Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-07
METHUEN OUT AGAIN
Wounded British General Resumes
Command Before Kimberley.
NO RESPITE IN TEE Siege THERE
President Steyn Joins the Orange
Free State Beers.
ADVANCE IN CAPE COLONY

| LONDON, December 7.-The war Office
| has received the following message from
General Forestier-Walker, the British COM
mander at Cape Town:
| "wednesday, December 6.-Geueral Me-
thuen wires toaay that he has resumed
command and is nightly in communication
| with Kimberley. The health Of the troops
| is excellent
The announcement is made in a special
dispatch from Bloemfonte, dated Sunday,
| december 3, that President .Steyn of the
| orange Free State has Joined the Boer
| FORCES at the Modder river. His appear
| ance Inc dispatch says, caused great en-
| thusiasm among the Beers.
1t Is reported from Orange river todav
that 10Y dead Beers were taken to Kaffirs-
kop after the battle of Belmont.
| The British have shifted their camp few
| hundred yards away from the battlefield
( and are settling down for a week -rbere
are some cases of fever among the troops
| Much depends on General Gatacres' ad-
| vance There is undoubtedly large con-
| centration of Beers ahead of General Me-
| thuen Practically the whole of their Ma
reklng forces have Joined the Kimberley
besiegers.
Details of Sortfe at Kimberley,
An official account of the sortie at KIM
beriey, November %, when the British
casualties. as cabled yesterday, occurred.
says:
Inc British demonstrated toward VIM
bledon rifle range. The enemy's guns were
IN position from the ridge at Spitzkop to
wimbledon siding. Major Scott-Turner,
with the mounted troops, attacked the
eFemys right flank, capturing a laager and
three redoubts The enemy, in a fourth re-
doubt, made stubborn resistance. when
Major Scott-Turner was killed The Brit
ish captured many shells and DESTROYED
other stores"
The same dispatch gives reports from Col
kekewich. dated December and 4, show
ing the Beers were increasing in numbers
around Kimberley.
The Boer advarce in the northeastern
part of Cape Colony is becoming remark
able The local farmers are focking to
the Boer laagers, the townspeople, In mauy
instances, welcoming the invaders with
every demonstration of jey.- The annex
alton OF British territory proceeds daily,
The reported Boer successes have made a
great impression among the Basutos.
AdV1ces from Pretoria say the govern
ment has allowed two cable messages to
reach Winston Churchill. The mint at Pre-
toria is codning hundred thousand SOW
ereigns monthly.
The war office has been notified that the
British had five killed and twenty-five
wounded in the sortie from Kimberley No
vemher 25 Including three colonial officers
Kruger Wants to Go to the Front.
Special dispatches from Lorenzo Mar
quez. dated Tuesday, December 8. say
President Kruger is only prevented from
going to the front by the objections of the
members Of the executive council. Mrs,
Kruger. 1t is added, is Ill.
A story was current at Durham on Tues
day, December 5, to the effect that the
Beers made what Is thought to have been
their final effort to capture Ladysmith De-
cember 4, and were defeated and retreated
AS the story was brought by runners it
should be received with reservation, as the
unreliability of these "Kaffirgrams'' is no
torious. According to this report, the Beers
opened furious bombardment during the
morning Of December 4, continued it for
hours. when the British finally siIenced the
Boer guns, made a sortie and hard fighting
followed, the Beers retreating after very
heavy losses, estimated in hundreds.
The dispatches from Frere Camp partial
ly confirmed a retirement of Free State
burghers from the vicinity Of Ladysmith.
but do not indicate that the retreat was
the result Of a defeat on the previous day,
while the statement in the same dispatch
that the Beers were firing into Ladysmith
shows the Boer guns were still active. 1t
1t also pointed out that all suggestions of
weakening refer to the Free Staters. APP
parently the Transvaal Beers are still full
of fight though 1t is reiterated that they
are short of supplies.
Foreign Military Attaches.
According to a dispatch from General
Schalk, Burghers Lager, dated December
3, the French and Austrian military at
taches had arrived there, while the Ger
man attaches had gone to join the Boer
forces along the Tugela river, where COL
lision was momentarily expected.
Perhaps an explanation of the retirement
of burghers from Natal can he found in
dispatch from Modder river. December 3,
saying that strong Boer force. estimated
to number 5000 men, was reinforcing Gen.
Kronje from Natal. The same dispatch
says that everything points to the fact that
a great engagement will be fought at Spy
fontein. The Beers are massing on the
hills there, are vigorously building stone
defenses and are digging rifle pits in every
direction. TIE Beers redoubts on Laza-
retto ridge. west of Kimberley, are also be-
ing extended and strengthened. showing
that the rumors of the intentions of the |
Beers to abandon the attempt to stem Gen. |
Methuen's advance are unfounded.
sORTIE FROM KIMBERLEY.
Col. scott-Turner Mortal1y Wounded
N