Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1899-10-11
THE RESERVES CALLED OUT.
Great Britain Takes a Step That In
dicates an Early Intention to
Fight the Beers.
PARLIAMENT ALSO SUMMONED TO MEET
A New Element Of Danger Has Arisen In
the Stories of Alleged Brutal Treat
ment of Refugees by the BOers-Orange
Free State Seizes 500 Tons of Cape Col
Ony Coal, Which Exasperates England.

London, Oct. S.-A royal proclama-
ton summoning parliament to meet on
October II and authorizing the calling
out of the reserves was signed Satur-
day.
The Gazette announces that sum-
mons will be issued for the number of
reserves necessary to bring every bat
talon ordered to South Africa to its
full strength of 1000 men and the men
must present themselves before Octo-
Der II. This forward movement here
is fully counterbalanced by stories of
military preparations in the Transvaal
and the Orange Free State.
So far as facts go, the commencement
of actual hostilities between Great
Britain and the Transvaal seems no
nearer, although it must be admitted
that a new element of danger has
arisen in the evaporation caused
throughout the British colonies in
South Africa by the stories of brutal
treatment of refugees by the Beers.
Whether these reports are correct or
not, the reports of outrages upon
women and children are having their
effect and are being accepted in many
quarters hitherto incredulous, as con-
tirming the anticipation of the savagery
that will mark the progress of the war.
The Orange Free State seized 800 tons
ofcoal belonging to Cape Colony. which,
added to other acts of hostility, is
causing the British authorities uneasi-
ness. Some regiments now arriving
from India are being pushed to the Vaal
river as quickly as possible. Seven
troopships are already at Durham, with
a total of 4, 500 men; also four warships,
the Tartar, Philomel, Magicienne and
Partridge, which will land naval forces
in case of Boer attack. The presence
OF the troops is a great relief to Cape
Town, which is now harboring 10, 600
Rand refugees. There are 1000 from
Johannesburg alone, and thousands
more are en- route. The refugees re-
port many instances of brutal behavior
of the Beers. Night travelling has been
suspended in consequence. Women
and children have been insulted, and
several children are dead from exposure
and starvation.
The scope of Great Britain's military
preparations can scarcely be grasped
by the mere reading of individual items
as these appear from day to day. A
fair notion of their immensity can be
gained from the semi-official statement
that for the transport of the army corps
about 20 ships of from 1000 to 1000
tons burden are required, not includ-
ing 90 or more of transports already
on the way to the cape.
The war office announces that under
the proclamation calling out the re-
serves >25, 900 men will be summoned.
The Evening News publishes the fol-
lowing dispatch from Cape Town:
The reports OF the barbaric excesses commit
ted by the Beers on the refugees have caused a
thrill of horror here. In one instance 20 women
and children were packed in q cattle truck so
tightly that they were unable to sit and were
thus kept sidetracked for 30 hours without food
or water. When they attempted to leave the
truck they were driven back with blows
Every train load Of refugees brings narrowing
accounts OF the barbarities of the Beers of the
Orange Free State. train arrived TODAY
that had been 96 hours en- route. The sufferings
OF the women were dreadful. Several births
occurred on the way-one in an open cattle
truck containing 20 men.