Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1899-12-07
WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.
GIN. Methusn In Communication
With Troops at Kimberley.
Orange Free State Has Annexed
Portion Of Cape Colony.
Predicted That Big Fight May Soon Take
Place At Spy,fon,ein.
BRITISH LOSS At KIMBERLY.

London, Dec. THE war Office re-
ceived the following message from Gen.
eral FORESTER Walker. British com
mander, Cape Town: Dec. o. General
Methuen wires to-day that he has re-.
sumed command aud Is nightly In com
municstion with Kimberley. The health
OF the troops is excellent.
ANNEXED A COLONY.
Pretoria. Dec. 7.-Oflicisi dispatches re.
ceived from different boer forces say that
all IL quiet. except at Kimberley, where
tne armored train msde u s0rtie this
morning.
The Orange Free State has proclaimed
ths annexation OF DJrdrecht, about ftty
miles north OF Queenstown. Cape
COony.
Tug.la bridge. It Is announced, is no
completely ruined that II will be work Of
great N ~ nituie for either belligerents
to repair u.
The British fred on some republican
scout, south Of Tugela this morning. No
cssualitiea.
A newspaper correspondent named
Lynch, who entered the Boer mines at
Ladysmi'h b on Monday, with the alleged
purpose or exchanging newspapers, has
been made a prisoner and will be- brought
to Pretoria.
sKtRMIsH AT KIMBERLEY.
London, Dec. THE story WAS current
at Dutbsr on Tuesday that the Beers
made thsir tinsl effort to capture Lady.
smith. on December 4, and we're defeated
and retreated. As the story WAS brought
by runners, IL should be received with
reservation.
Dispatches from Frere camp. partially
confirm the retirement OF the Free State
DurRhe from the vicinity of Lsdysmith,
but do not Indicate that retreat was the
result OF defeat on the previous day,
while the same dispatch says that the
Boer guns are still active. IL Is also
pointed out all suggestions OF weakening
refer to the Free Staters. Apparently
Trsnsvfai Beers are still full Of flght
though II 10 reiterated that they are
short Of supplies.
Perhaps the explanation Of the retire.
ment Of fburghers from Natal can be found
In dispatch from Moddsr river. Dec. 3,
saying that q strong BOer force, esti.
mated at 5000 Is reinforcing Geneyal
Cronje from Natal. The same dispatch
says that everything indicates that a
great engagement will be fought at
Spytfontein. The Beers are masslng on
the hills there and vigorously building
stone defences and digging rifls pits In
every direction. The Beers works on
Lazerettoridge. west OF Kimberley, are
also being extended and strengthened,
showing that the rum0rs OF the inten.
tions Of the Beers to abandon the at.
tempt to stem General Msthuen's sd.
vance are unf0undsd.
The British shifted their camp few
hundred yards away from the battlefield
aud ere settling down for week. There
are some cases Of fever among the troops
Much depends on General Gstacre's ad.
vance
There Ia undoubtedly a large concsn-
trati0n OF Beers ahead OF General Mem
thusn. Practically the whole OF their
Msfeking forces have Joined the Kim.
berley besiegers. An official account oi
the sortie q. X mberley on November 2S,
when the British casualties AZ csbled
yesterday occurred, says: British
demonstrated towards the Wimbledon
rih range The enemy's guns were DO
sltioL Cd from the ridge at Spiizkop to
wimbledon siding. Major Scott Turner,
with mounted troops attacked the en-
emy's right flank. capturing lssger and
shtVV hcNouoNbs hbV
redoubt made stubborn resistance, when
Major Scott Turner WAS killed. The
British captured many shells and de.
stroyed other stores"
The same dispatch gives reports from
Col. kekewich showing that the Beers
are increasing in numbers around Kim
berIy.
The Boer advance In the northwestern
no 0t ~ Na NaIA tl hAA A.
able. Local farmers are hocking to the
Boer laaRers. Annexation of Brit sh
territory proceeds daily.
The war office has been notified that
the British had five killed and twenty
FIVE wounded In sortis from Kimberley,
November 90, including three colonial
officers.
PRESIDENT sTEYN.
London. Dec. Announcement Is
made in a special dispatch from Bloem.