Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1899-11-04
BRITISH DISASTER.
Captured Battalions Fought Till
Their Cartridges Were Gone.
GEN. WHITE SEVERELY CRITICISED.
A Belief That Some One Biundered-Ca
IatIon OF tho British Losses Since
the Outbreak OF Hostiiities
with the Beers.

London, Nov. 2.-Thc breakdown OF
the Delagoa Bay cable route, combined
with the monopolization of the avail
able telegraph lines by the government
and British staff officers, Is RESPONSE
BILE for the fact that little news arrived
yesterday from South Africa. The
war office officials are working under q
great strain. The gloom caused by
the British disaster at Ladysmith was,
in measure, relieved by n story Civ
ing IN account of the heroic stand
made by the decimated battalions I'M
til their last cartridge was gone. 1t Is
known that the Gloucesters and fusi-
liers fought against overwhelming
odds and upheld the best traditions OF
the British army. and the tension has
been relieved, since there Is no longer
ground to dread that the loss of life
and men was accompanied with dis
honor.
An unconfirmed statement is pub
lished that Gen. Sir Redvcrs Butler has
left Cape town for Ladysmith.
A belated dispatch from Ladysmith
describing Mondays fight says:
A couple OF squadrons OF hussars had mar
row escape from disaster cirly In the day.
They found themselves suddenly confronted.
within easy range, by an overwhelming force OF
Beers, who seemed 10 sprlng from the bowels OF
the earth. The hussars were splendldly handled,
and were extricated with only one man
wounded
The queen Is credited with express
ing sincere pity for Sir George Stewart
White, and the officials are in no wise
inclined to Judge him harshly. So far
as the public is concerned, however,
while qualification is felt ut the man
ner in which the isolated battalion sur.
rendered, there is still severe criticism
for Gen. White and Lieut.. Col. Carleton
for allowing the column to get out OF
touch, for the absence OF proper scout
ing and for not retiring when the am
munition was lost. In favor OF Lieut..
Col. Carleton, the explanation is haz-
arded that he believed 1t was impera-
tive to the success of Gen. Whites
operation that he should hold the posi-
ton at Nicholson's Mex.
The Morning Post comments severely
upon the British contempt for the
enemy, as shown by the belief that the
large Boer force ut Acton Homes could
be held in force by Cartoons small
column. 1t points out that even If the
British there had been supplied with
ammunition they could have held out
only few hours longer, inasmuch as
they were in the most complete sense
detached and because nobody appar-
emily at Ladysmith had any idea of
their distress or took any measures to
rescue them. 1.-THE column was sacri-
feed" says the Morning Post, because
It was sent into action gagged and
blindfolded. 1t had neither scout nor
patrol. Twelve hundred men were
thrown away for lack of cavalry which
would not have been missed from an
other part of the field"
The Standard. which comments in
similar terms upon "the fact taat Gen.
White made no effort to extricate the
column from the impossible situation
into which he had thrust it." draws q
sad picture of the men "hoping for re
lief and then realizing with bitterness
of heart some one had Numbered, that
they had been forgotten by their gen.
eral and his staff, and that nothing
was left but surrender and imprison.
ment at Pretoria until the end OF the
war;"
The Daily Chronicle says: ut is evil
dent that somebody Numbered, but
more details are required before the
blame can be'apportioned."
A careful calculation of the British
losses in all the engagements since the
out break OF hostilities, excluding the
casualties among the non-commissioned
officers and men in Mondays disaster
at Ladysmith, which are thus far un'
known here, gives total of DIG, to
which probably 1900 will need to be
added when details regarding the
Ladysmith reverse IRE received. The
total is made up rs follows: Officers
13S, lsbeing killed, 81 wounded and 8;
captured. Men 7sS, being 1877 killed
492 wounded and i5l captured. A spe
cial dispatch from Pietermaritzburg
dated Tuesday morning, says: "Strag
glers from the Worcestershire regi
ment are arriving ut Ladysmith. A
numbers OF mules, with portion o.
| Ala ,,,auut min military ARE also coming