The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-20
At A HIGH PITCH
Continued From First Page.

and says:
THE train was partly made up Of four
trucks of cattle consigned to an army
Durveyor at Dundee.
1T Is reported that one British officer
and Mr.. Mitchell the Johannesburg Star
war correspondent besides other war cor
respondents. were captured. The train
which preceded the captured train was
fired on but the Boer attack was not sue
cessful."
ALL EYES ON NATAL.
Natal now claims a share of the atten-
ton which during the last few days has
been focused upon the beleaguered garri-
son at Mafeking. The combined advance
of the Boer forces on the positions held by
the British general commanding in Natal,
Sir George Stewart White, has already
occastoned a sharp affair of outposts,
which possibly has developed into pitch
ed battle.
The Beers, according to the latest in
forma ton at hand, do not appear to have
been driven back Perhaps, however,
their movements are only part Of gen.
eral plan to isolate both Ladysmith and
Glencoe from the south
The simultaneous movements from Ac-
ton Homes from the west, and from
Rorkes Drift and Helpmakaar from the
east, may indicate a projected attack
upon the railway below Colenso. The
an attack upon the railway at Wasch-
bank between Ladysnith and Glencoe.
Military experts are inclined to the
opinion that the troops at Glencoe are
only from rear guard left to attract the
force under Commandant General Jou-
bert, while Gen. Whites full strength is
concentrated at Ladysnith, with a view
of attacking the Orange Free State while
Gen. Joubert is still forty miles away
GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION,
The calling out of the militia indicates
plainly that the British government con-
Steers it necessary to take timely pre-
cautions against some foreign complica-
ton which threatens to supervene upon
the Transvaal trouble. In the first i'll
stance, the militia is only to be employed
to take the place in home garrisons Of the
line regiments that are going to South
Africa. The government has not thought
it advisable, in view of the hostile feeling
evoked in Ireland by the attack on the
Beer republic, to reduce the Irish military
establishment below its normal strength
of 200 men, and it is intended to set
free the regular regiments stationed in
Ireland for war service by substituting
English militia battalions in the irish
garrisons, the Irish militia being sent for
Guty to England.
The militia can be sent OIL foreign Serv-
ice, but such a measure is never contem-
plated except in extreme national peril,
when the home defense is to be commit
ted to the volunteers.
This calling out of the militia has added
appreciably to the general estimate of the
gravity of the situation. w. T. Stead has
issued a pamphlet on the Boer war enti-
tied ''Are We Right? An Appeal to All
Honest Mem 1t is powerful indictment
of Chamberlain's diplomacy. The most
sensational part of the pamphlet is Mr..
Steads solemn declaration that Cecil
Rhodes informed him that Mr.. Chamber
lain was privy to the Jameson raid and
that the parliamentary inquiry into the
origin Of that conspiracy was hushed up
because a point had been reached in the
investigation which, if exceeded would
implicate the colonial secretary directly
in the plot
LADYSMITH THREATENED
The Times Ladysmith correspondent,
under date Of Wednesday, says:
1.-THE situation on the eastern border is
developing a most serious aspect. Two
commanders, after looting on the Zulu
border, are reported advancing The
situation is growing more acute"
The Ladysmith correspondent of the
Daily Telegraph, under date of Oct 10,
afternoon. says:
1.-The Beers captured train which left
Ladysmith at 1920, near Elan1sloaagt.
1t contained several officers and a few
men, besides civilians going to Glencoe
or Dundee
The general advance on the British po-
sition in Natal has begun, and Lady
smith is threatened on three sides. Des-
u!toTy firing continued between the Beers
and the British outposts at Acton Homes
all night. Late yesterday Gen. Sir
George White dispatched a field force
with two guns to reinforce the British at
Acton Homes, The attack there is be-
Heved to be a feint to draw out The main
body Of troops at Ladysmith, thus leav-
ing the town open to an attack from the
north. The British positions here is diff
f1cult, but the troops are confident. Great
store is set by the artillery, the Beers
being VIGOROUSLY fearful of cannon fire.
BOERS TRAPPED.
The Daily News Cape Town CORE
spondent says 1T is rumored here that
news has reached De AJAX junction that
the Beers attacked Mafeking in force,
but were repulsed. The defenders, see
ing the enemy retreating, pursued them
for some distance. Then feint was
made and they commenced to retire on
the town, allowing themselves to be
driven by the Beers, who, eager to re-
trieve their position, again advanced to
the attack, and were drawn over lyddite
mines laid for the defense of the town.
1t is reported 100 Beers were killed by the
explosions"
BOERS' STORY OF FIGHT.
CAPE TOWN, Oct. ia copy of the
Standard and Diggers' News has been OBJ
tanned here, giving the Boer account of
the armored train fighting in the vicinity
of Mafeking, with Boer coloring. 1t con-
firms the account given by the engine
driver who escaped, adding that the de-
Strcyed trucks were riddled with bullets
They contained dynamite and a terrible
explosion occurred, the trucks being
blown to atoms. There was no casualties
among the burghers according to this
story. With regard to the second armor-
ed train fight, the paper says that the
Beers had two killed and four wounded,
and that when the train was seen ap-
preaching with Col. Baden Powells men
on board the Beers formed in battle ar
ray, and poured a whitening fire upon the
train at a thousand yards, but the armor
rendered their fire ineffective.
The fiat nature of the veldt yielded no
cover and the men were compelled to lie
on the ground. The British repeatedly
raked their lines.
The Standard and Diggers' News admits
that total of about twenty burghers
were disabled 1t prints Lydentsburg
telegram, which discounts the brilliant
account of Boer success, stating that the
result of the first brush with the British
troops was coolly received by the bur-
ghers with the exclamation that cit is
Gods will
TRANSPORTS TO ASSEMBLE
QUEENSTOWN, Oct. 19.-It is reported
that the transports Servia, Catalonia,
Siberian, Jamaican and Orena will as
semble here early next week with troops
aboard to embark the Irish contingents.
It is also announced that arrangements