Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-03

Since the days of Cleopatra the women
to acutlly take part in the conduct of
the wars of their respective countries
have been few. At the present day there
is only one woman, says Woman's Life,
who, with any justice, can be termed
"a General in petticoats," and that is
Mrs. JOubert, wife of General Joubert,
Commander-in-Chief of the Transvall
forces. Mrs. Joubert has accompanied
her husband in all the wars he has I'M
dertaken. Her CHEEKY face, almost hid
den from view under the folds of a huge
black cappie, has become such a familiar
sight with the burghers that the incon-
gruity of one woman walking in and out
among an armed force of several thou
sand men seems to be commonplace.
From the days of her earliest childhood
Mrs. Joubert has been to wars alarms.
She can load and fire a gun with almost
as much skill as 'Slim Piet' (Anglice,
"Clevr Piet') himself, and OF man oc-
casions has shown the greatest cour-
age.
1t is not generally known that 1t was
to her that the great defeat of the Eng
lish at Majuba was greatly due. The
General considered the position unassall-
able, but Mrs. Joubert, her eyes afire with
| patriotism, urged the attack, eventually
%conquering the scruples Of her husband
and the other commanders. The result
is knoWn.
Mrs. Joubert's last appearance at a war
occurred during the recent Magatoland
campaign, at the extreme north of the
T~ransvaal. Ara artillery, bursher and
native force of nearly 10, 900 men was dis
patched to the front to subdue the rebel
chief M'Pefu. intrenched in a series of
rocky Businesses backed by the Limpopo.
Notwithstanding what was feared would
be the bloody nature of the war, the heat
-OVe 100 degrees in the shade-and the
fever, the plucky woman Joined the Gen
eTal q week or two after his arrival at
the Hoofd Lager, accompanied only by
two or three little Kat1ir maids.
Finding General Joubert in an any
thing but comfortable tent, she routed
him out, erected a tent of her own, and
installed him amid all the comforts of
home. What was more, she reconstruct
cd the Generals mess arrangements ana
cooked his meals with her own hands.
The wife of the commanding General
peeling potatoes was an ordinary slght
any day during the campaign.
On one occasion during the war the
news came to camp that the General had
been taken i'll 80 miles away in the midst
of a country full of hostile natives and
deadly with malaria. Without hesitation
Mrs. Jouber made preparations to go and
join her husband, n there is little doubt
that she would have accomplished her
purpose had not more rcassuring news
come to hand.
The war came to an early close. owing
to the military genius of General Jouber
and, it is not too much to say, his better
half. Mrs. Joubert arrived till the camp
was struck were talked over at her dim
ner table, her sound advice and almost
unequaled knowledge of kaftir warfare
being held in high esteem.
Although such a warrior. Mrs. Joubert
is a true woman. There Is nothing mas
culine about either her appearance or
manner. Unlike most Dutch Afrlkaner
women, she is slim, especially when com
pared with the obust proportions OF Cen
eral Piet Joubert. Wonderfully active
for her 60 years and over, she can &C
complish as much hard work in an hour
as town-bred women would in a week.
Needless to say, she is immensely pop
ular among the burghers. To the slck
she is ever ready to lend assistance, and
many q dying man has blessed her mis-
istrations.
When not on the warpath Mrs. Jouber1
is ingularly retiring. Many Pretorians
have never seen her, although she lives
in their midst, in the town house OF the
General. off Market street. Her prefer
ence, however, is for the quiet of the farm
where she loves to remain until cailco
forth to the battles of her country by
WifplV affection.