The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-11-17

Lieut. Churchill is a prisoner.
ARRIVAL OF TRANSPORTS.
London, 1Jov. LIT was officially an
n1aneed that the British transports
Malta. City of Vienna and City of Cam
bridge, have arrived at Cape Town and
that the transport Manila has sailed
from Cape Town for Natal. The Brit
ish transport Orient has arrived at
Durham.
BULLER's REPORT.
London, Nov. 17--The war Office has
received the following dispatch from
Gen. Butler:
cape Town. Nov. 16.-Have received
from Hildyard Pietermaritzburg a tel
egram dated November Is, Of which the
following is the purpOrt:
" The officer commanding the troops
at EstcOurt reports at midday that an
armOred train left Est court this morn
ing with a company of the Dublin Fus-
iliers and a company of the Durham
volunteers. North of Frere they en-
cOuntered a party of Beers and began
to withdraw. While retiring some OF
the trucks were derailed. The Dublins
turned out and advanced towards the
enemy, while the rest of the train ap-
pears to have returned without them
to EstcOurt.
d" The officer commanding the troops
reported that he was sending mounted
troops in order to cover their with
drawal, but that about 100 are miss
ing
BRAVE SERGEANT TOD.
ESCOfI, Natal NOV ia cores
pondent who has just visited the sani-
torium hospital says all the armored
trained wounded are doing well. Capt.
/ Wylie in on interview said Sergeant
Tod deserves special mention for hav-
ing surrounded him with bOulders to
protect him from the rifle fire, when
laying helpless and wounded. Tod even
lay down beside the officer to cheer him
up. A shell landed among the protect
ing bOulders, spattering them with
earth, but Capt Wylie sustained no fur
ther injury.
CHURCHILL'S LAST DISPATCH.
New York, Nov IA World dis
patch from EstcOurt, Natal, gives the
last cable from Lieut.. Winston Spencer
Churchill before his capture by the
Beers. The dispatch says: About 500
Beers have arrived at Chievley sta
ton. They blew up the railway line
there with dynamite retiring on seeing
a mounted infantry patrol and other
patrOlling parties.
The Beers are reported today to be
south of the Tugela river which runs
through COlenso.
Reports from Weenen Cabout 200
miles northeast of EstcOurO indicate
that it is possible that an attack is in
tended to be made upon this place.
CThis undoubtedly refers to the move
ment of Gen. Schalkburger's commando
which has been reported as advancing
from the TranSvaal through Zululand
upon the capital of Natal in the rear
OF the British troops penned up in
Ladysmith). The troops here while
sleeping III IIelE DOOIS maintained IIle
utmost vigilance, but general confidence
prevails that in the grassy (Open) cOun-
try any Dutch attack can be repulsed.
The situation is much clearer through
out Natal.
Further efforts to signal Ladysmith
failed, but the BOer Hello acknowledged
them saying: ''Wiu be with you tomor-
The British reply was much shorter.
(Signed).
LIEUT.. WINSTON CHURCHILL.
EsTCOURT REINFORCED.
New York, Nov. IA dispatch to the
Tribune from London says:
While sensational dispatches respect
ing an advance of a portion of General
JOubert's forces from COlensO and the
investment of EstcOuTt have not been
confirmed, the Beers have repeated the
earliest incident Of the war by attack
ing and destroying an armOred train
which had been used for accommodating
purposes. The earliest accounts of this
affair differ in details, but it is evident
that the train was suddenly fired upon
between EstcOurt and COlensO, and
probably derailed. The trains gun was
disabled, according to one account and
the men were forced into a hard fight,
in which there were serious losses in
killed and wounded and possibly priS-
Oners as Well 1t was good Boer trap
and the British force was apparently
surprised. EStcOurt has already been
reinforced, and it is not likely that the
Beers Will attempt to invest it.
As the Mohawk has arrived at the
Cape with the Twelfth LanceTs cavaI-
ry viii be available in three days for a
relief column.
The embargo on news at the cape
has been so prOhibitive that anything
may have happened at LadySmith dur
ing the past few days. For this rea-
son a rumOr from Pretoria, by way Of
LOurenZO Marquee. that General JOu-
bert had fallen in action on Thursday
can neither be accepted nor rejected.
4 That was the day on which the last Of
fetal dispatch with details OF the bonn
bardment was sent through TO Durham.
The rumOr Of his death fits in with
vague reports previously received that
general firing that was was unusually
severe and that a close approach was
made to the British lines of defense.
1t was also exposed to the inherent i'm
probability that an engagement could
have taken place and the BOer com
mander been killed without the world
knowing something about it within
eight days.
General Joubert's death would nat
urally have produced an important eff
feet upon the BOer plan of attack. A
younger and more impuls.ve general
would have taken the place of a warier
and more cautious commander, and
some hOLSpur would have been likely
to order assault upon General
Whites position. General JOubert has
been at once a most reSOurcefuI gen
eral, and the noblest patriot on the
BOer side. slim Piet," as he always
has been known among the South At
ricans, refused to take office under Sir
| Theophilus Shenstone's scheme of Brit
ish annexation, when Kruger himself
was less scrupulOus He protested
against that act of aggression, and was
willing to fight for the liberties of the
Transvaal when Kruger was not equal
/ " stanch. Joubert. while full of craft
and wiles as any old deer stalker. was
no match for Kruger in the subtIeties
of politics. He lacked Kruger's grit
and inflexible will
Reports of a reconnaissance from Or
ange river to Belmont accompany ac-
counts of the attack on the armorad
train above Estcourt, and serve to indi-
60 e. ir,nIa Ill. -