The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-02
should be adequate and efficient

81 l AC IcCCuI BIOWlu OF AODGFLS move. 4
ment is probably due as much to the
revived popular recollection of his
marvellous military achievements and
his personal sacrifices on behalf of
his country as to the forcefulness with
which he has been driving his argu-
ments into the British ear. 1t is re-
called how the broken-hearted father, |
almost at the moment he learned of |
his sons death while trying to save
The guns on the disastrous field at |
Colenso in the .'black week" of De.
cember, 1899, was given charge of the !
defeated, disorganized, and disheart-
ened army, and how we'll he finished
the task.
Roberts has been at the fighting
game SO long that it is likely he
couldn't quit If he tried. He was born
to it. and If the national service
scheme should happen to be adopted
before he dies he may be depended
upon to find some other equally i'm
portant object for which to expend his
militant energies. His father was
general and his mother was the
daughter of major. He got into the
army at the age of nineteen as soon
as they would let him-and his wife,
the present Countess Roberts, is a sol
diers daughter. One of his earliest
achievements was to win the Victo-
ria Cross, in the Indian mutiny, by
recovering British standard from o.
body of rebel troopers, anu on the
same day by rescuing loyal Sowar
NATIVE soldier) from the enemy.
Since then he has been mentioned
twenty-three times in official despatch
es for conspicuous gallantry, but a
man may earn only one Victoria
Cross. Roberts, however, today wears
two of the little bronze decorations,
his own on his left breast, and that
awarded posthumously to his son on
his right breast, special royal per-
mission granted to no other British
soldier.
Altogether he spent forty-one years
in India-he was born at Cawnpore-
twenty-five of them at the desk Of the
quartermaster general But wherever
fighting broke out "Bobs' was on the
job. Lucknow. Cawnpore; Delhi,
Burns, Afghanistan, and Rudyard Kip
ling all helped to make him famous.
His forced march to Kandahar during
the Afghan campaign of 1880 will live
forever in military history, and from
it he takes one of his present titles,
Earl Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria
and Waterford"
For seven years he was commander
in chief of the British and native
forces in India, and on several occa-
sions, before coming to England in
1894, he was thanked by parliament
for his services. Already the former
Bengal artillery lieutenant, Frederick
S. Roberts, had been made knight,
baron and field marshal, and 1t was
while he was commander-in-chief in
Ireland that he was ordered to South
Africa. On his return, after again re-
ceiving the thanks of parliament, this
time accompanied by an earldom and
monetary grant of half million dol
lars. Roberts succeeded Lord Wolseley
as commander-in-chief of the British
army, and he secured the appointment
of two commissions to inquire into
the whole military system. Both rec
commended universal service. but as
nothing was done, Roberts resigned in
1904 to give his whole time to his
present campaign
Some Of his antagonists. on account
of his recent activities, have been
clubbing "Bobs" self-adyertiser.
Nothing could be further from the
truth. He doesn't need 1t, and more
over, he is essentially unassuming, un-
selfish, and kindly hearted. The late
Cation Woodville's picture, Don't you
see I'm busy" aptly illustrates one
phase of his character, the artists de
Epicting an incident in the South Al
I5ricail war when "Bobs" was sitting
! in Boer farm house entertaining the
farmers youngest child and was dis
turbed by an officer bearing important
dispatches. When the news came OF
General Cronje's surrender at Paarde.
berg, his staff wanted him to don his
dress uniform and one of his presen-
tation swords, but "Bobs" had no de
sire thus to appear to triumph over
! a beaten foe. He went out in dust
/ grimed khaki to welcome his equally
begrimed and tattered opponent.
You couldn't convince any man who
ever fought under "Bobs' that he is
in this campaign for a personal ag
| grandizement, or for anything else
| than what he sincerely believes to
be his duty to his country.
Shot as Spy.
BELGRADE, March Am investi
cation has been ordered into the exc
cution of Princess Soshowicka. q