The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-10-26
THE WAR OFFICE DISPATCHES
They Are "Crooked" and Must
be Conjectured Over.
B0ER ARTILLERY SHELLS DUNDEE
Emperor William Urged to Interfere in
Behalf of the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Law Has Been Proclaimed
Throughout Natal

London, October 25-With unconscious hu-
mor a Cape Town correspondent telegraph
ed yesterday:
1.-The censorship, which is always deli
cate matter, is working smoothly and with
out hitch.' This hits off the state of af-
fairs today. An ominous veil is still drawn
over the movements of Gen. Sir George
Stewart White and General Yule. Beyond
the belated Ladysmith dispatches concern
ing the Elandslaagte fight, which are still
filtering in, the British public is left in COM
plete darkness and to conjecture over
cooked" war office dispatches. The Off
cals of the war office last evening said that
very few dispatches have arrived and that
nothing further was to be expected until
morning.
Since it is practically certain that General
Yue has not effected juncture with Cen
eral White although this was not brought
about Tuesday night, as announced by the
Daily Mail, but some time on Wednesday,
as both are now in a position of safety
conjecture concerns itself chiefly with the
manner of General Yules retreat. That it
was hasty is evident. Was it disorderly?
Was any considerable camp equipment
abandoned? Was there any fighting on the
way! since the receipt Ol OSHeldi Whitc =
curious first description of the Ladysmith
fight, in which the Beers lost 100 men, little
reliance can be placed on the official dis
patches.
While the concealment of the facts re-
garding General Yules battle cam be amply
justified the ground of keeping the in
telligence from the Beers, the hiding of the
news respecting the hussars and fusileers
who were apparently captured in the battle
at Glencoe is severely criticized, no 1ntima-
tion even having been given that the Of
ficers were missing. The heavy losses OF
the British troops in facing only 5000 Beers
are commented upon as what rifle fre
means today in the hands of even undiscip-
lined men who can shoot fairly straight and
stand their ground. Comparisons are made
with the first employment of the magazine
rifles in the Hispano-American war and
it is considered that the American losses at
El Caney and San Juan would have been
much heavier if the Spaniards had stood
their ground like the Beers.
Sir Redvers Butler Is expected to arrive
at the Cape early next week and the indi-
cations are that some troops have already
arrived at the front and been in the fight
ing whose arrival has not yet been an
nounced. There is every probability there
fore that reinforcements are now moving
up. This is calculated to hasten General
Jouberts attack upon Ladysmith and news
of big battle is daily expected
News has arrived that General Sir Will
tam Penn Symons is doing well and there
is no indication to his whereabouts. 1t
is presumed that he is at Dundee, in the
hands of Beers.
Speaking at Dublin yesterday to the de-
parting troops, General Lord Frederick
Roberts of Kandhar, said that however I'M
portant previous campigns in South AFRICA
had appeared at the time, they dwindled
down into insignificance when compared
with the great event in which the British
troops were about to engage.