The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-11-23
WENT Wild OVER KRUGER
|
MARsE1LLEs WELCOMES FORMER
PRESIDENT OF TRANsvAAL.
80 t|' a. t.'' ru. @ .-.rA. y-
Reception Given Him Excels Even That
with Which Hero OF Fashoda
Was Received.

Was Received.
Marseilles, Nov. 22-Today proved
a triumph for Kruger, such as not
even the Boer delegates and his most
ardent admirers anticipated.
The enthusiasm which marked every
step of his passage from the landing
till the hotel was reached was a rev.
citation to the people of Marseilles
themselves. It fully equalled, if
it did not exceed, the frantic demon
stration of patriotism with which
France opened here arms to Major
Marchand at Toulon Oh his return
from Fashoda. The assembly of such
masses, exceeding wen the most san
guine estimate, might, perhaps, be
partly explained by the acrimonious
obsequies of the bishop of Marseilles,
including an imposing religious pro-
cession from the cathedral, but moth
ing can minimize the spontaneous ex-
plosion of sentiment displayed toward
Kruger by the entire population of the
first port and one of the largest cities
of France. Yet the grandeur of this
demonstration, perhaps, ranks second
in Importance to the emphatic mani
festo of "No compromise which
Kruger delivered in a low voice, but
quivering with emotion accompanied
nv 0nor opofio rOcf,1roc 0f Tho ,,,~lk
hand, stirring the hearts of all within
hearing. The last sentences of his
declaration were uttered with a vigor
and decision which bore out his repu-
tation as the incarnation of an iron
will and stubborn resistance. His
mere delivery of a declaration of
such ~far-reaching Importance t~estifies
to the influence Of his character, as it
came as a surprise, even to his most in
innate political advisors who, up to
the last, were in ignorance of his de-
termination. He announced to the
world this morning that the Beers
would be a free people or die, and the
faces Of the men about him, Fischer,
VESSELS, Groebler and the other Boer
representatives, bore a look OF. fearless
determination, rejecting the sentiment
which Kruger declared animated every
m IN, woman and child in the Transaal.
The ceremonies up to that time had
been a tribute of sympathy. "Vive
Kruger "Vive les Boers,' and
"Vive la Liberte," were the cries that
followed the hurricane of cheering
that swept over the city. Even the
foolishness Of a half dozen people
throwing a handful of sous into the
crowd as the procession was passing
the hotel FROM the dock to the hotel
did not aus al anti British outbreak,
hut the hotel remained all day in a
state of siege. A small crowd marched
towards the British consulate crying
Clown with the English" but the
police dispersed it, making only a few
temporary arrests.
This evening bands of students
marched up, and down in front of
Kruger's hotel, cheering for Kruger
and denouncina the British. The stu
dents were more*loisy than dangerous
and the police wisely left them to re-
lieve their feelings hN shouting instead
Of interfering with them, which might
have created disorderA The incident
was the main topic Ut conversation
this evening and much Indignation is
expressed.
In his reply to the addresses of well
come at the landing stage Kruger said
in part: "The wal waged bn us in
the two republics has reached1the last
limits of barbarsim. During my life
1 have had to fight many times savage
tribes of Africa, but the %barbarians we
have to fight now are worse than the
others. They eve urge Kafirs against
us. They burn the farms we worked
SO hard to construct and they drive out
our women and children, whose hus-
bands and brothers they have killed or
taken prisoners, leaving them unpro-
and roofless, and often without
bread to eat. But whatever they may
do we will never surrender. We will
fight to the end. Our great, imperish-
able confidence reposes in eternal JUS 1
tice. and in our God. We know our
cause is just and if the justice of men
is wanting to us He, the eternal, who
is master of all peoples and to whom
belongs the future, will never abandon
US.
II assure you that if the Transvaal !
and the Orange Free State must lose
their independence it will be because :
all the Boer people have been destroyed
with their women and children"
Kruger will leave for Paris at 9 ;
o'clock tomorrow morning, remaining
one night en- route at Dion, where a +
reception has been arranged.