but
influential and n Fearless Fighter.
Was Commissioners to the Worlds
Fair-Boer Women Working For
the Cause.
In the concerted plan of war agreed
upon by the Boer republic and the
Orange Free State the forces of the
latter will be under the command of
General Evart L. Grobier, 4 notable
figure in the commercial, legislative
and military affairs of South Africa.
General Grobler is decidedly YER
satile in his attachments. He is 4
grain grower, an ostrich farmer, a
stock raiser and a diamond mine own
er. Though only sc years old. he has
been an influential member of the
voIksraad, Sitting for Philopolis. He
is described as man of intrepid and
logged temperament, able, shrewd,
but withal conservative. He is de-
scended from Dutch and Huguenot
stock. He speaks and writes fluently
Dutch, English, German and French.
He is also accomplished in the vernac-
around the Free State.
He is nearly 6 feet tall. of slight
build, erect and is n man of active
physique and quick mental conception.
While at all times genial and meas
urably transformations, he has a re-
serve which at once engages the con-
versationalist. He has a mild brown
eye when enjoying recreation. but an
earnest, severe look in serious mood.
His home in his native land, for he is
BOer born-a native of the soil for
which he is fghting-is one of open
hospitality.
General Grobler was the Orange Free
States commissioner to the Worlds
fair at Chicago in 1895. His govern
ment also designated him for the
Antwerp exposition and for the forth
coming Paris exposition. These hon.
ors he declined because his South Afri-
can interests demanded his time. He
has had much to do with matters of
transportation over the line OF railway
between Cape Town and the Free
State and in arranging the customs
troubles between the two countries.
He took prominent part in the de.
velOpment of the Jagersfontein dia-
mond mines. He has one of the lar
gest ostrich farms in South Africa.
He periodically loves his native land,
and he has been looking at n war
cloud for several years. AS far back
as 1893 he said while in this country:
England does not mean to let us
alone or to leave with us our liberty if
she can steal or wrest it. She desires
US to sleep, and then she will bur-
glarize our constitution and pull down
our flag When that day comes-and
it is not far of-there will be n line
of dead men from the border to Bloom
fontein. Like water and oil, Boer and
British blood will never mix. We won
our freedom with blood, and we may
have to repaint our old battlefields.
We do not desire war, but if they force
it God witness the fight and hallow
our graves"
General Grobler is now In the field in
command of the Free States available
army of 81 900 men. He has beauti-
full and patriotic young wife. She is
of Huguenot extraction and. like him
self, is very refined, well bred and
we'll educated. They have been mar
ried about II years, but have no chill
dren. Mrs. Grobler takes an active
and intelligent Interest in South Afri-
can affairs and is helping to get to-
gether food aud clothes to be sent TO
the front.
\ letter received in the United States
recently by a friend of the command
ing general told of the coming clash
at arms and outlined the work of the
lady auxiliaries" of the army in the
field and the minute details of this re-
lief work for protracted campaign.
The Transvaal and Free State moth
ers. wives and daughters have been
getting their men ready for long
marches, camps and cold nights for
the last year. In fact. they have been
Informed quietly that there would be
a bloody sequel to the Jameson raid,
so they have gone steadily on "weav-
ing and sewing"
The army will thus. in both repub-' :
lies, be mainly home clothed and fed
from home. The purpose of the wo-
men was and is to make each home a
miniature army camp ready to move.
The governments efforts were to
make each Boer home a small. we'll
equipped arsenal or armory. ready for
action at any call. In the last three
or four years these results have been
accomplished.
All the Boer soldier had to do was
to get up and go to the front. with his
equipment moved mostly with his own
stock and wagons. That is the kind
of force General Grobler is leading in
Orange Free State.