Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-17
Buffers Plans Maturing.

New York, Nov. IA dispatch to the
sational dispa tches respecting an ad-
vance of a portion of General Joubert's
forces from Coenso and the investment
of Estcourt have not been confirmed, the
Beers have repeated the earliest incident
of the war by attacking and destroying
: AN armored train which had been used
for accommodating purposes. The earliest
accounts of this affair differ in details,
but it is evident that the train was sud-
denly fired upon between Estcourt and
Colenso and probably deraled. The
trains gun was disabled, according to
one account, and the men were forced
into a hard fight in which there were Sc
rious losses in killed and wounded and
probably prisoners as we'll 1t was a
good Boer trap and the British force was
apparently surprised.
EstcOurt has already been reinforced
and it is not likely that the Beers will
attempt to invest it, AS the Mohawk
has arrived at the Cape with the Twelfth
lancers, cavalry will be available in a
few days as a relief corps.
The embargo on news at the Cape has
been so prohibitiVe that anything may
have happened at Ladysmth during the
past few days. For this reason a rumor
from Pretoria, by way of Lorenzo
Marques, that General Jonbert had
fallen in action on Thursday can neither
be accepted nor rejected. That was the
day on which the last official dispatch
with details of the bOmbardment was
sent through to Durhan. The rumor OF
his death fits in With vague reorts pre-
viously received that general firing that
day was unusually severe and that
close approach was made to the British
lines of defense. 1t was also exposed to
the inherent improbability that an en-
gagement could have taken place and
the Boer commander been killed without
the world knowing something about it
| within eight days.
Reports of Il reconnaissance from
Orange river to Belmont accompany ac-
counts OF the attack on the armored
train above Estcourt and serve to indi-
! cate that Kimberley, as well as Lady
smith, will be relieved before a general
advance is made through the Orange
! Free State. The military experts now
| agree that the two exposed garriSOns on
| each flank will be delivered from attack
| by the enemy in superior strength be-
| fore the Origial plan, invasion of the two
| republics and the occupation of their
capitals, is carried out, and that the
| latter movement will be deferred until
the end of the year. when the new divi-
sion now mobilzing has disembarked in
| South Africa
You can trust Butler" said one of
his warmest friends, to me yesterday,
| "tO choose his own time and field of Op-
| erations He is not a man to allow the
Beers to force him to fight where they
will have strong defensive positions in
mountain passes. He will not be drawn
/ away from the open country where the
/ British troops will be free to operate
their own way with Irresistible force.'
/ similar view was expressed by a
prominent department chief, who spoke
of the necessity of overrunning both re-
publics before the Dutch population
could be impressed with the hopeless
ness of the struggle and induced to sur
render unconditionally. Buffers march
. through Rloemfontein to Pretoria he
! added would be Il strong safeguard for
! permanent peace in South Africa. and
Butler would be nothing if not thorough
! in his plan of campaign.
! Women of rank and fashion are tax
ing the liveliest interest in the war
Many of them drive from theaters or
dinner parties to the war Office night
after night to inquire after the latest
news. Mrs. Neld, whose husband will
command the regiment of Household
cavalry. will go with few other officers