The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1899-11-04
ALL UNCERTAIN
Definite News From Ladysmiti
Said to Be Entirely
Lacking,
Though the Usual Prolific Crop
Of RuMOrs Is in Circu.
latiOn.
Beers Moving South and May
Even Capture the Natal
Capital.

ties to mobilize IS battalions of militia
at their respective headquarters on va.
rious dates after Nov. 20.
LONDON. Nov. 4.-Belated dispatches
from the British camp at Ladysmith,
Natal, add little information regarding
Mondays fight, except the estimates of
the Boer losses. which are now said to
be IS killed and 200 wounded, mostly
victims of the artillery shells, which
have wrought such great havoc, that it
is said General Joubert, the Boer
commander-in-chief, has written a let.
ter to General White. the British com
mander, protesting against the use Of
lyddite. According to all accounts the
presence at Ladysmith of the long
range naval guns and the splendid
shooting of the bluejackets, have mate
rally improved the position Of the Brit
ish. A temporary armistice was de-
clared Monday evening to allow of the
collection of the dead and wounded.
Optimism Possibly Just,fabl~.
While the wires to Ladysmith are
cut, the optimism of the war Office Of
ficials Thursday evening in refusing to
believe that Ladysmith was completely
invested or Colenso captured appears to
be justified, as it was asserted that the
railroad is still open, though traffic has
been conducted with the greatest eau.
ton. What. however, was only a ru-
NOR. may. it is claimed, be reality at
any moment. as General Joubert is ex-
pected to detach several thousand men
and make a dash at the railroad. Ru-
mors Of all kinds are s%pringing mp here.
1t is even asserted that General White
has been compelled to fall
back on Pietermaritzburg. leaving
his wounded behind. Probably such
rumors have their origin in the recol-
lection of the ominous silence which
proceeded the evacuation Of Dundee.
But on the other hand, it is asserted
that conditions are altered and British
guns o seem to be more than equal
to the a%rtilley of the Beers, thus en-.
HANGING the difficulty of any assault on
the British line.
A Cape Town dispatch reports a re-.
pulse of the Beers by the British.
Foreign News May Be Accurate.
While there is a habit here to as
sumo that news of Boer victory eman-
ating from the Continent cannot be
true, because of the censorship, the
fact is forgotten that foreign govern
ments are fully privileged to send and
receive cipher messages to and from
their representatives in South Africa.
AS a matter of fact, the rumor of the
capture of the Hussars, the occupation
of Dundee and the disaster Of Monday
came first from Berlin, from which city
also came the first news of the Jameson
raid. So. tidings of any British reverse
are as likely to come from there as
from anywhere. General Whites posi-
ton is acknowledgement be so precarious
that the landing of a big naval brigade
to go to his assistance is being advo-
Gated.
The list of casualties among the nom
commissioned officers and men at Far
quhar's farm shows the Gloucesters
lost 30 killed and SO wounded; the Fusi-
leers, 10 killed and Al wounded and the
Tenth Mountain battery, 2 wounded be-
fore they surrendered.
The captured. who are given under
the head of missing, are divided as fol-
lows: Gloucesters, 10 officers and $50
men; Tenth Mountain battery, 5 e officers
and "a men; Fusileers, not yet reported.
Adlspatch from Kimberley, dated Oct.
20, said all the wounded were doing
we'll. Small bodies of Beers, about 400
strong, were then frequently seen.
They apparently came from MafekinR,
tor the purpose either of assisting in the
attack On Kimberley, or to resist the
advance of reinforcements. The alb
sence of water outside the place causes
the Beers to continually move their
camps.
General Jan N. Kock, who was sec.
ond in command in the Transyaal
forces and who was wounded in the
battle of Elandslaagte, died in the hos
pital at Ladysmith OH Monday night.
Intentions OF the Beers.
A report that a Boer force with guns
from Koomati Poort is making it's way
through Zululand is held to indicate On
intention to seize the railway between
Colonso and Pietermaritzburg, if it has
not already been seized. This. how.
ever, will soon be known as armored
trains are patrolling the line.
The real question now for the British
public is: Can General White hold ont
another ten days O two weeks until the
frmy corps arrivesf Less anxiety would
be felt on his account were it not that
every day seems to bring out a fresh
batch Of news showing that something
has been concealed as to the real state
of affairs.
The Times appears to think there
may be some truth in the Paris and
Berlin dispatches that Colonso had
been canfnrad and tho n,,rha. ..l.a.a