Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-10-06
ADVANCE BEGUN.
General Movement Of Trans
vaa| Artillery, Wednesday.
Government Discredts Report that
Fighting Has Commenced.
Report that Armed Kaffirs Accompany Beers
Suggests Bloody Scenes.

London, oct. THE Daily Tele-
graph publishes in it's second addition,
this morning, a dispatch from New
Castle. Natal. dated, yesterday, an
nouncing that the Boer advance began,
yesterday, with a general movement Of
artillery.
The dispatch adds: The Beers are
occupying Lings Mex nightly, and now
hold the mountains to the southwest Of
Nolksrust. There are no British troops
nearer than Ladysmith and prepara-
tons are being made to abandon Ma
tai from the frontier to Glencoe
The inhabitants of New Castle met,
today, and decided not to attempt to
defend the town in the event of a Boer
advance in force. Gen. Symons is pre-
pared to evacuate within "a hours.
The people are crowding the trains for
LadySmith."
Although today's news from South
Africa was Enthusiastically grave, the
advocates of peace still derived hope
from some Of the dispatches. The
news was contradictory. Side by side
with the announcement that the Beers
had occupied Laings Mex was printed
a dispatch from Pretoria stating that
the Transvaal government had issued
strict injunctions to the commandments
that British territory must not be in
vaded and that the commandment gem
eral Joubert had issued a proclama-
ton threatening to shoot any man who
should cross the border.
Scarcely had the advocates of peace
exchanged congratulations over the
announcement from Pretoria that Mr..
j. H. Hofmeyer, the Afrikander leader,
and Mr. w. p. Schreiner, the Cape
premier, had undertaken a joint semi
official peace mission and had actually
started for Pretoria, where they ought
TO have arrived last evening, when,
later messages from the Transvaal
capitol declaring that the Boer govern
ment knew nothing of this alleged mis-
sion and that, in any event. nothing
could preserve peace but the withdraw
al of the British demands.
While it is not necessary to accept all
the sensational statements regarding
the advance of the Beers, there was not
a jot of evidence to show that the
burghers contemplated receding.
Up to o'clock this afternoon, moth
ing had arrived to confirm the dispatch
from New Castle to the Daily Tele-
graph announcing that a general ad-
vance of the Boer forces began, yester-
day. The war office and the colonial
office professed entire ignorance in the
matter.
Another New Castle special forward
ed later than that to the Daily Tele-
graph contradicts it and declares that
all WAS quiet on the border. last even
ing, and that there was no sign of a
Boer advance.
The next news regarding this alleged
invasion of Natal was awaited with
anxious interest. The statement insthe
Daily Telegraph special that there were
no troops British nearer New Castle
than those at Ladysmith was obvious
ly an error, 5000 British troops are
a Dundee.
distinctly serious and ugly state
ment came from New Castle to the eff
feet that armed Kaffirs accompanied
the Boer commanders. This would be
an absolute breach Of the conditions
supposed to govern warfare among
civilized nations, and would presage
scenes worse than even the gloomiest
forecasts.
From other New Castle advices it APP
pcdIeu tildl tIle premier OF Natal n3U
telegraphed the military authorities
that they could render New Castle as
sistance. adding that if the Beers in
tended to attack the town assistance
would be futile and that the women
and children should be sent away and
The town surrendered.
An unconfrmed report said that mar
ial law had been proclaimed in the
rransvaal.
A special from Johannesburg says:
AS a natural result of the panic there
$ considerable lawlessness. The regu-
ar distribution of letters has ceased.
The government has commanded all
dynamite and Cyanide supplies which
lave been removed and placed under
trict guard at various depots. A strong
,uard has been stationed at the reser-
DIR to prevent tampering with the wa
err"
Intelligence from Cape Town includes
n official denial of the rumor that the
British have crossed the Transvaal
rontier near Kimberley. There is a
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