The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-28
DEATHS AT LADYSM1TH.
Casualty Lists Indicate That There
Has Been Some New Fighting
by Garrison.

Has Been Some New Fighttm9
by Garrison.
NEW YORK, Dec. GA dispatch to the
Tribune from London says:
A belnted dispatch from Ladysmith was
posted in the war Office Tuesday. 1t was
a three days. casualty list. with four
deaths from fever and dysentery, three
men wounded. apparently from shell fire,
and on O separate entry ten killed and six
teen wounded In what looked like sortie
or reconnaissance last Friday. in which
were engaged the Fifth lancers, who
fought SO wei at Glands laagte. and the
remnants of the Gloucester regiment and
the Tenth mountain battery, which were
entrapped at Nicholson's mex. There were
no details and 1t was possible that Brit
ish gun had burst or that the enemys gun
fire had been sufficiently accurate that day
to account for SO large casualty list. but
the optimists chose to infer that Gen.
Whites men had been again showing their
mettle by venturing outside their lines, cs-
pecially as Lieut.. Col. Fawcett, of the
Fifth lancers the officer apparently In
command. was severely wounded. This reg
iment was stationed at Pietermaritz5urg
before the opening of the war and has lost
heavily in OFFICERS during the campaign in
Natal.
whether the Ladysmith garrison is fight
ing CALAMITY outside or Is exposed to
closer and more destructive fire from the
enemy's guns. these casualty lists. with
their fatal cases of typhoid fever. are elo-
quent appeals to the British army beyond
the Tugela to rescue It as speedily as possi-
bio from prolongation of the siege. The
relief Of Ladysmith has become Gen. Bull
ler's first objective point. and everything
else has been sacrificed to attain that OBJ
ject.
Cape Dutch Joining Beers.
The Times correspondent Of Sterks.rom
describes the general attitude of the Cape
Dutch. He says that Gen. Gatacre's re-
verse and the news of other British disas-
ters undoubtedly encourage many waverers
to Join the Boer commandoe although the
number OF those who have done so is great
ly exaggerated.
All Reservists Called Out.
The last reservists of all arms and
branches Of the service have been called
upon to rejoin their colors. When this
summons has been answered 1t will be pos
sible to judge the effectiveness Of the mob
ilization scheme as whole. but apparent
ly the military authorities have been over
sanguine in assuming that three army
corps can be recruited from the first line
of reservists. They will certainly have
two. but third will have to be pieced out
with militia and volunteers. 1t has also
become apparent that the militia, which has
a paper strength of 10000, includes $4,000
men of the regular army reserve. and Is
scaled down to $4,000 men in an emergency
fIY. ~. 81
have appeared in two places as reserves
and false impression of the country's mil
itary resources has been created.
Little News at Hand.
There is no trustworthy news from Bull
ler's army and the military writer's are
weary of the thankless business Of planning
his campaign for him at distance of 5000
miles, especially when frontal attack seems
the only resource of British strategy In
the field. There is general agreement. how
ever, among the military men that an ef-
fort to force the passage of the river will
not be attempted the second time near
Colenso until full control Of the southern
bank has been secured. The arrival of the
siege train is reported at last at Cape Town.
The military authorities have at last sup
piled their army In South Africa with a
dozen heavy guns after the Beers have
been dragging siege guns from the Pretoria
forts over upper Natal and across the veldt
to Magersfontein and Mafeking and out
CHASING the British horse and field artil-
lery. 1t Is not yet clear whether Gen.
Methuen or Gen. Butler will make use of
these guns in attacking the strongly forth
fed positions In front Of them.
<xx-,
veley where a picket of hussars posted
on a hill were surprised by party Of
hundred Beers. two troopers being killed
and five or six horses captured.
To Join Cheshire's Rough Riders.
NEW YORK, Dec. 27.-Sidney Pagot sail
ed for England today to join Lord Che