Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-11-16
FREE STA7gRS QUIT.
Reported They Are Tired OF
the War.
PROBABLY FEAR THE BASUTOs.
Rumored warIike Action May Have In
duced Some to Leave For Home-Ad-
vance From DGrban Likely Noon
Brilliant Fighting at Mafeking.

duced Some to Leave For Home-Ad-
vance From Durham Likely noon
Brilliant Fighting at Mafeking.
LONDON. Nov. l6.-Belated dispatches
from Ladysmirh tell Of a laGguid bonn
bombardment and Of native rumor
that the basutos are on the warpath,
which is supposed, according TO one COR
respondent, to have had the effect of ill.,
ducing some of t;4 Orange Free State
troops 10 abandon Jiie siege aud to re-
turn TO their own territory, and also to
be accountable for the siackness of the
attempts on the Ladysmith defenses.
Anot her correspondent said it was re-
ported that III the attack Oh the Free
State forces at Dewdrop the Beers had
800 in killed and wounded.
If the reports tnat the Free State
Burghers were tired of the affair and
were going home should prove true, the
fact would be most important as their
retirement would probably compel Gen.
Joubert to withdraw northwaId. The
statement tnat the Beers are enuenched
SO closely to Ladyslnith is held in some
quarters to indicate that they are run
ming short of ammunition for guns.
Ali General Buffers arrangements for
the advance from Durham. il is rrl-
mored, are practically completed, and
news of it may be expected in a few
days. The war office has received sew
eral dispatches dealing with military
details, but it is not likely that these
will be published. The whereabouts of
General Butler Is not publicly known
here, but he is believed TO be up country
somewhere.
LONDON, Nov. ia dispatch to The
Daily Mail from Mafeking, sent by way
OF Magalapye because the runners sent
southwark We're unable to traverse the
Boer lines. gave an interesting account
of the fighting during the last week i'll
October. The correspondent says in
part:
"After the failure TO rush the town.
General Cronle mad recourse to the tao.
tics employed during the siege of Potch.
efstroom Ill 1851, making an advance to
the town by a succession of trenches in
Echelon. Such a move had been antlci-
pated by US for some time, and for that
reason there had been sent ont parties
to worry the Beers necessarily by night
attacks.
"These tactics the enemy disliked, but
he contented himself with daily shell
fire which expOsed him to little personal
risk. Then Colonel Baden Powell
played his trump card by sending out
FitZclarencs' party to worry the occu-
pants of the trenches. The little force
stole out silently i'll the darkness No
shot was fired, and the men, with fixed
bayonets, creeping rather than walking
oil J,1,tlxy orr,-rachad rho inf
BOer position, near the race course.
shrill screech 1t wrs Fitzclarence'
whistle aud the signal fol- onslaught.
"a ringing British cheer, which the
listeners back in camp caught UP, was
the only reply as the party dashed into
the trenches. There was fearful
struggle, the attacking forces catching
and bayoneung the Beers under the
tarpaulins where they crouched, crying
for mercy. At least 30 bayonets got to
work, and the havoc they wrought was
terrible.
''For just Il moment there was no sys.
tematic return fire, but then a perfect
hailstorm of bullets poured in from the
trenches TO the rear. Again FitZclar-
ence's whistle sounded. 1t meant
''cease fire and scatter homeward.' The
British forces scattered, silently creep
ing back under the furious fire in the
darkness to the appointed rendezvous,
where the roll was called.
The dispatch described at another
point General Cronje's great attack of
Monday. the details of which have al
ready been cabled from Colonel Baden
Powell's official dispatches.
1.-The end came,' says the correspond
ent, ''after i've hours fighting. The
enemy retired. being heavily beaten for
all time, SO far as Mafeking is con-
cerned. 1t was the hottest day Of the
siege and the firing was terrific, the
Beers evidently recognizing that the
way into Mafeking, if any, is by kopje
which was gallantly defended by Colo
onel Walford's men. The garrison is
Jubilant, while the Beers have been
hurled back i'll disorder OH their laager
and will have to content themselves
with long range bombardment, unless
they are strongly reinforced.
The enemy lost heavily. For nuurs
after their fighting line had been rolled
back two wagons went slowly along
their position, picking up the dead and
wounded. The kopje resembled
shambles after the fight. All the men
were killed by bullets or shells. The
lookout tower was shelled to pieces,
while even the saddles of the horses
were fearfully battered about The
whole place was simply smashed up by
the concentrated fire of seven guns and
1000 rifles.
"The Beers at first held on to their
advance pluckily, but they could hot
live wkel they came to short range,
the men being shot down at 800 yards.
1.-The enemy is expected to draw off
early in order to defend Protyria.
ADVANTAGtcUS - 4 BEL.