The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-03-02
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY MARCH 2 1902
AN OFFICER OF BoTHA.
CoMMANDANT KRIGE TELLS OF
THE STATUS OF BoER WAR.

Took Part in the Abrahnm's TKraaI,
Sand River and kip River Fights.
Was Near Kronje When That Cen
eraI Observation-Disclosures Captured
at Kip River but Escaped Into
Portuguese Territory-Says Eng
land Can Never Conquer His Coun-
trymen - Description of Present
English Army Prose Counterpart
of KipIing's MetricaI Criticism.
Commandant Jan Krige, a former
officer of the Boer Army, and one who
served under the personal direction of
Gen. Louis Botha, the commander-in-
chief of the Boer forces is in Savan-
nah and will lecture Thursday night
to the public in an effort to explain
the war from the Boer standpoint and
TO enlist for his compatriots the SYM
pathy of the American people.
Similar lectures Commandant Krige
says he has delivered in the North
and the West since he has been in
this country, now for about a year,
and in each case not only was his ad-
dress well received, but he had offers
of hundreds of volunteers anxious to
join the Boer army. These offers of
service to his country he has been
forced to decline, however, for the rea-
son that he is not an accredited repre-
sentative of his country, his work is
purely personal and even had he tae
necessary funds for the transportation
of those that would help his people it
would be impossible, he says, to get
them into the country, as England con-
trolls all means of entrance.
If COmmandant Krige may be taken
as a typical Boer-and he boasts that
he was born, raised and lived on farm
most of his life-there is little wonder
that tn. Roers have made so splendid
a resistance and have proved them
selves a. match for many times their
number of the enemy. Commandanc
Krige is tall straight and well-porpor-
toned, with shoulders and chest that
might excite the envy of even a pro-
fessional strong man.
He enlisted, according to the story
that he told a Morning News reporter,
practically at the beginning of the
war, and served as has been stated
with Botha. He took part in the fight
at Abraham's Kraal, at Sand river,
and was operating against the Eng
fish a short distance up the Modder
river when Cronje was forced to sur
render. He also took part in the bat
tie at Kip river, where he was cap
tured He remained in captivity,
however, but thirteen days when he
escaped into Portuguese territory
whence he expected to slip back to
the seat of war so soon as the OPP
portunity offered, but finding Fiat the
Portuguese authorities were shipping
the Beers, men, women and children
to Portugal itself where there is now
a colony numbering between 1000 and
1900, he decided rather than to share
this fate to slip away to America.
This he did and has since been here,
chiefly in the Northwest and Califor-
MIA where ne has been studying farm
ing and fruit growing.
By the request of those anxious to-
hear the experiences of one that had
actually taken part in a number of
desperate battles he began this series
of lectures in the hopes of arousing
sympathy for the cause of his father
land. He expects to go back to the
war and will do 50 so soon as the OPP
portunity presents itself. When and
where he will make the attempt he,
of course, will not say.
, Though absent from his country
Commandant Krige keeps posted of it's
affairs by means OF letters from his
friends and relatives. One of the
latest of these communication was re-
ceived from his niece, the wife of Gen.
SHUTS of the Boer Amy. She is now
detained in a reconcentrado camp to-
gether with thousands of others men,
women and children.
Speaking OF the conditions of his
country and of the Orange Free State
Commandant Krige said that his fell
lows will fight to the end, that Eng
land is not and never will be able to
quench the spirit and resistance of
his people, and that but for the fact
that England realizes, now having en-
tered the war, that she must win it
or loose her place among the Powers,
she would have consented to a peace
honorable to the Beers long ago.
The speaker has no faith in the re-
ports of operations and victories that
are being sent out by the English gen.
erals conducting the war. why, ac-
cording to these" he said, England
has already killed and captured more
men than the Beers have ever had in
the field. The truth of the matter is
entirely the other way; the Beers are
now in 80 per cent. of cases equipped
with the rifles that they have taken
from the enemy, use ammunition that
was secured in the same way and are
using the horses and mules that were
sent to Africa from this country ard
in turn captured from the English"
It is the shipment of these horses
and mules that has enabled England to
continue the war as long as she has,
according to the speaker, for had the
United States remained strictly neu-
trail. and refused to furnish this cattle
England would have been on her knees
to the Beers some time ago.
The cOmmandant says that the first
men that were sent against his coun-
trymen, the soldiers of the regular
army were good men and brave sol
diers. but that those that are now in
the English army know neither how
to ride nor how to shoot, and are COM
manded by young snobs who have not
yet learned that they are no longer
in Piccadilly, and who still appear with
monocle and walking cane. His de-
scription, in fact, was a prose counter
part of Kipling's "Flanneled fools at
the wickets."
Among those that Commandant Krige
saw yesterday, and who have interest
ed themselves in the move for a lee
ture, ara Col. p. w. Meldrim, Mr.
Emile Newman, and Rev. DR.. w. C.
Schaeffer. The commandant will re-
main in Savannah for probably a week.
and then will visit Florida and, pos
sibly, Havana.
Residence for S1,75O.
No. SIP Forty-first, west near West