Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-03-31
GENERAL JOUBERT DEAD.
Boer Commander-In-C Chief Expired Last 8
Wednesday. IL


Boer Chief Expired Last
Wednesday.
General Piet Joubert, commander
in-chief of the armies of the South
African Republics, died at Pretoria
last Wednesday. Next to President
Kruger he was the most Influential of
the Boer leaders. Had it not been for
the capture of General CroDje, that
general would have been his successor
as commander-in-c chief of the Boer
armies but as matters stand it is like
ly that this responsibility will now fall
upon General Lewiz Batha, at present
commanding in Natal. 1t is possible:
however, that President Kruger may
take command in person.
General Pietruskobius Joubert, COM
mandant general of the Transvaal
forces, better known as Piet Joubert,
or .'Slim Piet," (Slim Peter) was born
about 50 years ago. He was descend
ed from an old French Huguenot fam
ily which settled in South Africa many
wears ago. He was born in Cape Col
ony; but was taken by his parents,
when several years old, to the Orange
Free State, where he was taught from
early childhood to shoot straight and
hate the British.
He is described as having been ut
terly fearless. Of schooling he had
but little and he never saw newspa-
per until he was 19 years old. In
spite of this, his ambition prompted
him to read the few books he could
obtain and be succeeded in obtaining
fair knowledge of history and language.
In consequence of the acquisition OF
Natal by the British his family moved
from Natal and settled in the TransVaal.
Soon afterward he became burgher Of
the South African Republic and dar-
ing fighter. 1t was claimed in his be.
half that he could lead body of men
more successfully against hostile ma
tives than any other man in the Trans
vaal. He came to be so feared by the
natives that the knowledge that he
was at the head of punitive expedi-
ton usually resulted in their surren-
der.
1t was during these wars with the
natives that Joubert became acqualn-
ted with Paul Kruger and the two men
became bosom friends. He was elec-
ted vice president of the Transvaal in
1896, defeated Sir George Colley at
Maiuba Hill in 1881, and acted as pres
ident of the republic in 1884 during
President Kruger's absence in Europe.
General Joubert was always in favor
of the use of force instead of diploma
CIV, and President Kruger, on several
occasions, had great difficulty in re-
pressing his hot-headed colleague,
notably in 1879, when Joubert, with
Kruger and Pretorious, was planning
the rebellion to overthrow British rule
in the Transvaal. The result was Ma
juba Hill and the practical independ-
ence of the Transvaal. 1t was Jou-
bert who organized the army of the
South African Republic, later on divid-
ing the country into II military de-
partments and each of these depart
ments into smaller divisions with
commandments, field cornets and lieu
tenants of various ranks in charge.
According to the generals plans
every native became trained soldier
without leaving his farm, and has his
equipment always at hand. So near
perfect was the system carried out
that within 4S hours after the present
war was declared the Boer nation was
under arms.
1t was also due to General Joubert
that the South African Republic sue
ceeded in amassing the munitions of
war and provisions which have stood
them in such good stead during the
conflict now in progress.
When the Jameson raiders were
locked up in the Pretoria Jail, Joubert
was strongly in favor of their imme-
diate execution. 1t was not until Jou-
bert and Kruger had been closeted to-
gether for whole night that the mer-
ciful counsel of Kruger prevailed.
In spite of these characteristics,
Joubert, on some occasions, showed
considerable regard for the usages of
civilization. When the Beers raided
British territory, Bechuanaland, in
1884, Joubert, was probably the only
prominent Boer who refused to sup
port the movement and his opposition
resulted in the withdrawal of the
Beers from the territory seized as be
threatened to resign unless he bad his
way, saying:
II positively refuse to hold office
under government that deliberately
breaks its covenants, and we have
made covenants with England"
In November last it was reported
that General Joubert had been killed
in action, and later reports said he was
dangerously wounded and had to use
a cart in order to follow the operations
in the field. The circumstances of
the death of General Joubert are not
explained in the dispatch from Lorenzo
Marquee, which recalls the fact that
William Cox, a newspaper correspond
ent who was recently released from
prison at Pretoria, and who has arrived
at Durham, said General Joubert was