The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1899-12-14
A DOZEN ARE KILLED
Another Engagement in Which Brit
ish Loss Is Heavy.

Tondon Dec. 13.-The war once pup
1;ebos tba following dispatch from Gen.
Butler:
ar,sna4ch from Gen. White, dated De-
oar,her n saws: Last night Col MetcalIe
and 5I0 of the Second Rife brigade sortled
10 eantllre a Boer howitzer on q mn. 10y
reached the crest without Delhg olscoN
cred. drove off the enemy ana theh ae
stroyed the howitzer with gln $500.
w., rat,,rning Metcalfe found his retreat
haired nv the Beers, but he forced MS way
through. using the bayonet freely. ne
Roer losses were conside Table. me Bit
ieb losses were the following: Lieut. Fer
g1Jsson and II men killed, three omcers ana
Al men wounded; six men captured,
Lady wilson Exchanged.
London, Dec. ia special dispatch
from Lourenzo Marques says Boer tel
eoram from Mafeking announces that
Lady Sarah Wilson, aunt of the duke OF
Marlborough, who was captured by the
Beers while acting as correspondent
for the London Daily Mail, has been ex-
changed for Boer woman who was
prisoner at Mafeking.
Pubic Anxiety Increased.
London, Dec. 13.-The almost COM
pIete absence of news from the the
aterofwar increases public anxiety, so
deeply stirred by Saturdays disaster
Such scanty messages as have drib-
bled through seem to Indicate tha6
preparations are about completed for
simultaneous attacks at Tagela river
and Modder river-the dispatches
showing that the British and Beers
ware in touch in both directions Mon
day.
There is no confirmation of the re-
port of another day-long battle along
the Modder river Monday, but pos
sibly there has been resumption OF
fighting. as reported by Gen. CronJe
Monday evening, as the searching
lvddite she'll fire of Sunday was prob
ably preliminary to an advance.
Great Indignation.
There is great Indignation in Great
Britain at the ignorance the British IN
telligence department is displaying IN
estimating the Boer strength in cape
Colony. Experts aver that $4,000 Beers
will have to be driven out of the colony
before the passage of the Orange river
can be commenced.
The latest news from Mafeking
shows that Col. Baden-Powell has been
forced to reduce the rations of the gar
rison and inhabitants; but wafer is
plentiful there.
Steyn's Report of Battle.
Pretoria, Dec. 10.-President Steyn
has sent the following details OF the
Junction.
1.-THE British, with six cannon, attacked
the Beers, under Swanepoel and Olivier
and storrned the Beers eutrenched posi-
tions on the kopjes. After severe fight
they were compelled to surrender. The
prisoners are Maj. Sturges, six officers and
23O noncommissioned Officers and men o:
the Northumberland ana two officers and
about $50 noncommissioned omcefs ana
men of the Irish fusileers. 1t is impossible
to state the number of dead or wounded
British. The Beers captured three cannon
and two ammunition wagons"
Gatacre Explains His Defeat.
London, Dec Is. - The war office has
received the following from Gen. For
estier-Walker:
"Cape Town, Monday, Dec. u.-Gatacre
reports as follows: The idea to attack
Stormberg seemed to promise certain sue
cess; but the distance was underestimate
by myself and the local guides. A police
man took us round some miles and con.
seauently we were marching from $50 p
m till a. m. and were landed in an i'm
possible position. I do not consider tht
error Intentional The Beers commenced
firing from the top of an unscalable hill
and wounded good many of our mel
while in the open plain. The Second North
umberlands tried to turn out the enemy
but failed. The Second Irish fusileer
seized a kopje near and held on, supported
by the mounted infantry and Cape police
The guns, under Jeffreys, could not hav,
been better handled. But I regret to sa,
that one gun was overturned in dec
nullah and another sank in auicksand
Neither could be extricated in the tim
available.
Seeing the situation, sent dispatch
rider to Molteno with the news. l collected
and withdrew our forces from ridge Il
ridge for about nine miles. The Boer gun
were remarkably we'll served. They car
ried accurately 5000 yards. 1 am holdini
Bushamn's Hook and Cyphergat. An
sending the Irish rifles and Northumber
| lands to Sterksstrom to recuperate. TIL
wounded proceed to Queenstown. TIL
missing Northumberlands number $3.50, no
306 as previously reported"