The record-union., 1899-10-16
DOM PAUL'S STORY.
A MOST INTERESTING PUBLIC
CHARACTER.
Clergyman, Lion Hunter, General
Embassador, Statesman and
Athlete.

ambassador, Statesman and
Athlete.
Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger,
President of the Transva.al. is the most
| interesting public character to-day to
interview. Upon being introduced you
first conclude that he has been greatly
oVerestlmated. He seems nothing more
than shrewd old hunter, who, by con :
stant contact with wild animals and
| savage Kaffi1s, has developed a wari-
ness that makes him suspicious of
everything and everybody. He does
not have the penetrating eye" usually
| ascribed to great men. On the con-
trary, a puff of flesh underneath lis
eyes, as rule, permits one to see but
a narrow CLEAN, giving one the impress
sion Of stiffness.
His legs are so short and slender that
you wonder how they bear the weight
of heavy, thick. and solid body. Ills
head is big, with nose and ears to
match, and his neck concealed by beard.
hair and coat collar. SO that you cannot
determine whether Or not he INDUCES
IN neckWear. AT home he is usually
putting short briar pipe and as he
handles this you notice that the thumb
of his left hand is missing. There is a
story in connection with this that his
honor will tell you between puffs if he
is in the mood. 1t gives an idea Of the
grit which is a characteristic of the old
Beers.
STORIES OF PHYSICAL COURAGE.
Mr.. Kruger, when young man, was
out hunting hartbeest one day with
rifle which had not been used for q
long time. While tinkering with a
charge the gun exploded, tearing his
left thumb in shreds. Kruger's compan-
ions wanted to give up the hunt and
hurry to the nearest surgeon. but the
intrepid young Boer refused. Taking
out his hunting knife he placed the
lacerated thumb on the stock of his
rifle and amputated it himself. By ty-
ing about the stump a piece of raw
hide he stopped the flow of blood, ard
winding around it his red handkerchief
he continued the sport
Physical robustness and courage have
contributed greatly toward Krugers
success as the leader of a nation. He
is absolutely fearless, though not reck-
less, and since boyhood has known how
to act quickly in an emergency. In
like other famous men, little has been
told Of his personal history. None but
the older generation of Beers know
much about it, and they regard it as
sort of divine narrative that is not to
be irreverently discussed
All through his life Kruger has had
narrow escapes from death. and his
career, if detailed fully, would be thrill
ing. When only fourteen years old he
and little sister strayed away from
the laager down in Cape Colony, where
the elder Kruger had settled on emf
grating from Germany, and while play
ing were suddenly attacked by leo
pard. Young Kruger's only weapon
was a jack-knife, but shielding his sis
ter with one arm, he met the vicious
spring of the leopard with the other,
and after a bloody struggle succeeded
in stabbing it to death.
One is hardly warranted either in
speaking slightingly Of "Oom" Pals
legs, for they once ran a race that
made him famous all through the ma
tive tribes in South Africa. A KafIir
chief had become celebrated for his
running ability, and had never been
beaten until challenged by a number
of young Beers, who chose Kruger to
represent them. 1t was decided that
the two should run for twelve hours
and the man leading at the end of that
time was to have some sort of a prize.
At the end of eleven hours the kaffir
dropped in his tracks unconscious,
while Kruger kept on to the finish,
and, according to one of his compan-
ions, was SO fresh then that he took
part in a hunting trip.
DOM PAUL'S PIETY.
1t is the appearance of rough hardi-
hood and unkempt personal attire that
first impresses one on meeting "Oom'
Paul, but when the man begins to talk
and unfold gradually his mental power
you forget all else but Kruger the 'di-
plomat and careful statesman. He gave
the writer short interview recently
for publication with the understanding
that the Boer side should be represent
ed from his own view point first in
curing If 1 were a spy from Cecil
Rhodes. On being assured to the con-
trary by a number of Raad members
who were present, he followed it up by
another customary question turning on
me suddenly and asking: What is
your religion?"
These two inquiries give an insight
into Kruger's life. His first duty he
believes, is to God, and his second to
Rhodes, whom he detests like poison
Gus reptile. But for Rhodes, Mr.. Kru-
ger says, all would be peace and quiet
ness in the Transvaal. So long as this
man is in South Africa there is no rest
for the Beers, and their secret service
agents may be found on every street
in Johannesburg, on the lookout for
Uitlander conspiracies.
From all outward appearances Dom
Paul is intensely pious, and though the
English insist that it is all hypocrisy,
there is no proof that Kruger does not
live in strict accordance with his
preaching. He was confirmed in 1912
by Rev. Daniel Lindlay, an American
missionary, and from that day to this
has led severely Christian life after
the precepts laid down by John Calvin.
He can quote nearly the whole Bible,
and this has served him we'll in a Sec
ular way, for he has learned from it
to speak in parallels, terse epigrams
that are readily interpreted by his fol-
lowers, and have more force than the
most brilliant rhetorical flights
Kruger, in addition to his other ac-
n0antC Nv hnc