The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1899-12-08
At SPYTF0NTEIN
indications Point to a Great Bat
tie There in the Near
Future.
boer Advance in Northeastern
Cape Colony Regarded as
Remarkable.
Metheun Resumes Command and
Is in Communication With
Kimberley.

LONDON. Dec. s.-The war Office has
received the following from General
Forestier.Walker, British commander
1t Cape Town:
"Wednesday, Dec. 6.-General Me-
thuen wires that he has resumed com.
mand and is nightly in communication
with Kimberly. The health of the
troops is excellent"
A story was current at Durham on
Wednesday to the effect that the Beers
had made what is thought to be their
anal effort to capture Ladysmith, Dec.
:, and were defeated and retreated. As
the story was brought by runners it
should be received with reserve, as the
unreliability of these "kafirgrams" is
notorious. According to this report
the Beers opened furious lombard
ment during the morning of Dec. 4,
continued 1t for hours, when the Brit
!sh finally silenced the Boer guns, made
sortie and hard fighting followed, the
Beers retreating after very heavy losses,
estimated in the hundreds.
The dispatches from Frere camp par
TALLY confirm retirement of Free
state burghers from the vicinity of
Ladysmith, but do not indicate that the
retreat was the result of defeat on the
previous day, while the statement in
the same dispatch that the Beers were
dring into Ladysmith shows the Boer
guns We're still accurate. 1t is pointed
out. however, that all suggestions Of
weakness refer to the Free Staters. Ap-
parently the Transvaal Beers are still
full of fight. though it is reiterated they
are short of supplies.
A Possible Explanation.
Perhaps an explanation of the retire.
ment Of the burghers from Natal can
be found in dispatch from Modder
river, Dec. ), saying that strong Boer
force, estimated to number 5000 men,
was reinforcing General Crosse from
Natal. The same dispatch says every
thing points to the fact that great en-
gagement will be fought at Spytfontein.
there and vigorously building stone de-
fenses and are digging rife pits in every
direction.
The Boer redoubts on Lazaretto ridge,
west of Kimberley, are also being ex-
tended and strengthened, showing that
rumors of the intention of the Beers to
abandon the attempt to stem General
Methuen's advance are unfounned.
The British have shifted their camp
a few hundred yards away from the
battlefield and are settling down for a
week. There are some cases of fever
among the troops. Much depends on
General Methuen's advance. There is
undoubtedly large concentration OF
Beers ahead of general Methuen. Prac-
tically the whole of the Mafeking forces
have Joined the Kimberley besiegers.
rocr Advance Becoming Remarkable.
The Boer advance in the northeastern
part Of Cape Colony is becoming re-
markable. The local farmers are flock
ing to the Boer laagers, the townspeo-
ple in many instances welcoming the
invaders with every demonstration Of
iov. The annexation OF British terri
tory proceeds daily.
The reported Boer successes have
made a great impression among the
farmers.
Adyices from Pretoria say the Beers
have allowed two cable messages to
reach Winston Churchill. The mint
at Pretoria is mining a hundred thou
sand sovereigns monthly.
The war Office has been notified that
the British had killed and % wounded
in the so1tie from Kimberley, Nov. 20,
including three colonial officers.
Special dispatches from Lorenzo Mar
auez, dated Tuesday. Dec. 5. says:
president Kruger is only prevented
from going to the front by the objec'
tions of the members of the executive
council. Mrs. Kruger, it is added, is
ill.,"