The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1899-12-28
FORMS NEW DANGER.
Chambers Breaks Out Among Cav
airy Horses in South Africa.

London, Dec. 26.--Nothing has ar
rived from South Africa that would in
dicate any change in the military situ-
alton there. The war Office is issuing
lists of further deaths and wounded, as
well as accounts of sickness. The most
serious report of the last class is that
horse sickness has broken out in both
British and Boer camps in Natal. Four
hundred British cavalry horses, it is
said, have already been shot, owing to
the occurrence of CHAMBERS. The dis
ease is likely to spread with much
greater rapidity among the British
horses than among the hardy Boer
ponies, and this may mean consider
able prolongation of the campaign.
Horse sickness in South Africa gem
orally appears during the latter part
of January, and lasts three months.
The present outbreak is unusually
early.
Beers Draw Nearer.
A dispatch from Chieveley, dated
Tuesday, December 10, says: The Brit
ish naval guns have destroyed the Co
lenso foot bridge, thus preventing the
Beers holding any position south OF the
Tugela river. The enemy are taking
up fresh positions on the eastS2n side,
nearer the British camp. The British
position at Frere is being strengthened.
The Tugela river is rising and there is
a prospect of heavy rains. A two-hour
bombardment of Ladysmith has been
heard from here. According to reliable
native reports the Beers had 200 killed
in the fight at Colenso.
The news that the Colenso foot bridge
has been destroyed seems to show that
Gen. Butler is more anxious to keep the
enemy at bay than to attempt further
advance.
The Dutch Disaffection.
Despite the severity of the censor
ship, hints are being continually re-
ceiyed of the serious spread of Dutch
disaffection in both the Queenstown
district of Cape Colony and Natal. A
correspondent of the Daily Mail at
Pietermaritzburg says: The extent of
Dutch disaffection should make the inn
perial authorities realize the magni-
tude of the task before them.
The mails are just arriving from
Ladysmith. All the correspondents
comment bitterly upon the superiority
of the Boer artillery. The Times CORE
spondent says: 1t is impossible to
evade the opinion that if British gun
ners were in the Boer positions the loss
of life and damage to property in Lady
smith would be ten times greater.
The first batch of Boer prisoners has
arrived in England. 1t is announced
that the government has accepted an
other offer of a squadron of Canadian
rough riders.
A Boer Account.
Pretoria, Sunday, Dee. 17.-Oyer soc
British prisoners, captured at the bat.
tie of Stormberg, have arrived here
They have been taken to Waterfall tc
join the other prisoners.
An official account of the Boer casual
ties at the battle of Tugela river says
80 men were killed or wounded.
Gen. Schalkberger's report of the bat
tie, dispatched from the head lager
December 16, says:
Friday, at dawn, the day long-expectet
arrived. The Pretoria detachment of artil
iery gave the alarm. Gen. Buffers Lady
smith relief column was in battle array
advancing on the Boer positions, close t
the Tugela and Colenso. The center con
sisted of an immense crowd of infantry
hanked on each side by two batteries, wit!
strong bodies of cavalry supporting. Thu
Boer artillery preserved absolute silence
not disclosing its position. Two batteries
came within rifle distance of our foremos
position. and the Beers then opened fir
with deadly effect. Our artillery also com
menced and, apparently, absolutely con
fused the enemy, who were allowed t
think the bridge was open for them 10 cross
Their right flank in the meantime attacks
the Boer southernmost position, but tn
mauser rife fire was so tremendous tina
they were rolled back like spent wave
leaving ridges and ridges of dead and dy
ing humanity behind Again the Britisl
advanced to the attack, but again fell back
swelling the heaps of dead. The cavalr
charged to the river, where the 1Ermol
commando delivered such murderous mr.
that two batteries of cannon had to ID
abandoned, which the Boerss.are going t
bring here. Twice the British essayed t
bring horses to remove them. The frs
time they succeeded in hitching onto on
cannon, and on the second trial the horse
and men fell in heap. l,gs..f,+ggs ..a
"Then the British were in full retreat I
their camp whence they sent heav
shrapnel fire on Bulwer bridge across tn
Tugela, to prevent the burghers from re
covering the cannon. The French attach'
Villebois, and the German attache, Braun
say the fight could not have been improve
upon by the armies Of Europe. Gems. Both
and Trichart were always at the most dar
gerous points of the lighting. Eleven an
balances removed the English dead an
wounded. Such tremendous cannonao
has seldom been heard. The veldt, fc
miles, was covered with dead and wound
ed. It was a most crushing British d.
feat Nine of the cannon have since bee
brought across the river The BIRTHS
asked for and were granted a 24-hour al
mistice.''
worried over Churchiil's Escape.
Pretoria, Sunday, Dec. 17.-The GOV
eminent is much concerned about til
escape of Winston Churchill, and til
officials are doing their utmost to dill
cover how he got away. The official
have instituted a house toulouse scare
for discriminating papers. The Vol
stem asserts that he escaped disguise
as woman.
Ex-Goyernor Weds.
Lincoln, Neb., Dee. 26.- Former Go,
Robert V. Furnas, now in his seventy
fifth year, and Mrs. S. NJ. Jamison wer
married Monday at the home of til
bride at Brownville. For fifteen year