The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1899-10-19
.MASSINGINF FORCE
The Beers Cut the Railway at
Belmont and Are Erecting
Fortified EarthwOrks.
KIMBERLEY IS IN A STATE OF SIEGE.
The Town Is Isolated, Both Railway
and Telegraphic Communication
/ Having Been Cut off.
Firing Heard in the Direction of Kimberley
"A Force Under Comnaandant viljosn,
From spitzkep, Occupied New
castle Saturday Afternoon.

- norce Onoer CommRn0ant SlJoens
From spitzksp, Occupied New
castle saturday Afternoon.
LONDON, Oct 16.-The Daily Mails
Cape Town correspondent, telegraph
ing Sunday evening, says: kimberley
is besieged and the Beers are massing
in force. No details, however, are OBJ
tainable. The Beers have cut the rail.
way at Belmont, have seized the Spy
fontein railway station and construct
strong defending forces at Modder
bridge and the Orange river bridge.
"The object of these energetic oper-
ations is believed to be the capture of
Cecil Rhodes. Kimberley is now isolat-
ed, both railway and telegraphic COM
munication being cut"
The Daily Mails Glencoe camp cor.
respondent under date of Sunday says:
IA force under Commandant Viljoen,
from Spitzkep, occupied Newcastle
Saturday afternoon, and it is reported
planted their flag over the town hall.
''1t is rumored that the Beers have
captured a police patrol of six men at
De Jagers Drift on the Buffalo river.
CAPE Town, Oct. 16.-The Modder
river station master reports that firing
has been heard in the direction of
Kimberley, and the station master at
Belmont telegraphs that force of
&c ,I- ~, + 4
Flowerdew, the engine driver Of
Capt. Nesbitt's train, which was de-
rallied and bombarded by the Beers,
stated that if the train had returned
when warning was received that the
Beers held the line, it could easily have
made it's way back to Maribogo, but
Capt. Nesbitt insisted upon an endeav-
or being made to reach Mafeking.
'When the pilot engine was derail.
ed" said Flowerdew, 1--WE spent half
hour trying to replace 1t on the track.
Then the Beers commenced firing, and
several men were wounded. The fir
ing was kept up all night but without
effect. The Beers were careful to con-
'ceutrate their FIRE upon the engines SO
'as to save the armored carriage and
ammunition trucks. At. dawn they
commenced to lombard the cars.
escaped by crawling mile and hall
on my belly in the sand. When both
engines were destroyed Capt. Nesbitt
exhibited flags of truce but the Beers
continued their firing for another quar-.
ter of an hour.
There is no doupt that all the 9th.
ers on the train are prisoners, and that
the carriage and the ammunition in
tact fell into the hands of the Beers. >
There is an unconfrmed rumor that
the imperial forces intercepted body
of Transvaal Beers who were attempt
ing to join the Boer forces at Moddei
river, and that a heavy engagement,
occurred at Spyfontein station, south
of Kimberley.
DURHAM. OCT. 16-Following is the
strength and disposition of the troops
in Natal:
At Ladysmith, seven batteries, 81
guns, 1000 infantry.
At Estercourt, 200 volunteers and al
Oolenzo 427 volunteers. These with
the force at Pietermaritzburg make 9
total of $1,000 men in Natal
LONDON, Oct. 16.-A special dispatch
filed at Dundee, Natal, Sunday after
noon, reports that Commandant Vii
joen's force had left Newcastle TO,
Inarv \ o,ear xr,hara tho Trapevoo o1 a a =
has been hoisted over the town hall.
LONDON, Oct. 16.-The Cape TowI
correspondent of the Morning Leader
telegraphing Sunday night says: ri
is reported that fighting began at Kim
berley Monday morning. ''The rail
way has been cut at Belmont"
CAPE Town, Oct. 16.--The news O
fighting at Modder river is not con
Armed. The station master at Modde
river telegraphs that Beers from tn,
north and south have taken Ganger
shat, which they are fortifying.
DURHAM, Oct. l6.-Two extraordinar,
gazettes have been issued. The frs
proclaims martial law in the New
castle, Dundee, Kip river, Unsiga AM
Upper Tugila divisions. The reasol
given is a belief that Natal subject
have joined the invading Beers ant
assisted the enemy.
The other gazette reminds British
subjects of their obligations to tn
queen, and warns them to abstain
from intercourse and trade with tn
Transvaal and the Orange Free State
Tho Mar ch Declared on
WICHITA, Kan, Oct. 16.-Carl Brown
who led Coxey's army to Washington