The Saint Paul globe., 1900-02-11
REAL Sir REDVERS
GEN. BULLER WHEN AT HOME Is
A RICH AND TYPICAL BRITISH
SQUIRE
IN RED RIVER EXPEDITION

Was with Sir Garnet WoIseIey I'm
Manitoba, and Came to the Front
as a Soldier in the Kafflr and
Zulu Wars-Plucky as a BOY and
Man in Spite of spiOn Kop Re-
verse.
Before the Boer war began England had
at least half dozen great generals
White and Warren, French and Butler
and Roberts were all veterans SCARED IN
many a hard campaign against enemies
in the desert, enemies in the Businesses
of Afghanistan, and even the wise. old
long-bearded Beers In South Africa. All
are dead Caesars" now, excepting Lit
tie Bobs," to whom the whole British ma
tion is looking with pathetic eagerness.
Among the popular idols at the out
break of the war was Sir Redvers Butler,
whose defeat at Spion Kop and retreat
across the Tugela river astonished Eng
land, and brought the British face to face
with the greatest crisis in their affairs
for 100 years. Press dispatches have pic
tured Butler as stern martinez, taciturn,
somewhat cruel, and ruling his troops
with discipline unknown to other Brit
ish commanders. The truth is that the
man who ordered his men up Spton Kop
and down again so promptly is typical
English squire. He is one OF the richest
men in England, a sportsman, a student.
collector of old furniture and a jovial
gentlemen who competes with the other
gentlemen farmers for prizes at the coun-
try cattle shows His estate at Downes,
~ I'D 1a1aN in
Devonshire. Sir Redvers Is governor of
Creditor church, of its grammar school.
q justice Of the peace, and chairman OF
the school board.
PLAIN NAN AT HOME.
While the man In the street knows Bull
Ter by heart, and can glibly recount his
deeds of pluck and daring, at Creditor,
where his family estate lies, the people
have never seen the squire in his regi-
mentals. This was the only grievance
they had against him until Spion Kop.
'Some of the young officers are little
too fond of showing their colors," said a
native recently; "but Sir Redvers Is too
much the other way" When the Duke
and. Duchess of York visited Exeter some
canny folks set off from Creditor to see
the reception of the royal visitors, think
ing that this occasion would at least
bring out the general in full uniform
"And what did the squire look like?'
asked the home keeping people When
their more adventurous neighbors re-
turned from Exeter.
"Just his usual"
HAD he no uniform on him?"
''Not stripe nor brass button, as
could see
Several times has local expectation
been at the highest pitch when Sir Red
vers has returned to Creditor after no
table campaign, and the people have
prepared gala reception; but 1t has
always been the familiar figure in the
bowler hat and long overcoat which has
stepped out of the railway carriage.
Gen. Sir Redvers Henry Butler Is de-
scended from a long line Of West country
ancestors. He comes of that class of
valiant gentlemen of Cornwall and De-
Won whose deeds of daring and enter
prise live in the pages of Kingsley, and
mementoes of whom are to be found in
the brasses of the West country church
'es. He Is the second son of a family
of fourteen brothers and sisters, sixty
one years old, and was reared accord
ing to the best traditions Of the old
English gentry-to fear God and honor
the King" The generals mother was
Charlotte, daughter OF the late Lord H.
M. Howard, of Norfolk, sweet and gen.
tie lady, whose beautiful, serene face
looks at you from the walls of nearly
every room at Downes.
MISLEADING MOTTO.
The Butler crest IS a Saracen's head,
the fierce physiognomy Of which accords
well with the family motto. Aquila non
capt. muscas can eagle does not catch
2 flies'0. The cases, filed with military
books, alone reveal the soldier; while the