Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-10-26
His Forces Reached There on
October 2e, After a
Hard March.
HE WAS UNMOLEsTED.
Beers Did Not NIolest Him-Delayed
Dispatches Now Reaching London.
Give Particulars of Fight
at Dundee Hill.


London, Oct. e6.-(By Associated
Press.)AThe war Office has issued the
following from General White:
"Ladysmith, Oct. 26, 12:4o p. H.
Yuless column has Just marched in
here, after very hard march during
night of exceptionally heavy rain.
The men, though done up, are in good
spirits and only want rest. The enc
my did not molest them."
Delayed Dispatches.
london Oct. 26.-(By Associated
Press IA batch Of delayed dispatches
arrived this morning VIC Lorenzo Mar
ques. as follows:
Pretoria. Oct. a1.-Friday's fight at
Dundee started at 5 o'clock in the
morning and lasted until 2 in the af-
ternoon. The ba1rghers under General
Meyer took up strong position, but
were compelled to retire to their lager
after capturing a Maxim gun. The
fighting was resumed at 10 o'clock this
morning in the neighborhood of
Glencoe and Dundee. Several Boer
forces were engaged. Newcastle is
under martial law. The town is quiet
and guards are protecting property.
President Steyn, of the Orange Free
State, has issued a proclamation to the
Basnso nation, explaining the reasons
for the war and. stating that Boer
forces have been placed near the Ba-
suto land border. He makes known
that the republic is at peace with the
Basutos and wishes to continue so, add
ing that no injury will be done the
Basutos! who remain quiet and do not
assist the British.
Pretoria. Oct. 2e-The johannesburg
burghers and the Hollander corps had
a heavy engagement at Elandslaagte.
The battle lasted twelve hours against
heavy odds. Two hundred are missing
and about a hundred burghers are
dead or wounded.
1t is reported that Col. Schiel and
Field Comets Pionaar and Joubert
We're killed.
" Pretoria, Oct. 25.-General Joubert
reports that Gen. Cronje, commanding
the Free State and Winburg forces,
had an engagement yesterday with
the British at Elandslaagte.
"Started at 9 o'clock and lasted seven
hours. Nine burghers were wounded
and six killed. All the British retired
to Ladysmith.''
Pretoria, Oct. 22.The British pris.
oners captured Friday near Dundee
were entrained at Dannhauser. They
filled ten trucks. An enormous crowd
assembled at the station here to wit
ness their arrival. When they alighr-
ed the prisoners were received with
funeral silence " the crowds. The
greatest order and decorum ureyailsi
while they were traversing the stresA,
The wounded were taken to the hos
pital and the Others, both officers and
men, We're marced to the race course.
escorted by mounted burghers, and
encamped on the spot where Jameson's
troopers were confined.''
The Fight at Reitfontein.
London, Oct. ee.-(By Associated
Press.)-A special from Ladysmith,
dated the oath, gives the details of the
Reitfontein fight, and says: ION the
discovery that the Beers were masseel
to the westward of the main road to
Dundee, General White moved out to
attack them, believing them to be
Free Staters. The Fifth Lancers ON
the flank, first came in touch with the
Beers below Modderspruit, where 1900
armed burghers occupied strong
ridge, and whence they opened fire at
1900 yards. hitting several of the Brit
ish. Meanwhile, the Erdsars and Ma
tai carbineers advanced through an
opening in the ridge, under the fire of
Boer gun, while the imperial Light
Horse took part of the crest of the
ridge, the Beers retiring. About o
o'clock the Boer gun, stationed on the
crest of Matawanaskop, opened fire
with great accuracy on the main force,
which had, meanwhile, come up; but
the shells failed to explode and the
British artillery silenced the opposi-
ton.
The whole British force then adj
yanced and the action became general.
A large body of Beers occupied strong
positions at Matawanaskop and the
precipitous ridge surrounding it. The
British guns shelled the positions and
the infantry advanced under cover of
the fire. Tho Gloucesters and Devon
shires CROSSED q fearful fire zone be-
meath Tuitayoni hill, whence the Beers
poured withering Are with such ef-
feet that thirty dropped within dis
tance OF two hundred yards. Seeing
the peril of the Deyons and Glouces.