Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-09
OF the Battle of MOdder
River is Sent Out.
WAS A FEARFUL ATTACK
But They Held Out For Thirteen Hours
Against the Flower of the British
Army-Methuen Must Meet a
Superior Force.

London, Dec. 9.-4.5O a. m.-Lord Me-
thuen's restoration of the railway, while
relieving a load of anxiety here, accen-
tuates the dangers still threatening his
force. 1t is gathered from the British
official dispatches hat Commandant
Brintzloo's contingent was marching
south of Modder. 1t is quite possible,
that achievements were sent to 8elmont
merely as a precautionary measure.
There is little other news of Importance.
Reports continue to corne from Lady
smith that dissension exists among the
Beers, and especially that the Orange
Free State troops are disconnected. There
are also all kinds of rumors of move
ments of commands from place to place,
but the fact is that little is known here
regarding the actual position of the Boer
forces. Moreover, the rumors of a col
lapse of the Boer spirit AVE been heard
so often as not to cause much satisfac-
ton now.
London, Dec. 9.-General Forester
Walker has sent the following dispatch
dated at 8 o'clock last (Friday) even
ing to the war office from Capetown:
Photograph and every communication
to MOdder river has been re-Opened. A
battery of field artillery and a ba ttalion
of infantry were dispatch from Modder
river against Conmandant Prinzloo's
force of 1000 Beers. with one CUR, who
had destroyed the railway. Our losses
were IA wounded. Belmont has been
strengthened by infantry and two gun
and a cavalry regiment and troops from
Naauwpoort occupied Arundel Thursday.
The enesny's forces near General Cat
acrp a "a Cpnnrtc1 ac fn11nSyC. All nnr1-
recht, 500; marching from jamestown to
Dordracht. 700. with six guns: at Storm
burg, 1900: at Waterfall, a large force;
strength under Molteno. about 400.
Lord Methuen reports casualties Dec.
6 on patrol duty as follows: Missing,
Lieutenant Triestam and four of the
Twelfth Lancers; wounded. four men,"
Some interesting light is thrown on the
condition Of affairs along the western
frontier by a dispatch issued by a Boer
agency last evening IN Berlain. The dis
patch says: Commandment Prinzloo's
force is near ~Jacohsdal, between MOdder
river and Riet river. General Cronje is
still on the north bank of the Modder
river, his rear being protected by forth
fed positions at Spyfontein. The hills
between Modder river and Spyfontein
and those between Jacobsdal and Riet
river are occupied by Beers. Command
ant Delarey's force is stationed between
Gras Pan and Honey Nest kloof
If this Berlin dispatch be correct-and
it is especially significant in the face of
Genera Forester-Walker's dispatch to
the war ofice-there must be some 5000
Beers around Lord Methuen, who is be-
lieved to have II 600 men. Kimberley,
however, possessing an armored train,
can materially assist Methuen in harrass-
ing the Beers from the rear.
According to a special dispatch from
Lorenzo Marques. the Modder river bat
tie is described by a Boer correspondent
with General Cronje as 'one of the fierc-
est the Beers ever experienced"
The correspondent goes on to say:
General Cfonje's wing fought desper-
ately. The T~ransvaalers fought tena-
ciously until I o'clock in the evening,
when the Free Staters were forced to re-
tire by the heavy British artillery fire.
General Cronje then retired under cover
OF darkness, after facing the concentrated
fire of all the British batteries. The Beers
freely acknowledge the herculean as
saufts of the British and death-dispens-
ing fire of the attacking infantry, but
they held their position for Is hours
against the flower of the British army.
replying solely with their Mausers n
maintaining an uninterrupted rifle fire.
The Boer artillery was silenced early in
the battle trough the overwhelming
number of the British artillery"