The Saint Paul globe., 1900-02-11

to be due the success Of the Beers at
the Tugela river, and to him, it IS said.
will be intrusted the defense of Pretoria,
should the British succeed eventually in
getting near enough to attack the capt.
tai of the Transvaal republic.
Col. de Villebeis- Mareuil was engaged
by Dr., Leyds early last September, the
negotiations having taken place at De
Viflebois- -Mareuil's 8 castle. Bois- Corbeau,
in Brittany He left the French army in
1896 because the command of the NADIA
gascar expedition had not been given to
him.
ENGLISH IN TASTES.
Col de yiilebois- Mareuil's tastes are
in many respects English He speaks
English fuently, his daughter was under
the tutelage of an English governess
and his tailor lives in a street eff Han
over square; while during his residence
IN Algiers he used to entertain all the
proriinent members of the English col
ony.
Being, however, only fifty-and soldier
at that age is in the prime of life-and a
fighting man with great talents for
strategy and tactics, he eagerly jumped
at the offer and the tempting rernunera'
ton held out 20 him by President iAru-
gers representative. At the same time
he thought it advisable to keep his en-
gagement secret, to elude the lnquisi-
tiveness of French officialdom. With the
exception of his friend Comte de Rotha5s
and his daughter nobody was aware OF
his new career.
Col. de Villebois- -Mareuil was response
be fer the tactics displayed by the Beers
TN1a TX nd n
were due the conception Of the plan OF
fighting and the distribution Of the troops
among and around the Tugela river
The French newspapers follow the
movements of Col de Villebois -Mareull
closely, and with their accustomed cheef-
fll wildness attribute to him this account,
said to be in his own words, OF the Joss
of the squadron of hussars after The
battle Of Glencoe: "a regiment OF lancers
disappeared completely in the course OF a
battle. and this is what happened to
them. The English lancers, after claarg-
ing a Boer detachment, threw themselves
.ur,or the wounded, whom they massacreo
and despoiled They were engaged in TINS
ahominabIe work Of savagerY Wnen they
were surprised by Boer commando. see
ing themselves on the polat of being an
initiated they raised the white lag. put
in consequence Of the atrocities stney haa
been guilty OF the boerS suol theiii u""'
to the last man.
EARLY SERVICE
Col. de ViIlebois- -Mareuil left .he mill
tary academy of Saint-Cyr in 1863. and re-
ceived a commission as lieutenant OF ma
rire infantry. In this capacity he served
In Cochin China. From the m lcine infan-
FRY he passed to the Foot Chasseurs, ard
was a captain in the army of the Loire
during the Franco-P -Prussian war. At the
reeapture of Blois he was wesn led Sc
yereIy. and was decorated on the field Of
battle. After some years passed III the
staff college he entered the war Office
with the rank of major. Thence he pro-
cee1ed as chief Of the staff. to the Al
gerian army corps. being promoted to g
lieutenant coloneiry. As full colonel ne
commanded successfully the 0na-Hun-
dred and Thirtieth regiment at Mayenne
the Sfxty-seventh at scissors and the
First Of the Foreign Legion at Sidi de-
ahbes.
At the time of his appointm csit to the
Be er army he was devoting himself as-
sidueusly to military charities, in the or
ganizatien and management or which he
takes a great interest.
From letter written by a German Of
ficer who lately was a raaIor of the TNgen-
I ty-second infantry Of the Kafser's army
and now is colonel on the general stafl
of the Beers who are besieging Lady
smith, some highly inter ssting informa-
ton is obtained regarding his fellow sol
iiers Of fortune, who are earning big
money to fight with the Beers. He mas