Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-27
ANXIETY At SITUATION THERE
UNEASINEsS OVER MAFEFING

mentary lulI In the fighting in Natal comes
news from the western border, which tenn
porarily shifts the scene of chief interest
to the belea guered force at Kimberley. The
sharp struggle there Tuesday appears to
have been a sortie with view of breaking
the Gordon surrounding the place. The
| British, apparently 500 strong. met zoo
| Beers. and. according to the official and
other accounts. routed them after severe
fighting in which the armored trains ap-
pear to have done valuable service The
| Beers were entrenched strongly seven
miles northward and the British brilliant
ly carried the enemy's position without Sc
rioUs loss.
1t is said that the Beers twice unfairly
used a white flag. Botha who was among
the killed, was a member of the volksraad
and famous Dutch fighter. He distin-
guished himself as marksman at Brenk-
horst-spruit. when the 94th British Regi-
ment was moved down. He afterward de-
Tended a farmhouse against the British.
| When he surrendered the farmhouse Botha
was found with five wounds, bathed in
blood.
Boer Defeat at RivertOn.
A special dispatch from Cape Town to-
day gives details of the defeat of 200 Beers
' by the British at Riverton, north of kim
berley, Wednesday, in which the enemy
was completely routed with heavy loss, the
British loss being three men killed and
twenty men, including two officers, wound
ed This is probably the same fight. though
a different date is given, as referred to in
the Cape Town dispatch of yesterday, in
which IT was said that the official reports
from Kimberley Tuesday announced that
Col Scott-Turner, with 2T0 men. had an
engagement with the Beers, during which
a detachment Of $50 men of the Lancashire
Regiment distinguished itself and the ar
mored trains did good service.
The Beers were unable to withstand the
splendid charge of the Lancashires, who
cleared the hill occupied by the enemy at
the point of the bayonet. The Boer losses
are described as very heavy. Col. Scott
Turner's force consisted cf the local vol
unteers. who, with the Lancashires. com
pIeted the rout of the burghers, after Muir
rays artillery had driven them out of their
intrenchments. Botha commanded the
Boshof force. The fight lasted four hours.
| Before the sortie, Kimberley was appar-
emily in high spirits, as a dispatch from
there, dated October %, says every one was
cheerful at that time and that a we'd
ding was celebrated there that day. The
dispatch adds:
Great enthusiasm has been aroused here
by the news of the British successes in
Natal. Several farmers in the neighbor-
hood of Kimberley have been noticed in
the ranks OF the Beers. letter from
Father Rorke said COO Beers with 100 wag
ons, were laagered at Taungs. All the
whites have left. except the women, who
sought refuge in the convent. The Boer
commandant has promised to protect
them"
Anxiety About Mafeking.
The news from the northern border indi-
Gates that the Beers are actively trying to
prevent Col Plurner from relieving Mafe-
king, hence the absence of news since Pre-
toria announced the bornbardment of he
place is creating considerable alarm. The
newspapers are making the most of what
they claim to be Significant admissions"
in the supposed Boer official kilograms"
The colonial office has made public the
following telegram received from Governor
Hutchinson. dated Pietermaritzburg Octo-
ber 90:
The following telegram has been re-
ceived from Greytown from D. Greig. a
resident OF Dundee, formerly In the tele-
graph service:
II left Dundee this morning. Gen. Sy-
buried the following morning close to the
| English church. by the Rev. W. Daily.
| There was firing party and few medical
officers and few civilians attended the fu-
neral There were no Beers. Col. Eckett
Majs. Boultbee. HammersIey and Nugent
and also Crum. JohnstOne and Ryan are
improving. The Beers occupied Dundee
Monday afternoon
A dispatch from Utrecht, TransvaaI Re
public. says:
The lighting at Glencoe lasted nine
hours The burghers say that they never
witnessed such fight. Gen. Lucas Myers
force Of COCO, with eighty-six guns was
several times repulsed."
Related dispatches from Tui fort par
TALLY elucidate the situation on the Rhode
san border. 1t appears that Col Plumer
ascertained that all the Zoutpansbers
Bocrs. numbering 100 men. mustered under
Piet and Joubert at the Brack river. and
proceeded to Limpopo river where they ar
rived October 1G accompanied by number
of armed Shangaan and Zoutpansberg
kahlrs. whom they had compelled to take
up arms The British thereupon captured
three kafir chiefs. who are now held as
hostages for the good behavior Of their
tribes.
skirmishes Between Scouts
on October 10 reconnoitering patrols. pro-
ceeding along the north bank of the river
IN westerly direction. suddenly eucoun-
tered a party of Beers in some dense bush
on the Rhodesia side OF the Limpopo The
patrol retired. and the Beers fired, wound
ing trooper. Subsequently Capt. Glynne.
with patrol. left Tuli. with the obtect Of
locating the Boer force.
On October 21 a strong Boer patrol WAS
encountered at Rhodes Drift in ,b,cL
bush A sharp skirmish was the rearI,
Two of the British were killed ana two
wounded The Beers had seven men xtIIaa
and many wounded. The Beers retiyed 20
a strong position on kopje at Points Dr,f,
Maj. Pilsen. with an ambulance. pro.
ceeded TO fetch the dead and wounded. ana
while placing the bodies on a cart thu
Beers reopened fire, killing two horses; bu,
in spite Of the sharp shooting the British
succeeded IN carrying away their COM
rades.
The latest dispatch from Tun. dated oe.
tober "a. says:
"A Boer patrol crossed the river ton miles
abcve Rhodes Drift twice recently, harry