The sun., 1900-03-29

arrived at point sufficiently far north
to relieve all apprehensi0ns of the possl-
biiity of their being clt off. 1t is expect
ed they will arrive ut Winburg i'll few
days and effect Il junction with General
DE Wet. when the federals' position, 1t
is declared, will formidably oppose Lord
Roberts.
The afternoon newspapers publish long
biographies of General ,Joubert. General
" they are in kindly tone. The Pail
Mall Gazette says: "Piet Joubert was
the one contemporary Transvaal Boer,
except ex-Chief Justice Kotze, whose
death could call fsrth Il sincere tribute
of respect from Englishmcn of all par
ties. He was the antipodes III the Trans
vaal world OF I.ey,ls and personally was
honest straight and clean handed.
General Joubert's Career.
General Petrus Jacobus Joubert, COM
nandant general Of the Tmnsvaal forces,
better known as Piet J0uhert, or "Slien
piet" tSlim Peter, was born about Us
years ago. He was descended from an
old French Huguenot family. which set
tied in South Africa many years ago. lie
was born in Cape Colony, but was taken
by his parents when Z 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 utterly fearless Or
schooling he had but little, and le never
saw a newspaper until he was 10 years
old. In spite of this his ambition prompt
ed him to read the few books he could
obtain, and he succeeded i'll obtaining
fair knowledge of history and Ian
guages-
In consequence of the acquisition OF
Natal by the British he and his family
moved from that part of South TAfric'
and settled in the Transyaal. soon after
ward he became burgher of the Soutl
African Republic and daring hghter
1t was claimed in his behalf that ht
could lead body of men more success
fully against hostile natives than any
other man in the Transvaal- He was
eventually so feared by the natives thai
the knowledge that he was al the heat
of a punitive expedition usually RESULTED
in their surrender.
1t was during these wars with the ma
tives that Joubert became acquainted
with Paul Kruger, and the two men be
came bosom friends. He was elected
vice president of the Tansvaal in lS96
defeated Sir George Colley at MaJub'
Hill in 1881 and acted as president o
the republic in 1881, during Kruger
absence in Europe.
Never IncIinek to Diplomacy.
General Joubcrt was always in favor o
the use Of force instead of diplomacy, ant
President Kruger on several occasion
had great difficulty in repressing his no
headed colleague, notably in 1879, whel
Joubert, with Kruger and Pretorius, wa
planning the rebellion to overthrow Brit
ish rule in the Trunsvaal. The resul
was Majuba Hill and the practical inde
pendence of the Transyaal, though th
suzerainty of Great Britain was main
tanned.
1t was Joubert who organized the arm
of the South African Republic later Oh
dividing the country into II military de
partments and each of these department
into smaller divisions, with commandnnts
field cornets and lieutenants of variou
ranks in charge. According to the gen
erals plans, every man became traine
4 soldier without leaving his farm and ha
his equipment ready at home. To such
N point of perfection was the system cal
Il ried that when the present war was dc
clared Joubert, it is claimed, had only I
send II dispatches, and WITHIN 10 hour
the Boer nation was under arms.
1t was also due to General JoubeI
that the South African republics isuecee,
! Nd il s,.-..s.sg. sss;sg -. salnenA- S1oIes .