Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1899-12-21
BOERS HAVE
THE GUNS
soItIs Thought. as Well as the
Ammunition WAGONS and
Supplies.
BULL DOG GRIT OF BRITISH
Beers Capture a British Spy
General Roberts Preparing
to Go to Africa.

Tuli. Dec. IL, (via Lourenzo Mar
ques,) Dec. 16-Colonel Plumer with
strong reconnoitering parties Of
horsemen, has returned here after a
weeks expedition into Transvaal terri
tory. He reached a point fifty miles
from Petersburg, in the South Afri-
can republic, but found no Beers, the
country being seemingly empty Of
men.
New York, Dec 21--A dispatch to
the Herald from London says: Little
credence is placed in the report that
the guns lost by the British were not
captured by the Beers. Had the story
been true, General Butler must have
referred to 1t. Sir Redver's artillery
can not now muster much more than
80 guns, while the captured British
weapons have no doubt been mounted
in the Boer lines and can be used
since the ammunition wagons seem
to have been lost with them
London, Dec. 21-There was no
news from South Africa up to 3 p.
m. This silence is creating forebod-
ings. The splendid patriotism of
volunteers continues evidenced on all
sides. The newspapers note with sat
isfaction the effect this is having on
continental critics. Westminster
Gazette, however, sounds a note Of
alarm. 1t thinks the moment pecu-
llarly unpropitious to send abroad
home defenders since no one is quite
easy as to the effect the proceedings
in South Africa will have on Great
Britain's European neighbors.
Queen Victoria and the Princess
Beatrice went by train from Windsor
to Marlborough, this morning, and
spent an hour with ex-Empress
Eugenie. The queen was greatly an
noyed by unfounded statements that
she is in i'll health and perpetually
weeping. A paragraph contradicting
these stories appear in the. papers,
which add that it has never been Her
Majestys habit to display grief like
a hysterical school girl"
London, Dec. 21-Belated stories
from Chieveley Camp, Natal concur
in saying that the British did marvels
in an impossible situation. The old
est war correspondents say they never
saw anything comparable with the
bravery of the men and officers. The
naval contingent created an immense
furore by engaging the Beers single
handed midst hailing shrapnel and
Lydite shells on the Notifications
north of town in, the vain effort to
silence the murderous fire Of the
Beers while the British forced the
passage of the river. The advance -oi
the second brigade along the road
leading to the bridge in the face OF
a deadly fusilade is described as mag
nificent. The British forced their way
across the fire zone under perfect
storm Of bullets from the invisible
Beers. The patter Of the bullets on
the dry plain raised a dust like heavy
rain drops on water The heat
throughout was intense. There were
many special acts of bravery.
London, Dec. 21-6:30 p. m.-Ths
war office has received the following
from General orestier-Walker, the
British commander at Cape Town:
"Methuen wires that he has receiv-
ed a rude reply from General Cronjt
respecting representations as to Lieu
tenant Chandos- -Pol-Gell, saying tha
this officer was regarded as a spy
General CroRje also states that h,
would hold no further communication
with Methuen"
December IS, the war Office re
ceived the following from Forester
Walker: "Methuen reports that Lieu
tenant Chandos-Pol-Gell was take
prisoner last Thursday evening mee'
ing a flag of truce He waved hi
handkerchief in response and was ur
armed"
London, Dec. 21-General Robert
bade farewell to the Prince of Vale
at Marlborough house. The staff Q
the new British commander in chic
of South Africa, includes Majof Gen
eral Pretyman and Viscount Downt
besides his present staff. ~