New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-12-16
GENERAL DE WET
AN ESTIMATE OF THE BOER LEADER BY
A MAN WHO WAS HIS CAPTIVE.
The Pail Mall Gazette

The Pail Mall Gazette
state acquaintance with the notorious Free
eally In June found myself his prisoner aisn mo
saw him anc ZOE ssvera! weary weeks. ( only
It Has ss o OF t the small hours Of winter morning
ton train near OfSSn Of ms attack on construc-
6Gndred ana an hlS prisoners numbering some two
ana INTO the fastness Of the east OF his country az
only er1nS sho ~ Of our advancing troops II was
giiI1nsa sipSe OF MN that obtained. but that
So served TO imprint upon my mind the pcture
Boers had been firing hotly upon me train and tb
large Ea5i n f osen hurriedly conveyed behind a
Sug Dod qeai OF confusion among our guards who
one another and generally seemed In So9bt go
back-tbro1Iebi men 9S came along figure horse
emf 1 from t dbsnlneent outstanding horse very diner
St5rdden by the ordinary burgher-gaIopi1s along
T @ ,iIsuipg commands he went and getting
g1Isohers and guards sorted themselves out INTO
ana mat quickly, and the curiousy assorted eoIm5
voice of tb way Snaos had given before the
ne near him say as he passed by the Prisoners Who
hind; and the electrical energy o. M aSsng oe;
~ 5nse itself 1 into us a-captives and 6ewildersd
dr never F came into contact with De Wet again. but
remained prisone g~ weeEs: and indeed while
sonaiity and the influence which he Welded were
man this De Wet though according to R5 ssl1 9bs
said but mo nam mere re- Snoetaw as CARLYLE might have
In PI me divine fire. and not without his Ideals
and petty guerrilla tactics which have become as
49, eiateu Win MS name-I do not think he has ever
or treachery. ~ "a 0iue''N
THE STRONG HAND.
christian De Wet has certainly tried-or did try ia
hopelessy forIOrn--to check those sxcesses anonss
ms men which have been often taeitly permitted
in other times. Theft from prisoners he has endeav-
after tb put r ST%n Win Sne utmost severity Thus.
MIN at Rhenoster River June Z, 1t came to his
Of the Generals mandate that private propery ' Ras
Ss ge respeeted pair Of valuable field glasses had
comes De Wet. who says that in the confusion at
impossible to keep all his troops e Under IS c aSS'
put N you can point out the man will make an
my own hand" And he would have done it, too
men would have murmured. That is more than
would De the ease with any Of the other Boer
has ever been of the most fragile character. But
under sort Of ' 0e by Sdd mas R5 men
they will or no. He is severe upon them-if any
heavy ire, sjambok in hand he rounds them on
X s F@ss them pack to their places ike so many
little concern. When food was growing short and
d he om s" o e G his
IN reply they got the stoieal one "A burgher who
b et ne Is not feared by his menthey relate these
voice as II to say See what a d1e Fellow our
General isF' They respect and admire the strong
what sort of material he has had 20 do with
LENIENT AND CANDID
sy The ID lot Of prisoner can never be happy
ever done anything unnecessarily to embitter the
as b OF those who have fallen into his hands It
al can say Is that we mad practically an he had
sideration are not hard to ind When we were hle
n.RyysS ~ was the custom for farmers in the
bringing produce for sale. No doubt these good
Of sno,Iin ous1I mat here was prime opportunity
at nrst exo-btantly high. Evidently this came to
sfeet that the prices Of the commodities were to
p pS E pet sniing dozen for eggs shilling pound
were to be adhered to. and in the event Of at
net had orders to turn the dejinquents out Of ths
Unlike most OF the BoeT geneTais Be Wei Sas be-
nesVed IN treating his people with certain amoune
that he Is well aware what must be the upshot Of
Sivin b put aaS SIMPLY expressed his intention OF
AT P25ehsfstToom shortly before the entry Of Gen.
said that he could not stop the English from COM
the veldt again and amid the kopjes play their old
game, harassing the invader and waiting for an
with the prospect Of p Here again the mans
said against the BRUSH sod snd % nS aHp ne
the defenceless British Inhabitants OF the country.
he asked those around him not to modest the BStisS
tralsnot 10 nooesf thero N nor ~ i m a. ReI-
their goods. The appeal ala little good. however.
atty. who recognize no leaders, were not going to
credited with having occasionally made some rather
eaustic remarks at expense. Thus. anent ths
corps TO which have the honor to belong, Il DON'T
trouble about the YeOmanry: I always catch
them wheu I want tor This. OF course was a
mere piece OF braggadOciO (the Yeomanry must
have given him rather lively time I'm June and
JULY but there just that grain OF truth In h
which caused the humor to be rather unpalatabls
to those whom II concerned
II Is quite mistake to suppose that De Wet
n his rapid flights and doublings has taken an his
fOrce>with him. On the contrary he has never had
haps. a handful OF stalwarts who have fought harI
from the early days OF the war. He has found fhe
pursuers hot on his track he has broken IN hts
force and ned: safe away, he has picked uD a Few
men here. few men there. and 50 got together n
considerable party once more; and this the power ~
the mans magnetic personality and the gIanCr
which his exploits have shed over his name bava
enabled him To do again and yet again But his
force u dwindling, and all his toll can avail Mir,
little In the end bold and cunnng s~,,e-tiIa
leader he has shown himself 70 be: huf vvbsf No.
ne accomplished? Tie has got away times out -
number very cleverly, has shown himself +, a6en@
al getting out OF tight place And that h. reSlf,-
all He has never shown himself TO be a genarsf.
more, he has never attempted ANYTHING in vhf~L
great generalship Guild come into plav Tfis 1oe
or conduct in these latter days in encOra rfn bis
men 10 resistance which he knows il f,flis ~
criminal he shows himself here In his true color
as a guerilla leader, pure and simple albeit "a a
man ne Is not without hts redeeminR oualittas
and as such he will probably be given, IN DAVIS n,
come. passing notice by the historian III Indeed
MS name, ike that OF many a guerilla CHER VINO
nad MS little day be not altogether swalouad nm
N tia nists % oblivion.