The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-04-20
DANGER OF ATTACK
THE SITUATION AT BULUWAY0 RE-
GARDED AS SERIOUS.
inhabitants Are Making Prepar"-
4,ons To Give the Natives a Warm
reception = MatabeIes Make
mysterious Move and the Peopie
80 Ruluwayo believe That the
Natives Mean Mischief.

London. April 81. - The officers Oh
the Chartered South Africa company
here are persistently representing llllI
the situation at BuluWayo Is 10. az
sarious as represented in non-oInclal
disnatcbes and that the town is not
in any real danger. The Chartered
comnany to-day announced that they
learn that the officials of BuluWayo
are confident that they can hold the
town and that the town of SALISBURY
is also safe and is organizing its de-
Tense forces. The tone of nOn-off1clal
dispatche from South Africa reflects
q contrary tone, and continues to rep
resent the situation at Buluways as
alarming and the condition of affairs
throughout Matabele as growing more
and more threatening. Elaborate pre-
cautions for defense indicating a mo-
mentary fear of overwhelming attack
are reported from Buluwayo, ana
grave apprehenSiOnS exist there that
communication with the settlements
to the south will be cut off. The sup
ply Of provisions is diminishing III
BuluWayo in a constantly increasing
ratio to large number of refugees
and what is much more serious,
doubtful natives, that are coming III.
The dread is abroad among all the
white inhabitants that these natives
are hostile MatabeleS coming in under
the disguise of friendlineSS, but medl-
tating a treacherous outbreak in CO.
operation with an attack from with
out The diminishing supplies make
the keeping open of communication to
the south doubly important, as it is
from there that supplies for BuluWayo
must be looked for. Fears are enter
tanned for the safety of those now on
the way, and even should these get
through to Buluwayo, they are only
sufficient to temporarily relieve the
necessity of keeping these roads open
to the passage Of friends of the people
in BuluWayO.
They Mean Mischief.
Buluwayo, April $50 far as the
situation is improved here over that
of yesterday, it is due to the depart
ure of the enemy which has been
maSsed to the north of the town for
several days and from which an at
tack has been almost hourly expected.
This movement. however, brings lit
tie comfort to the town. The excited
manner in which the natives quilted
their positions indicated a confident
purpose of mischief. There is no evil
dence that they were alarmed Friday
at the demonstration Of the patrol Of
f0rty-two men from BuluWayO against
their vanguard. Although the van
guard was driven back upon the main
body the patrol did not dare to place
itself within reach of the overWhelm-
ing numbers Of the main body.
The direction taken by this great
body of hostile natives after quitting
the position to the north has not been
learned, but it is feared that the pur
pose Of the movement is to try and
effect junction with the rebels in the
Matoppo hills and thus sever commu-
nication to the southwark. The road
runs through the Matoppo hills to the
south of Buluwayo, and is a difficult
and dangerous one fifty miles from
here, at which distance the road
reaches the MangWe Pass. This
angular and precipjtous defile, it is
felt, must be held. It is of such a
character that it can well be made
impregnable against the attacks of
native warriors But for the same
reason, if allowed to get into the
hands of the natives, it would be eX-
tremely difficult and perhaps impossi-
BILE to dislodge them with any force
at present available.