Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-15
CRONJE THEIR IDOL
Naws of His Surrender About Para
lyzsd the Beers.
THEY REFUSED TO Be COMfORTED
Story of Lord kItchener's Expert
ence With Dutch Girl.
VICTORY FOR THE LATTER
Y REFUSED 10 Be COMFOR7ED
VICTORY FOR THE LATTER

CORRESPONDENCE of the Associated Press.
LONDON. May ), 1900.
The Daily News correspondent. A. c.
Hales who was taken prisoner by the
Beers and returned by them to Gen Cat
acre sends his paper an account OF now the
Beers received the news of Cronje's surren-
der. He at Burghersdorp when the
news came through. He writes:
When the news came the folk would not
believe it. They would just soon have
believed that the sun could have fallen from
the heavens and leave the earth in dark
ness aS that Cronie the iron-willed. tiger
hearted Cronje. could throw down his arms.
Had the news come that he had made a mad
rush AT our guns and persisted with all his
men around him they might have believed
it-bclieVtd it and wept, and even as th"y
wept they would have sworn to avense Kim.
But they " Iuld MOI. they could not and they
did not believe that he. the man in whom
they had placed their faith. had surrendered
with thousands of his men. But at last the
truth became known. some who had escaped
from Cronje's laaser brought in the fateful
news. and then the stolid-lookng fighting
men broke down. They wept like boys.
Great. rugged. bearded men dashed their
rifles on the ground and spurned them with
their boots while down their sun and wind
tanned faces The tears poured readily.
Some Took the News Sadly.
"Others took the news sadly. with
chins dropping their chests. with hard,
set faces white with passionate PAIN too
deep for words. they stood leaning upon the
rifles with their hands hard-gripped. until
one would think the frightened muscle would
leave the impress of the straining fingers
upon the cold steel. Others again crowded
together and looked Cumbly from face to
face. like cattle forcSathered to the sham
b,es. The blow had stunned them. To them
Crunie Mas something more than a man. he
was an idol. What the great Corscan was
to the French snldiery after the battle of
AUstcrlitz 50 Crnnje was to these rude farm
crs. He was their brain center. their rally
ing point.
foes for The sake Of British gold they
would not have felt the shock as they felt
this one mans surrender. If Cronje had
loved his country half as well as his coun-
try loved him. he would have marched right
on the point Of a British bayonet on that
morning disastrous to the Boer arms and
have yielded up his life in order that the
memory rf his name might have remained
us watChword the lips and in the
hearts IT his gallant yeoman soldiery.
W hra the crash came. when the Beers
knew for certainty that Cronje had yield
~. they felt that their idol was shattered,
I- had been To them 4 god fashioned out
%: marble. they found him at last to be
only a man made out of mud. and when he
Free State fell with him. When he laid
down his arms he launched a thunderbolt
iiJn The Beer camp. which wrecked it for
ever.
Good story of Kitchener.
Of ali the stories told by correspondents
Of General Kitchener this is by far the
best:
while Lord Kitchener was engaged in
SURPRISING the Preiska rebellion he or
dered tie destruction of "A certain farm
house. Not seeing any signs of his orders
beng carried out he rode over with his
STAFF and found an Interesting situation. In
the doorway of the doomed farm stood
pretty young Dutch girl. her hands clasp
ing the doDrpostS and her eyes flashing fire
from beneath her dainty Suubonnet.
The Irish sergeant in charge of party of
destruction was vainly endeavoring to per-
Suade her to let them pass in, but TO all his
Establishments Of 'arrah, darlnt wish
anow. aCushla, the maiden turned a deaf
ear. and deadlock prevailed. Kitchener
sharp What's this? put a climax to the
scene. The girl evidently guessed that this
trcmb!eG in spite of herself
Kitchener gazed sourly at her. standing
bravely. though tearfully, there, and turned
to his military secretary. Put DOWN he
growied, that the commander orders with
reference to the destruction of Rghtmap's
farm could not be carried out owing to I'M
expected opposition. Forward gentle
men "
This is vouched for by c. A McNuel-
len an engineer. recently returned from Jo-
hInntS burg