Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-04-27
BACK FROM THE TRANsvAAL

BACK FROM THE TRANSVAAL
A Virginia Teacher Who Lived Amonl
the Beers.
Miss Ella &. Agnew, of Burkeville
Va, who has just returned to thi
country from South Africa was II
) Richmond last week. and to reporter
of the Dispatcher she made the follow
ing statement:
II have just returned from five years
spent in Cape Colony and the Trans
vaal.' she continued. II was thrown
into very close contact with the Beers
in their daily lives. General Joubert
was a warm personal friend. knew
much of the daily life of President
Kruger; Mr.. Reitz, the Secretary OF
State, and other officials. learned to
know the people well, and while l
went among them an ardent sympathi-
lzer with the Uitlanders, left them
fully convinced of the righteousness OF
their cause, and firmly OF the belief
that the greed of the English, and not
the broken faith of the Beers. is at
the root of the trouble
The Beers have an able advocate in
Miss Agnew. She is a bright, educat-
ed, travelled, Virginia woman. She
talks remarkably we'll. She is Vir-
ginia woman. her home being at Burke
vile. Her mother and father died
years ago. Her step-mother still re-
sides there, and Miss Agnew will go
thither to-day. About six years ago
she was in New York and lady offer
ed her position in the Hugenot school
in Cape Colony. Rather as joke Miss
Agnew agreed to come out when noLl-
fed she was wanted land several months
afterwards, much to her surprise. the
offer came. She accepted it. Later
she took charge of the Boer school at
Wakkerstroom.
The latter school was chiefly sup
ported by the late General Joubert.
and he and his family were among
Miss Agnew's warmest friends. She
is great admirer Of the character OF
"Slim Piet," whom she describes as
most genial and lovable. Indeed, she
expresses deep admiration for the peo-
pie of the country generally, charac-
terizing them as honest, hard-work1ng.
God fearing people, of simple tastes,
somewhat unprOgressive. but patriots
in every sense of the term.
Miss Agnew did not know President
Kruger intimately. 1t may surprise
some to know that Dom Paul is a
preacher. He has church just across !;
the street from bis residence, in Johan- /
nesburg, and occupies the pulpit on
those Sundays when the spirit SO moves
him. He preached one Sunday near to
where Miss Agnew lived, but for some !,
reason she did not go to hear him.
Kruger is of the Dopper sect-which !
appears to be the unreformed Dutch
Reformed Church.
Miss Agnew greatly admired the hos
pitality of the Beers and the simplicity
of their home lives. She spoke of hav-
ing read one day in an American pa
per an account of Boer home which |
made the people little more than bar
barians; she passed it on to her hostess,
Mrs. Joubert, wife of a son OF the
Generals. Mrs. Joubert laughed
heartily.
When the war came on the school at |
Wakkerstroom had to be closed, and
Miss Agnew went to Pretoria. She
was hospital nurse for a time, and
wanted to attach herself to the regular
hospital corps, but was rejected on &C
count of her not being thought strong
enough to undergo the hardships incl
dent to such work.
She saw great deal of war. Miss
Agnew called attention to one fact
not generally known. Every Ameri-
can in the Transvaal not in the employ
of one of the mining companies. or
some other corporation" she said, ''is
fighting for the Beers to-day"
Finally, Miss Agnew determined to
come home. She secured passports
which took her to Lourenzo Marques,
where more passports were obtained
and she came on to Delagoa bay. One
of her travelling companions for the
entire trip to New York was Mr.. Web
ster Davis, Assistant Secretary OF the
Interior, who went to visit the Trans
vaal, and who resigned upon his return
to the United States In order to go on
the lecture platform advocating the
cause of the Beers. She is a great ad-
mirer of Mr.. Davis.
Miss Agnew took steamer at Della
goa for Naples. At the latter city she
took North German Lloyd for New
York. Since she landed she has been
visiting friends in New York and
Pennsylvania. She is going to Keys
vile to-day to see her family. Miss
Agnew is a kinswoman Of DIR. D.
Hayes Agnew, the distinguished Phila-
delphia physician and surgeon, who
was one of President Garfield's physi.
clans in his last illness.
"Will I return to the Transvaal 7"
said Miss Agnew, repeating the repor-
ter's parting question. Il can't say.
NV place is still open to me-"