Show PRIDE OF GALLANT NATION three boer leaders as famous in I 1 statesmanship as they were wera in war gen jacobus hendrik de la Is rey hey who was accidentally shot and killed by johannesburg police will be mourned by many a british officer now serving at the front knightly was a term worthily applied to gen de la rey in the boer war A braver gentler more magnanimous soldier never faced an enemy ills countrymen called him the lion of the western transvaal englishmen said that list he be was one of the three military geniuses among the heroic burghers whose defense of their country compelled england to put men in the held field the other great soldiers who won fame in the boer war by their brilliant tactics were louis botha now premier of the union of south africa and christian rudolf de wet who Is minister of agriculture ri of the orange river colony louis botha the youngest of the three born in 1862 commanded command edthe the doers boers at the battles of colenso and kop and upon the death of petrus joubert a soldier and a gen aleman and a brave and honorable opponent in the words of Lady smiths defender sir george white succeeded to the command of the transvaal forces de wet and de la rey the latter the older were fighting men of the same type and it would be ba hard to say which showed the greater skill in surprising and ca cap P turing luring british detachments and afterward eluding pursuit de la rey had more solid achievements to his credit amo among n g them Klerks dorp where lord lor d methuen sorely wounded fell ell into Ms his bands and was released so that he be could obtain medical treatment all three of 0 these able soldiers aided the british in the reconstruction of south africa de la a rey visited india in 1903 to persuade the boer prisoners detained at ahmed bagar to take the oath of allegiance he was returned unopposed to the first transvaal parliament of 0 the union of the boer leaders none had a more attractive personality it was a fine race of people that could produce such soldiers and statesmen and never biever was there stronger proof of the excellence of british administration in our times than the winning of botha de la rey and do wet to the new order in south africa the empire has known no more loyal citizens new york sun |