The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-11-27
DOM PAUL AT HOME
Private Life Of the Head Of The
B0Gr Republic.
A MAN Of GREAT SHREWONESS
No Love for the English. but Plenty
for Americans Personal
Experiences.
A MAN OF GREAT SHIRE MONESS
Washington Start

Washington star.
The writer has been much with Dom
Paul Kruger. What is here written
is gathered wholly from personal ex-
ueriences. OF what the President of the
Transvaal has told me.
First pray TO God for guidance and
inspiration. then fight" This is his
motto.
Imagine yourself standing in the
presence of a man about six feet three
inches in height, somewhat stoop-
shouldered and built like a giant; his
hair white with years; his features
homely and coarse, wearing an Hint
ting black double breasted Prince Al
bert 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 craftiness, 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 Reinet,
Cape Colony. His parents were South
African farmers, who had left their
home in Europe a few years before
Paul was born, hoping for good for
tune in the new country. But it did
not come. They remained mere squat
tiers. and at the time Paul was porn
his parents owned only two or three
slaves, which meant little. The future
President of the Transvaal was christ
ened S. ]. Paul Kruger, but at an ear
ly age the first two initials were
dropped He uses them now when
signing State papers.
\ FINE RIFLEMAN.
Paul was taught at an early age to
pray and handle a gun. At years of
age he was the best shot in that sec
ton. He was a fearless boy. When he
was 8 years old his parents resented
British regulations and moved 20 the
Northeastern part of Natal colony, not
far from Ladysmith, the first impor-
There were two children in the fam
lily, girl and boy, both younger than
Paul The brother was killed in ma
tive fight in the Natal colony and the
sister lived to see her brother made
President of the Transvaal.
When Kruger was about II 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 team home and to look
after his sister.
I'll take care of her, father" was
the reply.
Everything went we'll until Paul and
his sister were about five miles from
home. Then panther appeared in the
road. The sixteen bullocks in the team
took fright and ran away. The jolt
ing 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 dan
ger, and though he was unarmed ran
to her rescue. The panther by this
time stood with cleaning eyes over
the girl. Paul tackled the panther in
a hand-to-hand battle. 1t was d fierce
struggle, and as Kruger himself told
me, he believed once or twice that the
panther was going to prove too much
for him. But finally he got hold OF
the animals throat and literally
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.
ETpCT atrETINTc WITH KpIrECER
1t was in the latter part of 1879 that
/ first had the pleasure of meeting
Paul Kruger. He was then man
over so years of age. but as strong,
erect and robust as the average man of
80. He seemed to possess the strength
of a giant The Beers at that time
were on the verge of a war with the
British. When | was introduced TO
Kruger he was suspicious of me, and
il was only when assured that | was an
American that he became at all talka-
tive. In those days Kruger would
talk English, but since the visit of Sir
Henry Lock TO Pretoria in 1893 the
Transvaal President has positively re-
fused to utter one word of English.
The Kruger of 1879 was poor man;
he had difficulty in supplying his fam
lily with the necessities OF life, Tor pc
sides his wife he had ten children 10
care for. He lived then in a humble
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
revolution against the English. Gen
eral p. ]. Joubert, the new commander
of the Boer forces and Vice President
of the Transvaal, young Pretorius, son
of the country's first President, and
Kruger were planning for the Boer
uprising, which came the following
year. resulting in the independence OF
the Beers in 1881. 1t was these three
that managed the campaign against
the English forces under General Coo
ley at Majuba Hill.
The next time that I met Kruger
was in 1894. Although he was now the
,.nt o ed 10