Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1902-01-09
NDRIEs Johannes wennips,

A NDRIES Johannes Wennips, -
~ years old, six feet tall, born a
Boer, and for six months a scout
under Botha, Joubert and De la Rey,
has escaped through the British army
and come t O ST. Louis.
Young Wennips is a typical fighter
Of the veldt, who has out-Danieled
Daniel. Captured by the British at
Pretoria, he bribed a guard and escap-
ed through the lines to make his way
to Cape Town. Reaching the Cape, he
bought a return pass from a South
African muleteer, and was brought
to America via England in an English
ship at the expense of the British gov
eminent.
It is unlikely that n other scout
Of the Dutch generals ever fell into
the hands of the enemy in this bitterly
contested war and lived to tell Of it.
It is quite certain that until Wennips
came no soldier of fortune with any
such experience was walking the
streets of st. Louis.
Wennips looks like a Boer. He has
the distinctive features of a Holland
er, and his eyes are blue. He has
been a fighter -four years, marching
with Joubert into the Kafir country
when he was only Is. Now he is a
hardened fighting man. British bullets
have knocked him down; British pick
cts lave fired on him, and British
cavalrymen have given him a gallop
for his life in the hills. The course of
events has been a furious procession
in that part Of the world where his
Young man was raised.
Like all youths in the Transvaal,
young Wennips can ride and shoot.
His education may be a little remiss in
some things, but in these it is first
class. His ability to look out for him
self made him a valuable man on the
staff Of the Boer chief of scouts, and
he did scout duty for all the foul prin-
cipal leaders under Dewet.
On the fourth day of July, 1900, Wen
nips, just returned from an exhaust
i've ride, was asleep in a. Pretoria no
SSA. A4Ao lO1AlC a OCCl UIOhcu up dl
the outset of the war, his mother and
sister being sent to relatives in Hol-
land. The young mans story of what
happened him that day is a novel tale
of adventure. He told it to the St.
Louis Post-Dispatch, as follows:
II fell in the hands of the British
July 4, 1900. 1 had lain down in my
clothes to get a little sleep, and
awakened by a rush into the place. 1
had a revolver in my belt, but it would
have been suicidal to have used it, for
a half dozen soldiers were on me in
an instant
II was a scout, and it was a serious |
thing for a scout to fall into the enc
my's hands. Fortunately I had just
returned from a trip and had nothing
discriminating upon me. The English
searched me for papers, and, finding
none, they returned me the little mon
ey 1 had and turned me over to a
Scotch guard.
1 was taken in the morning. That
night I determined to get away. The
~ A0OA1Sl "SlS = NC lhIO SiaSS- /
es, the active combatants to be sent !
to Helena, M the Boer s~ympathizers
not fighting to be placed under guard
in the city, and the scouts and sus-
pected scouts to be held for DISPOSE
ton of their cases by higher officers.
I knew they suspected me to be a
and so many people not loyalto
us knew me to be a Boer scout that l
my danger.
My guard drank quite q good deal
during the day, and at night he was
pretty good. I began bar
gaining with him as soon as darkness
came. / knew he had little or no
for the Scot guards were get
ting only 26 cents a day. Finally ]
got an opportunity to talk to him.
You sing like a good fellow"
Eye may bet I'm a goot fellow"
"Then why don't you let me go?'
With that l slipped a half row
Into his hand, and he did permit me
to steal away.
Once free in the city, 1 concluded the
worst thing 1 could do would be to
town. There were many British
around, and sentries patrolled
~ the outskirts. 1t seemed to be that
~ best chance lay in finding a place