Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-26
BULLETS FLY AT LADYSMITH
Hostilities of Tuesday Are Renewed
with Beers Placed Mt Dis
advantage.

LONDON, Oct 25.--A special dispatch
from Capetown dated 9:10 this morning,
says there has been another battle at Lady
smith and that the Beers were repulsed.
The British casualties were placed at four
killed and seven wounded, all rank and file.
General White has telegraphed to the war
office from Rietfontein, under date OF Oc-
tober "a, saying that in the fighting near
Ladysmith twelve of the British force were
killed and eighty-nine wounded and that
five are missing, the casualties being most
among the Gloucester regiment
The belief that Great Britain is on the
verge OF crisis, or even a conflict far
greater than that in the Transvaal. has many
supporters, though the lack OF all official
confirmation favors the conservative views
that the remarkable military and naval
activity is due to desire to take thorough
precautions which, though ominous, have at
present no special bearing upon Great
Britains European relations. Advices from
the continent strengthen this view. For
instance, the Fremdenblatt Of Vienna to-
! day says:
Nothing points to the eventualty Of the
intervention Of Europe in favor of the
Beers"
The paper adds that Germany especially
has resolved mot to depart from her atti-
tude of neutrality"
On the other hand. the Neue ,Weiner
Iaseblatt publishes a telegram from the
Iransvaal legation at Brussels. announcing
that DIR. Leyds has received formal assur-
ances that France and Russia will not per-
Hlt dreat Britain to annex the Transyaal
or the orange Free State. This is dis
created, however, as it is pointed out that
even II thls were the intention of the
powers mentioned they would not allow
n hn oh
the medium of DR.. Leyds
The l%ssian newspapers may be somewhat
responsible for the general impression in
regard to European intervention. the ST.
petersburg Russkija advocating that Great
blltain be brought to it's senses by a naval
demonstration in South Africa, in which
France would take the lead.
! LONDON, Oct. 25.-The commander-in
chler, Field Marshal Lord Wolseley. has an
| parently now heen convicted of "doctorinp"
| othclal reports from the front and there is n
strenuous demand on all sides for a reversion
| 10 the earlier practice, when the REPORTS OF
ueneral Sir George Stewart White the Brit
| ish commander in Natal, were given out
| teXtualy as soon as received. The ccm-
mander-in- chiefs summary read in the
House of Commons yesterday smoke of Cen
eral White having fought a successful action,
| whereas General Whites own account nuts
/ an entirely different complexion on the stu
| aI'on ana reduces the movement to its
proper proportions and shows that further
! exciting intelligence may be expected from
the same quarter at any moment
1t Is quite evident that the war in Natal
| mas only commenced and that the Beers are
by no means discouraged at losing the first
two battles and many experts are satisfied
General Joubert is even now close to the
! heels of the British md hat
tion may be fought today or tomorrow.
! The main fact that the British were forced
to evacuate the Natal triangle which the
! Beers, naturally, rightly claim as a con-
spicuous success, and which they may even
emphasize by proclamation annexing
| Northern Natal. Is proving an unpalatable
pill to the public whose appetite has been
whetted by the previous successes, which had
been assumed TO be greater than they really
were, as the determination and gallantry OF
the Beers enabled them to quickly reorgan- =
lie and achieve desired objects by other
| methods,
! Beers Good Marksmen.
Later estimates OF the Boer losses at
Elandslaagte give 800 killed. Their cool
ness, bravery and good aim can be Judged
from the fact that out of seventeen or
eighteen officers with the half battalion OF
Gordon Highlanders four were killed and
thirteen were wounded, while the casualties
among the rank and file were 27 per cent
during less than three hours fighting, Lieu
tenant Campbell OF the Gordon Highlanders
has since died from his wounds.
A dispatch from Capetown today says that
General White has engaged the Orange Free
State Beers who were advancing on Lady
smith, about seven miles northward, and
that 1t was believed the advance had been
repelled. This is probably another version
of yesterdays fighting, as already known.
General White this morning oficially mott