The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-15


fOntein-BOdy OF Gen. Wauchepe
Found Near Boer Trenches-Was
Shot Through Chest and Thigh
Relief of Ladysm1th UncOnfirmed.
| FRERE CAMP, Natal Dec. 14.-Firing
can be heard this morning in the direction
| OF Colenso, and an artillery duel is ex-
| pected today.
! MODDER RIVER, Wednesday, Dec 19
-Ambulances started early yesterday
| morning, under flag Of truce, to collect
the wounded and bury the dead who fell
at Magersfontein. Brig Gen. Wauchepe,
who led the Highland brigade, was found
dead near the trenches, shot in the chest
and thigh. few wounded were found
near the trenches. Several wounded
Beers were taken to the British hospital
| The side Of the hill and the immediate
neighborhood Of the Boer trenches show
| ed dead bodies all about One wounded
| Boer Informed a correspondent Of the
Associated Press that their loss was ter
| rible. The whole Scandinavian corps was
| destroyed. Judging from information
| gathered from the Boer wounded and
| from prisoners taken in different parts
Of the field the Boer loss must exceed
| 700. The destruction wrought by the navy
| guns was enormous. Word was passed
along the Boer lines to prepare to retreat
| at nightfaH All confess that it was their
greatest loss during the war
The British troops have returned to
Modder river, owing to the lack Of water
| near the position held yesterday
BULLER EXPECTED TO STRIKE.
LONDON, Dec. 15-The war Office is
, still without news from Ladysmith other
| than that already published. The general
| belief is that the large Boer forces Lord
| Methuen encountered at Magersfontein
| were partly drawn from Natal and that
| Gen. Butler will strike a blow before they
| have time to return.
! The newspapers are calling upon the
| government to employ the CunarGers as
we'll as the White Star liners as trans
| ports, seeing the urgent necessity of get
| ting men to the Cape as speedily as pos
! sible. Forty thousand men could still be
| sent from England without calling upon
the militia for service. That BODY con-
| tains 100000. and from this body 90 600
carefully selected could be spared for
| South Africa. Moreover. the colonies are
again proffering assistance. The great
| est need therefore IS speedy transports.
Sir Charles Warren. who arrived at
Cape Town yesterday, will probably join
Lord Methuen and take command of the
| combined forces.
A Chronicles Modder river dispatch,
which is at variance with all other ae-
| counts, reports Lord Methuens force as
retiring on Modder river as the result of
more artillery firing during the day.
RUSHING REINFORCEMENT
The war office this evening made the
| following announcement:
''The Sixth division has been mobilized
| and four battalions of this division will
have been embarked by Sunday. The
government has also approved of the i'm
mediate mobilization of the Seventh di-
vision"
QUEEN GREATLY PERTURBED.
1t is stated by person in a position to
| know that the queens mental. anxiety
! gives the graveSt alarm TO the royal
| household. The queen insists on receiv-
! ing the minutest information from the
war Office as to the state of affairs. Yet
she is completely overcome when the
particulars of each engagement are re-
| lated.
No matter where one went last night
to the theater, the club or the hotel
there was but one topic of discussion
| Methuen's defeat and his probable losses.
| Later in the evening. when it became
| known that Gen Wauchope and the Mar
ed, the tension was increased, as the
| thought flashed through all minds that
the list of killed and wounded will carry
grief to many stately as well as 10 MANY
| lowly homes 1t is not an exaggeration
to say that almost every handsome man.
sion in the fashionable West end contains
anxious and sleepless men and women
this morning.
BOERS DRIVEN BACK.
no 11o.
Ing dispatch from Gen. Forester Walker
at Cape Town;
'Gen. French wires. under date of Dec
Is. reporting sSlrmish at ocock in
the morning with 1880 Beers. who were
advancing southwark toward Nauwpoort.
The skirmishing continued all the morn
ing, the Beers fighting a front Of
fourteen miles, The enemy retired with
a loss of forty killed and wounded. Our
casualties were one killed, seven wound
ed, including one officer, and two miss
irg."
BRITISH CALM COMPLIMENTED.
The Duke of Devonshire, lord prest -ent
of the council Of ministers, speaking in
York city this evening, congratu-
lated the country upon the calm 1t was
displaying during a serious crisis and
Uron the fact that despite the diversity
of political opinion there was only one
voice regarding the duty of the governs
ment to prosecute the war.
1.-The longer and the more arduous the
struggle becomes, said his grace, the
more fixed should be our determination
never again to let our African colonies
bear the suffering ana loss which they
are now experiencing"
He deprecated criticisms on British
commanders in the fell; and, in dilating
upon the attitude of foreign nations, he
said he thought too much attention had
been paid to the comments Of foreign
newspapers, in view of the fact that the
attitude of every power has been strictly
correct.
SOME ONE BLUNDERED.
The correspondent of the Standard at
Modder river, describing the fight at
Magersfontein, says:
"Six miles had to be covered before the
Highland brigade could reach the Boer
stronghold 1t Is not clear through what
mischance the force, which was led by
guides, came upon the Boer trenches SO
unexpectedly and so suddenly. Beyond
question the Beers were aware of the ap-
proach of the British, and had prepared
to receive them. According to one version
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