Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-03-07

Die position. Tome, ne SalQ quietly
as he remounted his pony. 'let US
scootr' The following day Kitchener
reported De Vets escape.
In his official capacity as comman-
dant general of all the Free State forces
De Wet is most stern. He demands
that his orders be obeyed to the letter,
and when an officer deviates to the
slightest extent he court martials him.
When a burgher disobeys his COM
mands, he quickly becomes furious
and threateningly draws off his coat
with the purpose of intiicting corporal
punishment. During skirmish near
the ten times captured village of Tha-
banchu in June several burghers
refused to hold a certain position.
After they had refused a second time
he beat them with the long rawhide
sjambok he always carries. After the
fight he sought out the men and apollo
gized TO them. At Lindley he ordered
his brother, General Peter De Wet, to
move his commando to certain posi-
ton. The brother questioned the adj
visibility of the movement, and the
commandant general promptly appoint
ed another general to take his place.
whereupon Peter De Wet surrendered
to the British.
BY his men he is regarded as the
greatest humorist in the commands.
and they are constantly enjoying his
jokes. Not long ago he promised three
prisoners their freedom if they agreed
to carry a message to their general.
The message which the British general
read was: please chain these three
men. l am catching them every day"
In April he and 10 of his men rode to
De Wetsdorp. where he was born, for
the purpose of visiting his father. Late
in the evening they discovered that
McQueenie's Irish fusileers, 800 strong,
occupied the town. Promptly he sent
this grim message to the British COM
mander: Surrender or we shall annex
YOU" At sunrise next morning De
Wet had his entire commando on the
spot, and after a short battle the
fusileers We're captured. While he was
leading his forces northward from
Wepener to Thabanchu, with the
British in close pursuit, he received
a message from one of the comman-
dants in the rear asking for REINFORCE
ments for that part of the hard press
ed column. De Wet replied, IF you
can't fight your way through, you
deserve to be caught" After capturing
vast quantities of stores and clothing,
1000 shells and enough small arms
ammunition to supply his army for
more than two years on his own farm
at Rooivaal in June De Wet remarked
to one of his generals, That's a better
crop than L ever raised on that place
in peace times" Even in his favorite
way of giving a command to move,
Come, let US scootv' there is touch
of humor, for the last word is one
he has borrowed from his enemy's Ian
guage.
His popularity with his men is the
direct result of his many acts of kind
ness to them. He tries to please every
body except when his duty forbids,
and then he follows his own plans,
even though he is without a single sup
porter. He is burgher among the
burghers, and there is not a veStige of
officialdom around him. The poorest
man in his camp may speak to him,
without even saluting. at any time or
on any topic, and the commandant
general will give his personal attention
to the inquirer's wants. His three
sons who are with him are probably
the only men in his commands who
do not call him Chris when address
ing him, and lie hardly ever speaks to
any one unless he has first grasped
the mans hand in greeting. Such
good fellowship in other armies would
be fatal to discipline. but in the Boer
army it is provocative of corps spirit
that binds men together more firmly
than the strictest regulations could do.
His kindness to his own men is not
more marked than that which he be-
slows upon British soldiers who fall
into his hands. 1t is almost a craze
with him to treat prisoners with the
utmost respect and kindness in order
that his enemy may have no just
grounds for saying that he conducts a
warfare. He insists that
the prisoners shall receive better "a
tions than his own men, and he will
not allow one of them to walk while
there is a conveyance in the camp.
Once, near Wepener, he ordered that
the only wagon with the commands
should be cleared of it's burden of am
munition so that 20 British infantry
men I1dI the
outside world can hear from him only
through British reports, he is jealous
in conducting such an honorable cam
paign that even his enemy must &C.
his uprightness.
Since almost every British general
has been pitted against him at some
time or another, General De Wet has
had ample opportunities for judging of |
their relative merits. He has a great |
contempt for Lord Roberts, Lord |
whom he missed capturing |
in June by a mere haIrbreadth; Me- |
thuen and BadenPowell. For General |
French, the great cavalry leader, he |
has a profound respect. Him he adj |
mires sincerely. 81 do not think they |
will ever catch me-" he said three |
months ago, but If any one does 1 |
hope the man is French. And 1 should |