The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1899-11-11
DISCRIMINATING
INVASION OF CAPE COLONY
BEOIN0.
- n Dosr HAads Fighting ~ Lady
sAAsA Coatinuse.

4O AVWAy NVv. t-AAAeA A0AD 49,
tat3on the Free state brghefs have
commanced the invasion Of Cape Col
ony with strong force
AZ was expected they have chosen a.
the scans Of their operations tbs Coles
burg district which lie the csnter Of the
Afrfkander dissatisfaction, and where
. r4ang has been expected at any time.
Tho enemy had been concentrating
their forces At Bethulte and at Spring
foutean. They crossed the frontier
Wednesday at Norvals Point, on the
railway bridge over the Orange river.
and advanced along the railway and
highway.
fhsy occupied Colesburg without re-
sistance. The only force at Colesburg
was q small squad Of police under a ser
geant. They surrendered and are now
prtsonsrs Of war. Oolesburg has 1000
Inhabitants, all Dutch. The British
troops are concentrating at De Aar
Junction.
Tho New South Wales Lancers have
arrived at Cape Town, and were warm
ly greeted. They were sent In a special
train Immediately to De Aar.
A number of British wounded from
Ladysmith have arrived at Cape Town.
Large crowds at the docks cheered and
encouraged tho sufferers as they were
carried ashore. The crowds sang "Rule
Britannia" and the soldiers Of the
Queen, some wounded, Joined feebly
In the singing.
Lisbon, Nov. 5-Persistent reports
are in circulation here that General Sir
George Stuart White, British COM
mander in Natal, has capitulated to the
Beers.
London, Nov. 6.-The war office L.
sued the following at 11:40 last night:
Butler to the Secretary Of State for
War:
"Cape Town. Nov. 5.-s:4o p. m.-The
commandant at Durham sends the fol-
lowing, received from Ladysmith, by
pigeon post, dated November 3rd:
Yesterday General French went
out with cavalry and field artillery and
effectively shelled the Boer laager,
without loss on our side.
Lieutenant EgertOn, of he Power
full, IL dead. General Joubert sent in
Major @. 8. Kincaid of the Royal Irish
Fusiliers, and nine wounded prisoners.
Eight Beers were sent out in exchange,
NO others being At to travel.
"'Colonel Breck'ehurst, with caval-
~, field artillery, the Imperial Light
Horse and the Natal mounted volun-
teers, was engaged to-day with the en-
envy to the southwest of Ladysmith.
The fighting lasted several hours. Our
loss was very small.
THE bombardment of Labyrinth
continued yesterday and to-day, many
Boer shells being pitched into the
town.
"tOur troops are in good health and
spirits, and the wounded are doing
WELL
II think General French's name 10
gfsen by mistake for that Of Brock1e-
hurst"
London. Nov. 4.-JThs war o1Ilns has
issued the following announcement:
The colonial ONCE has received In
formation to the effect that the troops
have Withdrawn from Oolenso and
have concentrated farther south, but
We have no news of any engagement In
that neighborhood."
The evacuation Of COlenso ID un-
doubtedly q most serious matter for the
British In Natal as 1t not only testifes
to the complete investment Of Lady
smith by the Beers, but makes the re-
lief Of General Sir George Stuart White
an extremely dificult operation.
Oolenso Is the point where the rail.
way from Ladysmith crosses the Tu-
gela river, which Is now in food. The
town itself fs OF small importance. 1t
10 dominated by the hills on the north
side OF the river and SO was untenable
II the Boers have advanced, as they
seem to have done. Moreover, only q
small naval and colonial force was sta
toned ut Colenso.
The seriousness of the evacuation,
however, lies in the fact that Com
mandant General Joubert, while COM
pleteay investing Sir George White 1t
Labyrinth, can seize this Tulega
bridge and, II he has sufficient troops,
can dotAch a force and send 1t south
ward on Pietermaritzburg and, in any
case, by destroying the bridge and rail-
way, can prevent any relief expedition
reaching Sir George White for some
time.
Military men enthusiastically predict
that General JOubeft win withdraw
from Natal Immediately after Sir Red
vers Buffers force enters the Orange
Free State, but the latter cannot be far
on his way for at least three or four
weeks, and even then General Joubert
may not decide to intercept the British
on the Free States open belt, which
would suit the British admirably, but
he may wait until the last moment and
then proceed by train back to Pretoria
and take up strong defensive positions
on the range of hills lying In front Of
johannesburg and Pretoria.
Thus General Joubert might remain
in Natal several weeks longer, endeav-
oring to force Sir George White into
capitulation, the destruction Of the Tu-
gela river bridge helping him by cut
ting OF British relief.
Moreover, another Boer force 10 re-
ported to have marched through Zulu
land In the direction Of Durham and al
ready to have reached the Natal from
tiee.
Thus It will be seen, the position in
Natal, taking into consideration pos.
sibls uprising of the disaffected Dutch,
- most disquieting, and, in fact, may
be described as critical. British rein
forcements in any number cannot reach
Durham before the end Of next week.
A dispatch from Ladysmith, dated