The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-06-01
PEN PICTURE or "B0Bs"
A Leader who Exercises Q Sway Over
His Men.

gJulian Ralph in Golfers Weekly.
! suppose / have never been in
the presence of a leader of men who
have exercised such complete and
general sway over the hearts OF his
countrymen as "Bobs" and "Little
Bobs" of bis devoted warriors.
have had no chance vet to analyze
the source or secret OF his power.
/ have thus far seen in him and
heard OF him only the demonstra-
tions of his command over men
especially over their affections
and. as for It's source, he has thus
far exercised only the most extraor-
dinary kindliness, gentleness and
sympathy. He il very quiet in
manner, very free and democratic
with all who do not try TO be too
free with him, very broad in seek
ing and accepting information from
all who can give it TO him, no mat
ter how humble or unpublished they
may be.
He is enriched with such a strik-
ing face that his small stature does
not count against him. He has
noble and what is called an aristo-
cratic face, such as might have be-
: longed to a marshal OF France in
the DAYS when France possessed
men and virtue. Though | have
described him as gentle, he is strong
in will and quick OF judgement.
At his very starting out on this ex-
pedition, which has driven the bird
of victory from the Boer to the
British standard, he was delayed by
a wholly unexpected attack on his
r transport train of 24O buck wagons
: and thousands OF oxen. With this
j was practically all of the very little
food he was able to carry after his
Il rapidly moving army OF 30, 900 men,
7 yet on the instant that he realized a
0 necessity for dispatching a large
II force, and the consequent weaken
: ing Of his army, 10 save the train
d he ordered it abandoned. A little
is later, when his army had made un-
e paralleled marches on biscuit a
le day per man, and when bis horses
d were even less well supplied with
,t forage, he ordered the burning oi
|, an immense supply of biscuits,
,r compressed hay and oats at Paard.
eberg.
IT 1t seemed incomprehensible-al
d most-criminal-but he had no
1t wagons to fetch the food along and
d he said he did not propose to let il
le 90 to the Beers, who we're in even
lg greater need of supplies than hi:
II men. In these actions we see the
ot gigantic strength of his grip upor
s. his men, for though they were tori
D. by hunger and spent with fatigue
Iy not Tommy in the ranks uttered
s. a single word of complaint. A Me
" thuen would have been damned b.
IS his troops, and Kitchener woulc
v. have moved amid siified chorus
ii of complaints, but whatever LorC
in Roberts does is right and satisfac
tory to every British soldier. h
fact his men consider whatever h'
does to be inspired. They ar
'ir proud to endure whatever hardship
US he imposes on them, and wher
er another general would be voted
re brute for marching bis men twent,
ne miles in day, Roberts can marcl
OF them twice a far with certaint,
be that Of every two Tommies in tn
ne ranks one will say, "Ain't he
!" mani" and the other will reply
a. "E f. is man." Excepting
Id George b. Mcclellan, we never ha'
OF an American general with anythinl
ed like his degree Of popularity, an'
lie "Iittle Mac did not manage 4
y. gold-plate his magnetism with sue
e, cess.