The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-01-21
PERSONALITY OF DEWET.
London Daily Mail.


most potently upon the British imagina-
tion,
His daring coups. his sudden appear
ances. his ubiquity, and his unfailing sue
cess have appesled to the British love of
sport, SO that today Dewet occupied a
place in the popular mind not far removed
from that Of Robin Hood and the more
modern buccaneers.
What is sport to the fox-hunting Brit
ism is. however. deadly earnest to the
Free State commandint general. Dewet
from the outset has been a rabid anti
Britisher In the Anal days Of negotiation
before the ultimatum was sent, he was
omnipresert IN Pretoria.
Time after time the advocates of peace
sought to waylay the pres dent, seeking TO
prevail with him against war. Always,
Dewet wss present silent unbendng.
stern opponent OF Cancellation.
In the executive chamber, insthe presi-
dency Dewet WIS ever on guard stinen-
ing Paul Krugers back, counsellng young
Smuts, appealing 10 Re.tz's patriotism,
combating the arguments of tle peace
party He was in these days as sleepless
in his advocacy OF war as he has uce
been energetic in his prosecution Of hos
tilities,
The war came. and Dewet speedily at
tested the courage of his convictions. In
the early Natal campaign he was the most
dashing Of Boer lie iers, the most reliable
N battle. In the great attack of January
upon Lady th he and his burghers
put up one oil Ine most renlaIAaole hsp'S
of the war But it is in the Free state
that Dewet's most startling contributions
to the history OF The war have been
The IDEAL Boer leader pewet was born
,hrone.+ ~ On he vssr 4 st,nres Of th4
yeldt Learning every intricacy Of yedt
lore, reading the signs Of the plans as a
~ nulopeaa mou'u 80 his , m,r,,"s yer,,
fola of the ground he passed over.
To-Day the Free state to him is an open
oook he Knows every foau' every drllt'
very W'set nS p.doe' po' nan Vnle
~ lag leu h1s h'Cn w VIZ U'1Nu31 'sn'
40 "ll'.h 'Vu FdIus ot tne nIlilSA GU
mp -, one , 49, 49,
rOSteu '"Sn .Ie'o ~ .ue l'sts'u" luo,.
S ,,,9 LOT al, a.n9uSs'ue muen ~ w.,
bt,ds " VIZ We "'' ''''0 "''
INcr tho n,,r,os,, q HE -.,r,,r, t,,-,o,
reads ~ ,t1,t.nn. ~ ID"
f<rca avcosdtnS zoo "a tha ,,sn ~" h,l
with MIN are n,clod ,,enNr,o, ~ ~
sail hunters everv ono Of them poers
who nossess in a lesser deorce the oua1t-
ties thft have made their leader
He speaks and talks nothing but taal
and no 7feIikes al ohsTaclce ~ jntorfora
with his personal converse with his mer
The foreigners who have so grleyouslv
had no place in the gyinE columns of
Dewet.
49,
man 81 r,iad,o t.u. n..
a., n,isna 1T, - So
"'N 'Aip'''e "e's"'' De"eI It's AoI nian
eltner IN nearing or appearance 70 at
tract attention. He wears scrubby.
ebort hoard and a tbiot, r,,,.+,,h, M
-, -,
YES uSeu W oe 3" seeuE oiack coat ana
pair Of striped trousers Nothing any
where to denote the general the man
who for months has dehed the cleyerest
generals the swiftest troons ~ ira NJ
/ ism army.
But in his face is the stanp = lnv,,-
chile determination; the mouth sliab,Iv
~ Closed. and the strong square Jaw is
The higb snuare forebead go s,na,,t,'
from a pair of bushy eyebrows bencatb
which the restless, all-seeing eyes gaze
out to the distance There is seldom a
CLEAN Of a steady nnrrose tha coId TUE ra
Ieourcefulness of man hunted by hls
fellows
1t is out OF thuse eyes and othors such
as they that Dewet kept touch with his
opponents movements Dewet from his
kopje top looks down at the wide rolling
plain in one of the folds OF which the
railway lies. All Of the farm folks are
his friends.
suddenly from Kafflr hut. whose un-
certain outline can Just be disceyned
through the heat haze, a thin column Of
smoke rises 1t is the signal Of game ia
the neshborhood a train has fsiled :,
breast the steep incline behind the sec
ono row Of knolls, an insufaciently
guarded convoy Is vending its wav
among the kopjes, or a picket Is pricking
loosely across the plain.
Whatever it be, Dewet and his men
are ready, and three days later we re- "A