The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-05
him through other members of the fam


! He Loves Americans.
The old President never tired of talking
| about the United STATES, designating Ibis
| republic as his big brother, and wishing
that he were in a position 10 make treaty
| WRh America in order that he might IA
| Vor our merchants 10 trade.
] I can trust Americans" he would say
! for l know that they do not want my
| couGtrV."
Before left his residence he said to me
| through his secretary: When you 20
| home 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 idoliZing the American flag and
| the free Institutions of your country. May
! the United States ever prosper and re-
main true 10 the principles established by
! her founders is my earnest wish" As he
| finished talking a tear was seen running
down the old mans cheek.
| He often talked of the days when he
| drove his fathers old bullock team, and
now prides himself on the fact that he
| is stiH able to crack a SO-foot whip over
| sixteen bullocks.
| 1t would be impossible to find man
who is better judge of human nature
| than Kruger. His likes or disiikes are
! spontaneous with him and it generally
| turns out that his first impression is the
| correct one. He scrutinized me when
was stranger to a desree that was en-
Dt+A Aets7s7444o o. AlC hOVA5 OH DIillSu6IS. IL
| there is anything about person which
meets with the old Presidents disapprcval
his secretary is told TO close the inter-
| view.
His Home Life.
The home life of Kruger is the most
! charming imaginable. What is here witt
| ten of it is from my own experience. Kru-
| ger is devoted to his wife, children, grand
| and great grandchildren; while they ia
| turn adore him. He lives in a mod ct
house, which sets back from the sidew Tx
about fifteen feet. There is grass plot
in front and sentry box inside of the IRON
| railing. This house was presented TO
him by syndicate. When the Volksraad
is in session, soldier is stationed in ont
of the Presidents house and 70 one, ex-
| cepting officials is permitted 10 enter the
residence during the day unless the sec e.
tary authorizes the sentry TO pass some es-
pecial person. After o'clock in the even
ing, however. alb are welcome to the chief
executives home.
Every morning at 6 o'clock a negro SER
want takes a cup of black coffee and a
big pipe filed with tobacco to the Presi-
dents room. AS soon as he has drank
the coffee Kruger rises and smokes the
pipe while he is dressing. He is down
| stairs by $50 and is ready to lead the fam
lily prayers at O'Clock. Breakfast is
| served about 7:30 a. m. His morning hours
are taken up with matters Of state and the
debating of letters. The dinner hour is
! o'clock. At all the meals Kruger says
grace before bread is broken. He takes
a short nap after the noon meal and is
| ready promptly at O'Clock in the after
noon to receive callers. The supper is
| served at 6 o'clock and the conclusion of
| this repast ends all the worriment of the
day for Kruger. Many writer's have told
| how hot cups of thick black coffee are
| served at frequent intervals. Every per-
son received is served with coffee. BESIDES
| his salary of $40 900 a year, Kruger is al
allowed $4,000 annually for coffee money.
There is a two-gallon kettle of coffee al
| ways hot in the kitchen. Mrs. Kruger in
| formed me that she has known the SER
wants to serve over thirty gallons OF cof-
fee in one day. Kruger drinks large guam
titles of it. Most of his day is spent in
| the front parlor He always has big
cuspidor at his feet and pouch of Trans
yaal tobacco and a pipe by his side.
His Country Saved by Gold.
Since Dom Paul was elected President
| in 1881 ne has been confronted with some
| trying times In 1888 his country was in
| a bankrupt condition. There was but one
English shilling in the treasury and the
| salary of ali officers, from the President
down, was one year in arrears. At this
time Kruger found it extremely hard TO
| get along. There was no credit to be had
| for the country and Kruger did not know
| what to do. 1t looked as if a famine was
| going to overtake the land, but at the
most crucial period gold was found in the
| Barberton district. A messenger from the
new gold fields took a sack of gold, con-
| tanning 20 ounces, to the President. pre-
senting it to him as the first yield of gold
| from the Transvaal. Kruger was astound-
| ed when he saw the gold. 1t is said by
those present that his eyes doubled in size.
He asked where it came from and was
district.
rs there any more left?" asked Kruger.
He was told that the country was rich
| in gold ore, and that millions of pounds
could be secured where that came from.
Thank God! My country is saved" was
his reply.
Kruger often expressed his regrets that
he was not able to receive an early edu-
Gallon. His only book for years was a
| Rib.a
On the occasion of laying the last bolt
| in the Pretoria Delagoa Bay Railroad,
November, 1894, the President went out in
his private train to perform the act. At
Bronkher Spruit a delegation of Beers met
the Presidential party. Kruger had TO
speak. Out from the railroad station, about
a mile distant, could be seen the three
grouped graves of the rear guard of "A
! British regiment, which had been annihil-
| ated by the Beers The present trouble
was beginn ng to make Itself manifest; at
least Kruger was far sighted enough to
realize that the storm would burst before
! very long. Looking significantly towards
| the graves of the Brit sh soldiers, Kruger
i said to he two hundred old Beers that had
| gathered rourd him:
This is our country. Never give II up.
Remember that we fought for it and made
it what 1t is. | win never! Never! Never
permit foreign foe to e Ike the Transvaal
from you so long as 1 shan live
John f. Owens