The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-10-28
BOTH SlDES RESTING
Probably Preparing For q Decisive
Battle in the Transvaal.
TUESDAYS FIGHT AT KIMBERLEY

According to British Dispatches tho
Britons Repulssd Superior Force
eff Beers, and the Docr Commander,
Botha, Was Among the Killed,
London, Oct. 2S.-The dispatches
from the seat Of war In the Transvaal
are few and far between. 1t is pre-
sumed In Natal that the Beers are re-
constructing their plans and that tho
English are resting, but kilograms
from Ladysmith at express rates still
occupy 48 hours In Transmission to
London, and therefore 1t Is not i'm
possible that something Is happening.
The special dispatches assert that
Colonel Baden-P Powell, the British COM
mander at Mafeking, is aware that
Pretoria has given General Cronje
orders to stay his hand. as already
there is quite enough to employe the
Beers in Natal.
During the momentary lull in the
fighting in Natal comes news from the
western border. which temporarily
shifts the scene of chief interest to
the beleaguered British force at Kim
berley. The sharp struggle there on
Tuesday appears to have been the re-
suit of sortie with the view of break
ing the Gordon surrounding the place.
The British, apparently 500 strong, met
700 Beers, and. according to the off,
cial and other accounts. routed them
after severe fighting. in which the ar
mored trains appear to have done val
liable service. The Beers were en-
trenched strongly seven miles north
ward, and the British brilliancy carried
the enemy's position without serious
loss. 1t is said that the Beers twice
unfairly used white flag. Botha, tho
Boer commander. who was among the
killed, was member of the volksraad,
and famous Dutch fighter.
A special dispatch from Cape Town
gives details Of the defeat Of 700 Beers
by the British at Riverton, north of
Kimberley, Wednesday, in which tho
enemy was completely routed with
heavy loss. the British loss being three
men killed and twenty wounded, in
Guiding two officers wounded.
The Daily Telegraph has the follow
ing from Ladysmith, dated Wednes-
day: Our cavalry patrols have been
fired on this forenoon and chased by
the enemy near the scene Of the Reit-
fontein engagement. The Beers show
signs Of becoming aggressive. We
learned Of the capture of the Hus-
sars IN response to military wire sent
to Commandant General Joubert.
The Cape Town correspondent of
The daily Telegraph says he learns
that Colonel Schiel. the wounded and
captured commander Of the German
contingent of the Boer forces, is the
same individual who acted as Cete-
wayos military adviser in the Zulu
war, and who. after the battle Of
Ulundi, offered g. 1000 as reward for
the capture Of the fugitive chief.
According to the latest account OF
the first battle at Glencoe the Boer
army amounted to 1000 men, and
about noon another army, almost as
large, under Commandant General
Joubert, advanced within 5000 yards Of
Glencoe camp and then retired. The
Boer losses were very heavy, fully 800.
Sir Alfred Miner, governor of Cape
Town, and W. P. Schreiner, the pre-
mier, have issued a proclamation de-
claring null and void the proclamation
Of the Orange Free State asserting
that portion of Cape Colony is now
Free State territory. Sir Alfred MIL
ner's proclamation warns all British
subjects in the colony of their duty
and obligations to the queen.
A telegram from Buluwayo, Rhode
sia, dated Monday, says: A Boer force
is threatening Chief Khama and Chief
Linchwe, who are loyal to Great Brit
ain. The two chiefs country lies at the
extreme northwest of the Transvaal
and includes Bechuanaland. 1t seems
a gross mistake for the Beers to pro-
woke war among the natives. The prob
able explanation is that the Boer force
intends to destroy the railway to Bulu-
wayo, and thus prevent any attempt
of Colonel Plummer's Rhodesian force
to 60 to the relief of Mafeking.