Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-10-06
ABOUT l NJ BOLR Army
A British Correspondent Describes
It as Disorganized and Wholly
Undisciplined.
Joubert's Forces Characterized as an
Unorganized But Determined
Mob--Wsll Mounted.
Great Britain Buying Thousands
Of Horses and Mules in
America.


America.
London, Oct. 6.-The following dis
patch from correspondent who has
been ut Bloemfontein and Pretoria has
been telegraphed to the Chronicle:
Charlestown. under Majuba Hill,
tuesday, have just crossed the from
tier in truck which was placed at my
disposal by Commandant General Jou-
bert, who reached the frontier today.
General Joubert said he deeply re-
GREETED the impending war, which he
had done his utmost to avoid. He Won
ders that Queen Victoria never an
swered the letter he addressed to her
on the situation. 1 notice everywhere
a general devotion to the queen and a
pathetic belief that she will stop the
war. General Joubert still believes in a
South African confederacy under an
English protectorate, and attributes the
present crisis to Cell Rhodes and MIR
chamberlain. HIS last words to me
were: II leave it now to God. 1t may
be His will that the Transvaal shall
perish. j can only do my part. The
general was enthusiastically welcome ed
at the Boer camp. The Beers are un-
disciplined and unorganized and Their
ambulance arrangements are very de-
Elective. but the commissariat is fairly
good. A majority of the Beers are I'M
willing TO fight. but are quietly conf
dent. They will overrun Natal, attack
ling it from both sides in the ne.ghbor-
hood of Ingogo or Iadysmith.
The Beers are much afraid of lydite
shells and dum-dum bullets. They
maintain a high reputation for shoot
ling They have no uniform. All COM
plain bitterly at being compelled t.
leave their wives and children and
farms at the mercy of the Kaflirs. There
lis much confusion in the camp. Heavy
rains have deluged the lands and
blocked the roads. and horses, oxen and
ltents are mixed up together. There is
no excitement or loose firing.
| II is difficult to say exactly. but sup
pose there are 5000 men in the Sane
river iaager. and Others are continually
ARRIVING The horses are in excellent
condition. ] saw only five guns-of 9
heavy French pattern, The heliagra pr
IS constantly working on the heights
Despite the heavy rain the grass /:
| still dry and all the forage and Woo
required must be supplied from dis
tance. The country, both open ant
rocky. is We'll suited for operations o
irregular cavalry.
There are no English troops here ex
4 cept one outpost. which Is stationed a
i Majuba Hill But I am not allowed 7
/ telegraph information as TO the move
ments of the English troops. The Boer
! deprecate the general panic among tn
English in the Transvaal as if the.
We're savages. They have CONSTRUCTED
/ a few earthworks to defend the railwa.
4 and hold good technical position
/ They complain. however. of the lack o
/ locomotives and the difficulty of work
ling a single line.
4 The Daily Telegraph's correspondent
al Newcastle. Natal, sends to his pape
i a similar message to that sent by tn
/ correspondent of the Daily Chronicle
4 He says he is sure that half of tn
Beers will offer no serious resistance I
the British troops. He says:
/ =
4 tons, and it is doubtful if it can put
4 thousand men in the field at presen,
i Thousands of the outlanders are unabl
TO leave the Transvaal. and their terro
4 is so great that many OF them hav
joined the Boer levies as the best mean
of escape Johannesburg can offer n
serious defense If attacked, and Pre-
toria, despite its five forts, is hopeless
. ly weak Practically the whole Boo
population has been called to arms an
the result is a strangely armed an
CARRIED guerilla mob OF 10000 or there
abouts. 1t is declared that their defet
tive German cartridge cases have a
been recalled and fresh ammunitio
made in America is beino substitutes
Thousands of the burghers are attire
, in Khaki and Puggarees, so 1t is dill
cult to distinguish them from the Rri
ish troops. Last Friday the Roer GOV
eminent arrived at the conclusion thi
E the real danger of British attack lies q
the Natal side, and thousands of me
who had been sent in the direction
] Delagoa Bay and Rhodesia Were r.
called and dispatched toward Stande
e ton and the Sand river. / am Statistic
: that Gen. Joubert has 5000 men b.
a tween Standerton and Volksrusl, ar
q am positive that ne will invade Nat
0 with that strength Certainly serio,
s and bloody actions are impending
p soon as the Beers have recovered fro
!. the fatigue of travel. There is no dout
J. however, that the women and childrt
will be well treated, as will also prob
I, bly, unmarked citizens.