Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-12-12
Boer Victory at Strormburg Was
a Crushing Blow.
NEARLY 700 PRISONERS TAKEN
Lady NTH Reduce. Il to Half IsatIons. Gen.
Cronje Captured so British in the
Fight ut Modder River. No News
from Gatacre.
CIV The Racon'teur.l

0'y the Raconteur.)
l-f2NI)ON, Dee. l2-i:40 a. M.-Eo
further news has been received to re-
move the mystery ovel'hangi1lg Gen
e,s,l i:t,acres retreat from storm
burg. .Hc has not yet forwarded the
promised additional message: ana the
censorship has prevented the cores
pondents from, explaining the matter.
While it appears 10 be generally AL
ani;tcd that General l,atacre is inclin-
81 To- ovcrwork his men, Lord DIR
hams remarks are considered as in
bad taste. Until General G;ltacre has
given his explanation it is felt that
considerable allowance must be made
Tor she extreme difficulty of getting in
t-lligcn5,. in L country whose nhanit-
ants are in strong sympathy With the
enemy.
STRONGER. THAN LAINGs MEX.
StnrntburG is described as L stronger
position Than iI-ainss Mex. The only
read winds THROUGH lofty hills ana
thanking is impossible. C'olesburg IS
also said 10 be an almost inpreSnable
position: and as no tronlss are await
able TO reinforce the columns acting in
that General Calacre's misfortune Or
error will delay The invasion of the
Free State. PERHAPS. some weeks. 1T is
exceedingly probable that he will BE-
compelled 10 retire on Queenstown ard
10 wait for rcinforcent.rts W'hich can
hardly reach ham until Sir Charles
Warren's division arrives at The cape.
Tine first delarhnents will sail Satur-
day next. Even if General French is
no; compelled TO retreat he Will be OBJ
liged to riuse in his advance.
1t now seems certain that the seventh
division. which is being modified at
-Aldershot will also be sent TO South
Africa.
REPORT Is UNCoNFIRMED.
No news has Yet been received con-
corning the Boer report of the capture
of fifty prisoners at Nlu6der river from
Lord Methuen's column. 1t is just
fwn months since the Tlan.sNaal ulu-
mia tuln was lGelivered. Nine enga ge-
ments have been fought and the Brit
ish have lost FIVE hundred and sixty
six. killed. two Thousand and twenty
seven wounded and nineteen hundred
and seventy-seven. missing or prison.
erS. ..
The war office has issued Il notice
that after January l a deduction will
be made from the pay OF soldiers serN-
ing in South African the case Of
privates four pence per day. for wives
:tn',. penny for each child; in the case
of Sergeants, eli hit pence for wives and
TWO pence for each child. These sums
have thus far been paid by the govern
u.
that the campaign will be long one.
FIGHTING WITH LYDD1TE.
MoDDER RIVER, CAPE COLONY,
Sunday evening, Dec. 10.-The naval 40
inch gun again took ul, a position
north of the camp this afternoon
while the howitzer battery was posted
southeast on the left of the Beers.
I:orh opened a hot fire With lyddite
shells and shrapnel, to which the Beers
sharply replied With dozen guns.
thus ul!naslling their position which
was the object OF the British 1nsanoeu
we. After an hours firing the Boer
guns We're Silenced, the howitzer's
searched the trenches and then threw
shell after shell. upon the mills, the
explosion Of the lyddite causing the
whole ground over an extensive area
to rise in the air in dense brown clouds.
a l'oer long gun was dismantled.
It nov appears that the Beers intend
the mex! fight is to take place at Mag
ersfontein. Apparently Spytfonrein is
NOT defended or the Beers are urwil-
ling 10 unmask their position there as
the replies to the British artillery We're
I'll from guns at Magersfonten.
HALE R.ATIONS AT L4ADESMITH.
LORENZO MARQUES. Dec. 1.-THE
following dispatch has been received
from the Boer laaser near Ladysmi tn:
Several kaffir runners from Lady
si.iGll t. t.stcourt have been captured.
They received from Is pounds to 10
pounds for the trip. The intercepted
messages show that men and horses in
Lady are now on half laiOnS.
hat Whiskey is one pound bottle and
that beer is exhausted
s72E BRITISH PRISONERS.
PRETORIA, Dec. 11.-SiX hundred
and sevrnly-tWo British prisoners
were taken at Stormburg.
The fighting at Modder- river yester-
ino jr1i.l Ii I'D