The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-17


pany of the Dublin fusiliers, steamed to
Chievely early this morning. On its re-
turn it was shelled by the artillery of the
Beers, placed in four positions. Two
trucks in front of the engine left the rails,
topping over. While the train was thus
helpless, the Durbans and Dublins faced
the Beers in sklrmishing order, and the
Beers poured shot and shell into the Grip
pied train. The derailed trucks were with
great difficulty replaced and the line was
cleared, when the engine and tender
steamed back
During the juncture, Lieut. Winston
Churchill, Of the Fourth hussars, and son
of the late Lord Randolph Churchill, dis
played much courage, as also did the
driver and fireman. 1t is feared the
DublinS and Durbans Jared badly. a Red
Cross party has gone out. The Natal
Mercury, describing the engagement,
says:
The enemy apparently opened fire with
a Maxim and two nine-pounders, getting
the range accurately. The fire was SO
severe that the telegraph wires and poles
were destroyed. Their guns were posted
on kopje covered with brushWood, and
their sharpshooters were hidden behind
bushes. The Dublins and volunteers,
fighting an uphill battle, thrice drove the
enemy back, but the fire from the rifles
and big guns was too much for the little
party, which was weakened at the out
set by the overturning of the trucks,
hurting several.
Lieut. Churchilrs bravery and GOODNESS
were magnificent. Encouraged by him,
all worked like heroes in clearing the line
to enable the engine and tender to pass"
Later details show that a heavy rain
and mist compelled a cessation of firing.
Lieut.. Churchill bravely carried the
wounded to the tender, under fire. While
the Beers were destroying the train
their scouts pushed in and exchanged
shots with the British pickets, a few
miles from Estcourt. 1t appears that
the Beers were in ambush. AS soon as
the train had passed up they emerged
from cover and dislodged the sleeper
bolts.
SURVIVORS ARRIVE.
Seven of the Durbans have just come in,
making twenty-three missing. Only f1f-
teen of the Dublins have returned. The
Natal SeVen-pounder, which was In front
of the truck, had fired three shots when
it was shattered by the Boer artillery.
The armored engine has many bullet
marks and It's dome cover smashed, as
also is it's automatic exhaust pipe and
twenty-hve-ton screw jack. The tender
IS also pitted with bullets. 1t is rumored
that Lieut.. Churchill is prisoner.
AT 8 o'clock this evening the Red Cross
train returnC1. DR.. Bristoe reported that
on meeting the Boer patrol he was halted
and asked what he wanted. He replied
that he had come with the train to re-
move the killed and wounded. The Beers
told him to make his request in writing,
and DR.. Bristoe complied. After waiting
for two hours another Boer came and
informed DR.. Bristoe that as Gen. Jou-
bert was very far away no answer to
the request could be furnished until to-
morrow morning. The BOer said that if
DR., Bristoe would then return, with a
white flag, he could count upon a reply
from Gen. Joubert. Dr. Bristoe then in
Quired if there were many wounded. The
Boer replied he had heard there were
about seven. He declined to give any
information regarding Lieut.. Winston
Churchill. 1t has rained all day. and is
still raining.
REPORT CONFIRMED.
DURHAM, Natal, Nov 16-The Natal
Advertiser has a dispatch from EstcOurt
which says:
when part of the armored train was
overturned by the Beers turning up the
rails the British alighted and exchange d
volleys with the Beers. The engine driver,
when the rails were replaced, seeing the
position was hopeless, steamed back to
Estcourt with a few of the Dublins and
fifteen of the Durbans, including Capt
Wylie, who was wounded, on the tender
The fate of the remainder Of the Durbans
and Dublins and Lieut.. Churchill is un-
known"
Special dispatches from Estcourt esti-
mate the wounded and missing of the
armored train contingent from 100 to $50.
the missing including Capt. Haldane. 1t
is hoped that some escaped over the veldt,
and will return to Estcourt in few days.
BOER DEFEAT AT LADYsMITH.
ESTCOURT, Nov. 16 "A missionary, a
native, but reliable man, who arrived
here yesterday from Ladysmith, reports
that a big fight took place there on Fri
day Nov. 10. He says that volunteers
went out in the early morning and drew
the enemy from their positions onto a
fiat, where the regular troops, under
Gen. Sir George White, outmaneuvered
them by outhanking the Beers, admins
tering crushing defeat and infiicting
great loss More than 200 Kaffirs, the
missionary says, were employed by the
Ioers to bury their dead, and two trains,
each drawn by two engines, carried away
the wounded.
RUMORED DEATH OF JOUBERT.
DURHAM, Nov. 12.-It is rumored here
that Commandant General Joubert, of
the Boer forces, is dead.
The Times, of Natal. publishes tele-
grom from Lourenzo Marques saying
that Gen Joubert was killed in action on
| Thursday. Nov. 9.
LONDON, Nov ia dispatch receiv-
ed here today from Pietermaritzburg,
dated Nov. II, says it is rumored there
that Gen. Pet Joubert, commander-in-
chief of the Boer forces, has been killed
in action. Though the report comes from
many different quarters, it obviously
lacks confirmation. At the same time,
many people believe the report to be well
founded, as the generals death is said
to have occurred Nov. 9, when the Boer
rifiemen We're understood to be within
! 1,500 yards of Ladysmith.
FIRES IN LADYSMITH.
LOURENZO MARQUES, Delagoa Bay,
Nov. ia local newspaper states that
Ladysmith was subjected to a very
heavy bombardment all day Tuesday,
and that at midnight all the cannon on
the hills surrounding the town opened
fire simultaneously, pouring shells from
all points of the compass. Several build
ings afire, the newspaper asserts, could
be seen distinctly from Bulawan hill.