The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-11-17
A BRITISH CRUISER BOARDS A FRENCH
STEAMSHIP
SEVENTY MILES FROM DELAGOA
She is Made to Heave-To BY a Blank
Shot and show Her Manifest No
News of Consequence from the Seat
of War-An Eyewitness Tells How
the Irish Fu%siIeers Came to sur
render at NfchoIsen's Mex Latest
from Mafeking.

nounces the arrival there of the troop
ship Armenian, with three batteries of
artillery and an ammunition column,
and the troopship Nubia, with the
Scots Guards and half a battalion of
the Northamptonshire regiment. This
brings the total number of reinforce
ments to 1892, of which about 5000
are already on the way to Durham. The
Armenian and Neubia, whose troops
belong to the First division, will prob
ably also be ordered to proceed.
Nine tr%oopships, carrying 1900 men,
are due at Cape Town tomorrow.
A special dispatch from Durham dat
ed November 9th, says: Native run
ners who have just arrived here from
the Drakosberg district report that the
Beers suffered a severe defeat at Lady
smith this morning. The Boer guns
were silenced after four hours fighting,
during which the Boer losses were
heavy. No details have been received.
Pretoria, November 6.-Father Mat
thews, chaplain of the Irish fusileers,
who was captured at the battle of
NlchOlSOnS mex, has arrived here. He
complains that though General Joubert
promised he wOul be permitted to re-
turn to the British camp, he was taken
to Pretoria. The secretary of war re-
leased him two days after his arrival,
and he was permitted to leave. He re-
ports that the prisoners are we'll cared
for.
WHY THE TROOPS SURRENDERED
LOurenZO, Marques, DelagOa Bay,
November 9.-Father Matthews, who
has arrived here from Pretoria, says
with reference to the surrender of the
Irish fusileers and the Worcestershire
troops at Nicholson's mex, that after
the mules stampeded the force got hard
pressed by the enemy. They would
AVE undoubtedly held out, however,
but some subordinate, without instruc-
tions, hoisted a flag of truce on his own
responsibility. Nothing then remain.
ed but to surrender.
I'VE were sent out" says Father
Matthews, ito occupy q position with
the object of preventing two Boer
forces from joining. We started at
$3.50 o'clock Sunday evening, marched
ten miles and got to the hill about l
O'Clock MOnday morning.
THE first mishap was that the noun
tain battery stampeded n scattered
the whole lot of mules. We formed up
again and gained the top of the hill.
The guns were gone, but not all the am
munition. | do not know what STAN
pGuCd lie IluICS. 1Iley hIlOChSu LII
down. 1t was pitch dark.
We had one hours sleep. The firing
began just after daybreak, being some
slack for a time. But finally the
Beers crept around n then the firing
became furious. Our men made a
breastwOrk of stones.
Soon after II o'clock, noon, there
was a, general cry of Cease fire. but
our fellows would not stop firing. Ma
jOr Adye came up and confirmed the
order and then the bugle sounded
Cease fire. In our locality there was
a rumor hat a white flag was raised by
a young officer who thought his batch
of ten were the sole survivors, but we
were 900 alive, having started with per-
haps 1000. / think many Of the bat
terymen escaped.
Our officers and men were furious
at the surrender. The Boer1 did not
seem to be in great number on the
spot, but | heard that the main bod
had galloped off. Our men had to give
up their arms and the officers were
sent to C~ommandant Steenkamp. The
officers then ordered the men to fall in.
There has been no unpleasantness in
Pretoria. The officers are in a School
building, and are allowed to walk as
they please in the grounds.
The surrender in my judgment was
a great blunder, caused by d misun-
derstanding. Major Adye was much
put out. Inc WHITE nag was not MOIST
ed by the fish fusileers."
Manure, Basutoland, November s.
The indications are that Chief Joel, of
the Rasutos, will join the Beers, who
are likely to n a strip of the north
ern territory of Basutoland. The 9TH
err chiefs, however, are staunch, and
there is no cause for alarm.
Tuli, Rhodesia, October 31.-The
Beers, with the exception of a contin-
gent at Pont drift, AVE left the north
ern border. The railway is now open
south of Caberones for 100 miles to-
ward Mafeking.
London, November 14.-It is officially
that the transport Armen-
ian left Cape Tow yesterday (Mon-
day. afternoon for Durham, and that
the ~troopship Orient has arrived at
Cape Town with AZ officers and 1,1S7
men.
RELATED NEWS FROM MAFEKING
London, November 13.-The wal Of
flee this morning published the fol-
lowing dispatch received from General
Butler:
Cape Town, Sunday. Nov. II.
THE following reports have been re-
ceived from Colonel Baden-Powell:
"'Mafeking, October 30.-All well
here. Enemy apparently shy of at
lacking. Now closing to invest us. Are
today destroying railway two miles
III II L Wy
tinued. Doing very little harm.
"'Tuesl lay October 31.-Enemy at
tempted assault today on Cannon
kopje and southeast corner of town.
Attack most brillient, Notwithstanding
hot shell fire by the British South Al
rican police under Walford. Enemy
lost heavily. Our casualties five killed
and five wounded"
FRENCH STEAMER BOARDED AT
SEA.
Lourenzo, Marques, Thursday, NO
vember 9.-The French steamer Cordo-
ba has arrived here. When seventy
miles out she was signaled by the Brit
ish third class cruiser Magicienne ant
as she did not obey a blank shot was
fired across her bows. After her mani
fest had been examined she was allow
ed to proceed.
NO LATE NEWS.
Jondon. November 14.-The paucit.
of news from the front still leaves tn
chef interest centered in the arrival o
he reinforcements. Estcourt dis
MATCHES say that neliograph communi