The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-04
BURLY GENERAL CRONJE.


While Joubert is the cunning schemer of
the Transvaal army, Cronje is its rough
and burly fighter. OF the two he Is the
more representative Boer. Joubert, possi-
bly, from his French ancestry, is a man
of certain polish, and can be indirect when
policy requires. His craft is that of the
hunter. and thinly disguises the force that
awaits only the opportunity.
Something of this is already observable
in his operations around Mafeking. He Is
doing all he can to lure Baden-Powell from
the intrenchment, where he can strike man
for man. He has made several assaults.
He can be depended upon to stake every
thing on one desperate fight at the first
fair chance
General Cronje is greatly admired by the
Beers. They think Joubert is a wonderful
tactician and organizer, but they love
Cronje, the silent man, of sudden and vio-
lent action. He is no mans friend. His
steel gray eyes peer out from under huge,
bushy brows. He never speaks unless nee
essary, and then in the fewest words. He
never asks a favor. When time for action
comes he acts and that with the force of
fate and with no consideration for himself
or his men.
That Is the way he handled the Jameson
raid. He saved the Republic then, in the
opinion of the Republic He is a man after
the Beers own heart.
COME is soldier and nothing else. He
hates form. He hates politics. though
born leader of men. He was strongly urged
to oppose Kruger for the presidency in
1898, but he would not He will have none of
any rule but that of a rifle. He despises
cities. He Is a man of the veldt
These two men. Joubert and Cronje. hold
in their hands the fate of the Boer Repub-
lies. The one is ommander-in-chief, the
other is second in command. OF Joubert we
have heard much, OF Cronje little. The
most descriptive picture of Cronje is from
the pen of Douglas Story. the editor of the
late Boer newspaper, the Standard and
Diggers' News. 1t was published in the
London Daily Mail of Oct. 80, and the fol-
lowing is an extract:
willy and farseeing as is Piet Joubert no
d @ e creme al e has Se eye of
for position. the nose Of a jackal for signs
of weakness in the enemy. His maneuver-
ing OF jameson was that of an Oliver Crom
well.
"Cronje was commander at Potchef-
stroom. seventy miles TO the south of Kru-
gersdorp, when jameson crossed the border.
He co-operated with Malan and Potgieter,
but the conduct of the fight lay with the
cool head of Cronje.
Il rode out to the scene OF Jamesons de-
feat sometime after the battle, and realized
how much of the hunter there is still in the
Boer fighting man. No mere soldier would
have herded his enemy so patiently into
position as did Cronje into the fatal corral
at Doornkop.
''All through the night succeeding Jane
sons attack on Krugersdorp Cronje kept
wearily hus;ling his enemy into the place of
death. The brave, fOodleSs troopers, heavy
with sleep, were driven like sheep into a
shambles.
when the morning broke, TO the right,
TO the left and in front of them Boer marks
men kept their rifles trained upon the raid
ers Escape there was none But the battle
was won i'm the night hours. while Jameson
was helplessly blundering on I'm front of his
remOrseless enemy. Cronje could afford To
wait until the troopers came within hum
dred yards before he gave the mercy blow.
And yet there was a time in the dark
ness when jameson almost escaped from
his hunters. Cronje's son was badly wound
ed in the early skirmish. For the moment
the fathers instinct oyercame the gen
erals discretion. He bore his boy back IN
krugersdorp and left him with DR. VII
1oen there II was a fathers act, and one
strangely unlike the rough farmers ey
terror OF the man who mastered Sir John
Willoughby The lessen learned that niti
ful night dictated Cronje's courteous as.
surance to the defender Of Mafeking thar
the Red Cross was safe from hin. and his
while Cronje was gone somebody blun
dered, and the troopers In their blindness
very nearly wandered around the flank ~
the beaters into safety. But II was not 10
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