The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-18
BASUTOS RISE.
England Secures the Help of a
Native Tribe
In Her Struggle With the
South African Republics.
NEWCASTLE TAKEN. /.
Gen. JOubert Finds the Town
Almost Deserted.
Gen. CrOUje Opens Fire on the
Town of Mafeking.
NEWCASTLE TAKEN.

London, Oct. 18.-Up to noon today no
confirmation had been received of the
report of serious Boer losses at Ma
feking, but stories are arriving from
various points so persistently and cir
cumstantially that it appears probable
the burghers have met with some mea-
sure of reverse.
Accounts of the action at Mafeking
are beginning to arrive from Pretoria.
Therefore, if Beers had any success, it
is bound soon to be known.
As foreshadowed yesterday, they
have succeeded in cutting off the water
supply at Mafe6ing, but it IS said that
there are sufficient wells in the town to
supply the inhabitants.
A new and serious element in the
military situation is the rising of the
warlil1e tribe of Basutos, under Chief
Mchol1o against the Orange Free State.
NEWCASTLE OCCUPIED.
Pretoria. Oct. 17.-(Delaycd in trans
nissiOn.)-Commandan General Jou-
bert has arrived at Newcastle, Natal.
He found only a hundred men there
when he entered the town.
General Cronje, after warning the wo-
men and children to leave Mafeking,
opened fire on the town with cannon.
No response was made.
In spite of the severe strain the health
OI 6T6SlQenL Kruger continues SOOQ
FOR EUROPE'S BENEFIT.
London. Oct 18.-The calling out of
the militia and the military reserves
has occaSiOned widespread wOnderment.
old stories of preparations against con-
tinentaI combinations are revived. 1t
is freely rumOred that the government
IS determined to demonstrate to Eur
Ope that the British army is not an eli
eible quantity. Probably both the at
titude of Europe ard that of the ma
tiVeS in South ACrica have something to
do with this movement and the lavish
display of force is intended, doubtless,
not only to check the il-will apparent
on both sides of the Rhine and beyond
the Nistula, but also to guard against
the ''Black peril
According to the statistics published
this year. the militia, including the
permanent staff and the militia reserve,
numbers 132,493.
DESTROYING BRIDGES.
London, Oct. 1S.-Advices from Pre-
toria summarizing the reports to the
TranSVaaI government from Gen. CronJe
in command at the chief laager on the
west side announce that the Marico
ar i Rustemburg commandos with field
t, legraph, occupied Burmann'S drift
near the outskirts of Mafeking on Mon
day and took possession of a fountain
in a neighbOrhood, thus cutting off the
water supply. The BOer then began
shelling but the British did not reply.
A Boer account of the skirmish with
the British armored train south of
Kimberley says:
1.-THE train came upon the burghers
while they were destroying the railway.
The burghers fired upon the train with
Mausers and subsequently with artil-
lery. The third shot hit a truck and
the train then steamed off after which
the burghers continued the work of
destroying the line"
Another dispatch from Pretoria says
that burgherS have occupied Taungs,
south of Mafeking, and Lobari to the
nOrthward, without opposition.
With regard to Norvalspont, it ap-
pears that the Cape railway officials
destroyed the bridge on their line on
the Orange Free State side and then
abandoned the station.
The Orange Free State troops have
destroyed the Moder river bridge with
out opposition.
A dispatch from Durham, Natal. saws
that refugees who arrived there yester-
day from Pretoria declare that the
Beers at the TransvaaI capital admit
ted BOer repulse at Mafeking eight
burghers being killed and a number
| wounded. All messages to and from
South Africa are subjected to scrutiny
at Alden.
WAR BALLOONS IN OPERATION.
Pretoria, Oct 18.-Gen. Jan H NJ
KOck, second in command of the Boer
forces, is is still at IngOgo. He has
cannon commanding Bothas and Linnet
passes and has cut the railway between
Dundee and DeJaager's drift. Several
TransVaal commanders are moving
| toward the Biggarsberg mountains to
the south of Glencoe
The telegraph superintendent at
Heidelburg, Transvaal reports that on
Sunday night a balloon passed over Nj
gel, in the direction of Standerton-
AFTER PROVISIONS.
Lorenzo Marquee, Oct. 1S.-A repre-
sentative of the Transvaaa1 govern
ment has arrived here and is buying up
all the provisions obtainable
One hundred and thirty persons justs
| released from the BarbertOn Jail, Trans
| vaal have been put over the Portuguese
! border.
| BAROLONGS HELP BRITISH.
/ Ladysmith, Oct 1S.-The native tribe
| of Barolongs, under Chief Vessels is
| said to be cooperating in the defense
/ of AIafeking, undertaking outpost duty.
| 1t is reported here that dysentery and
| desertion are prevalent in Gen. Cronje's
| commando.
| ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP RAILWAY.
| Pretoria, Oct. 17=(Delayed in trans
mission. 1.-The Transvaal officials at
| Komati Poort, assert that large uuan-
| titles of explosives We're found on the
| railway there. The culprits who placed
| the stuff There it was found, We're fred
| upCn, but escaped.
| OPPOSED TO COLORED HELP.
| Ladysmith, Natal, Oct 17.-DeIayed
in transmissiOn.)-A native tribe in Zu-
/ luland, whose cattle had been raided
| by Beers, applied to General Sir George
| Stewart White, the British commander
| in Natal, for permission to make armed
| resistance General White refused their
| request, as he is opposed to the use of
i cOlored auxilfaries in the coming strug-
gle.
| New York, Oct. 1S.-A Herald dis
| patch from London says:
/ The Daily Telegraph publishes the