The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-07-22
PAUL KRUGER DEAD
IN SWITZERLAND
Former President of the Trans.
vaal Republic Ends His
Stormy Life.
ITS CLOSE WAS PATHETIC
Broken and Weak, His Eyesight Almost
Gone, He Was the Picture of Calm
Endurance-Failed After
His Wife Died.

Clarens. Switzerland, July 16.-Paui
Kruger. former president of the Trans
vaal republic, died here this morning
of pneumonia and supervening heart
weakness. He lost consciousness Mon
day. An application will he made to
the British government for authority
to transport the remains to the Trans
vaal
When Kruger recently left Mentone
his heart was gradually failing through
old age and constitutional disorders,
and throat trouble which threatened
to extend to the lungs. Near friends
recognized that his once rugged consti-
tuition was gradually going to pieces.
Visitors described him as being Il pa
thetic figure of calm endurance. His
eyesight was dimmed. but he sat much
with his bible open before him, mutter-
ing we'll known passages. He always
expressed the belief that providence
would eventually render justice to the
I3oer cause.
Pathetic and Stormy Career.
Stephanus Johannes Paul Kruger
was not of the old Afrkander stock
that founded Cape Colony, but of
German family that emigrated to
He was born in 1925 in Rastenburg,
Cape Colony. and when ~ years old.
With his people, went on the great
trek" Always a physical giant, he was
at that time so powerful that he res
cued his little sister from a leopard
often enormously said to have been a
lion-and killed the brute With a knife.
after q fearful struggle.
Again driven out by the British after
they had won their country from the
natives, the beers trekked once more,
and this time to the Transvaal. whence
haIv ,nI of INN, l,1itN
British attack, and where. after one of
the most wonderful struggles a small
but determined people ever made
against a great power-a struggle in
which they almost broke, and fearfully
jeopardized. the military power of
ngland-they We're at last conquered.
Paul Kruger was hunter and farmer
till he became a member of the eN
ecutive council in 1872. Then again the
English soldiers came and announced
the annexation of the Transvaal.
Kruger headed delegation to London,
which secured no redress. 1t returned,
and the Beers grimly began accumu
latng arms and ammunition for q
struggle. When the English garrisOnS
were reduced the attack was made, and
1876 Boer farmers almost destroyed Il
force of 500 British regulars.
Gladstone Would Not Fight.
England's prestige needed vndica-
llOl out IIlIUStOne ulu IOl pelleNe Eng
land could afford to subiugate the
Beers. and instead a treaty was made
giving them independence under Brit
iSh SuZerainty.
National development came fast to
the South African republic after this,
and Kruger soon became head of the
government, retaining the post till the
country had been overthrown. English
| men poured in: the gold and diamond
! interests attracted an overwhelming
number of outsiders; the Beers tried to
keep them from part in the govern
| ment: Cecil Rhodes. the empire builder
| of Africa, came and for years he and
| Kruger engaged in their controversy.
Rhodes plotted the Jameson raid, which
pitifully failed. Another wait Of q few
years: then Chamberlain at the head
| of the British colonial Office forced
| war: n war that Kruger declared would
"stagger humanity" And we'll he made
| good his word. 1t staggered the great
empire of Britain and inflicted a blow
on it's credit and prosperity from which
it has not yet recovered.
The end of course was inevitable.
| The republic fell. Kruger fled He has
lived in Belgium, France and Switzer-
LAND since. There have been stories Of
a great treasure which he carried away,
| the last OF the republics war chest.
| and concerning his seizure of which
there have been efforts to make a
scandal that would reflect on his in
tegrity. Two years ago Krugers wife
died, and since then his health has
| failed
|