The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-14

The military genius who has been d.
recting the Boer forces In South Africa,
and who has inflicted blow after blow
Upon British arms, Is an American army
officer, graduate Of West Point, school
ed in many a campaign against the
Apaches and Indians of the Southwest
Military experts in this country who
have watched closely the operations in
Natal borders, says the New York Jour
nal, have recognized in the tactics dis
played by the Beers duplication of the
Indian style of warfare and have sur
missed that some one familiar with cam
paigning in the West has been advising
or directing the sturdy Beers.
Lieut.. John Y. Fillmore Blake, U. S.
a. recently resigned. a long-limbed.
sturdy son of Arkansas, is the American
officer who has been winning battles for
the Beers.
II YOU look in the army register you
will find nothing but this:
John Y. Fillmore Blake, born in Mis-
souri,. appointed to the Military academy
from Arkansas. became cadet Sept. l,
1876, received his commission as second
lieutenant June IL. 1885, and was assigned
to the Sixth cavalry; made first lieuten-
service Aug 49, 1889.
But that brief period says nothing of
nine years of the hardest kind Of service
which the "Galloping Sixth" put in whip
ping hostile Apaches into submission
Nor is there the slightest mention of
campaign that covered Arizona, New
Mexico. the Panhandle. the southern part
of the Indian territory and far into the
land of the Mexicans.
If you will refer back to the news dis
patches about the South African war,
you will find a great similarity in the
details of the fight. One day you will
read that the British forces attacked a
strongly intrenched Boer position from
which the Dutchmen were compelled to
retire. Sometimes you will see the phrase
used the enemy had vanished complete
ly." And then the next day you will read
about how the English troops had press
ed on. had unexpectedly stumbled upon
the Beers in even greater force. occupy
Ing almost impregnabfe positions. and
the English had CALAMITY made assault
and had been repulsed with great loss.
It's the old Apache trick over again.
The willy Indian Of the Southwest years
United States army, had a favorite GUS
tom of sending out small detachment
of braves. These would await the COM
ing of the cavalrymen. There would be a
little fight the Indians would turn, ap-
parently panic stricken, and head directly
for some spot where ten times their num-
bers would be secreted. The cavalrymen,
until they had been taught many a les
son, would pursue until sudden Volley
M q faW
that they had been, not ambushed, ex-
actly but led into a horrible trap. That
is exactly what the Beers have done
The English have not yet learned their
lesson.
1t was so at Glencoe, Nicholson Mex,
Modder river. Elandslaagte. Magersfon-
tein, Colenso and Stormberg. The Brit
Ssh In each case, confident that the Beers
had retired, went on only to run up
against the enemy strongly fortified in
inaccessible places, which at the same
lime gave them a sweeping range on the
Englishmen exposed in front of them.
The English know Col Blake. Core
spondents there have referred to him in
their home papers as IAN American adj
renturer" That will make members of
The Sixth cavalry, U. S. A., grin sympa-
.hetically. He is an adventurer. but not
n the way the English correspondents
mean.
In the issue of the London Graphic,
bearing the date of Nov. Is, there APP
1eared a half-tone reproduction Of a pho
.ograph showing a body of men march
ng in column across a street in johann
aesburg No. of the first set of four
carried a partially furled flag; the men
zept perfocl line and distance AS
natter of fact there was nothing in the
Illustration to warrant the title under it
Tor the explanatory reading matter which
accompanied it.
In bold black type was this heading:
TRAITORS! THE IRISH BRI-
+: GADE SERVING WITH