The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-15

London, Nov. Is. 4:30 a. nl.-There is
no additional news regarding the prog
ress of hostilities in South Africa this
morning, except a dispatch from Mafe-
king, forwarded by a runner, dated
Oct. 81, which says that during the
afternoon General Cronje, the Boer
commander, sent an envoy to Colonel
BadenPowell. under a flag of truce,
to declare that he did not consider the
Geneva convention authorized the flag
Of the Red Cross society to fly from
several buildings at once in the town.
and that in his opinion the employment
of natives against whites and the use
of dynamite mines We're both opposed
to the rules of war.
Colonel Baden-Powell replied that the
Geneva convention did not stipulate as
to the number of Red Cross stations
permissible and that the Beers We're
only required to respect the convent.
the hospital and the womans laager,
all of which were beyond the town linz
| it's The British commander also point
| ed out that mines were recognized ad-
| juncts of civilized warfare. and the
| defenses Of Pretoria were extensively
| mined. Moreover. he reminded General
| Cronje that the Beers had fired upon
| natives burned their kraals and re-
! leased their cattle and that the na-
| tives only defended their lives and
| property.
| Despite the warnings from Colonel
| Raden-Powell the Beers continued de-
| liberately to shell the hospital and the
womans laager The sending of the
| Boer envoy was regarded the dispatch
| says. as mere pretext for penetrating
| the British lines at Mafeking.
| So far as Kimberley is concerned.
| the mental condition of the British
| there must be good from the fact that
| three weddings have taken place since
| the siege began the last having BEEN
| celebra ted on Nov. 8.
/ In the absence of fresh news the
| morning papers are driven to discuss
| Lord Salisbury's letter regarding mis-
| interpretations Of his utterances at the
lord mayors banquet and President
Kruger's threat to execute British Of
| ficers now in his hands unless Nathan
| Marks, a supposed Boer spy, Is releas-
| ed by Sir George White. The pre-
| mier's deliverance meets with univer@
| sal approval, although the explanations
was in no way necessary, as, outsids
| the Daily Chronicle, no one had sup
posed his words could bear the mean
|
| endeavoring to read into them.
President Kruger's threat has excited
| widespread Indignation. The Daily
| News demands that his friends should
| promptly inform him that his own neck
| and that of DR. ReitZ, the Transvaaf
stae secretary. will be held responsible
for any such violation of the elementarH
rules of civilized warfare.
| For once the censorship is blamed on
account of laxity. 1t is asserted that
| the censor ought to have suppressed taa
story of Father Matthews regarding the
| surrender at Niehoson's Mex, which,
| while too vague to be considered eyi-
| dence. must cause uneasiness. The feel
| ing is that, until the facts can be ascer-
| tained, it would have been wiser not to
| circulate mere gossip.
The great delay on South African
/ cables, now. amounting practically to
| five days. and the lack of any definite
| news from Ladysmith give rise to some
| apprehension which is only relieved by
the fact that no adverse tidings have
| come from either the British or Boer
| sources.
Nothing is known as to the where
| abouts of General Redvers Butler IT.
| NJ S. Powerful has arrived at Simons
| bay from Durham and began to coal.
| The cruiser will return to Durham inn
| mediately with more guns. Lord
| George Hamilton, secretary of state for
| India. announced in speech last even
| ing. that a relief force Immediately
! would be sent to Ladysmith. but beyond
| that nothing is known of the British
| campaign and equal secrecy shrouds
| the movements of the Beers.
| The Morning Post. which complains
| that it was unwise tactics on the part
of the British officers to leave the rail-
| way intact in their retirement to Lady
smith. says:
1T is another Illustration of British
| contempt for the Beers that they