Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-12-07
AS to Ladysmith.

is Ineffective, the Beers shells only hit
ting the houses.
AS to Ladysmith.
London,4D "a story is current at
Durham that Tuesday the Beers made
what is thought to be their final effort
TO capture Ladysmith. AS the story is
brought by runners, it should be ieceiv-
ed with reservation. 1T is to the effect
that the Beers opened a furious bonn
barGinent on the morning of Dec. and
continued for hours, when the British
|silenced the Boer guns and made sor-
tie. Hard fighting followed, the Beers
Iretreating after losses estimated in the
hundreds.
London, Dec. lit is reported from
the Orange river today that l07 dead
Beers We're taken TO Kafirskop after
the battle Of Belmont.
London, Dec. "A rumor on the
stock exchange that Ladysmith had
been relieved aided the markets and
caused bidding for South American se-
curites.
Methucn's Probable Movements.
London, Dec. 7.-Although London is
still practically in the dark as to all
that has passed in South Africa since
the first of the month. it seems probable
that Gen. Lord Methuen has restored
| the Modder river bridge. No official an
nouncenent of the fact, however, has
yet been made. The troops, meanwhile.
are apparently recuperating after the
hard work of last week. If they had
gone on there would have been battle
or else Kimberley would have been re-
leved, and in either case the war office
news.
The Orange Free State troops have
fallen back to Jacobsdal and may even
Withdraw to Bloemfontein. Another
section of the Boer army has retired to
the west to Douglas. at the junction of
1.-the Modder and Naal rivers, while the
third division has retired to the north,
eYecting Junction with the beseigers
of Kimberley and taking aposition south
lsof Spytfontein. Thus Gen. Methuen's
advance is threatened on the left by the
Douglas commando, on the right by
that at Jacobsdal, while he will have
to drive the third from its position on
| lllc3 sNdy 10
1t has been said, however. that his
I.original intention was to move To Jac-
obsdal and thence to threaten the COM
munication of the Kimberley besiegers.
| so as to compel them to raise the seige.
| Accordingly it is thought possible that
instead of pushing on to Kimberley he
will first find and attack the Beers re-
turning to Jacobsdal.
d
| ever, may render it essential immedi-
ately to get provisions to the garrison
and provide for the withdrawal of nom
combatants, trusting that the Beers are
unnerved by the Modder river, Enslin
and Belmont engagements. The best
expert opinion here, however. insists
that there is no evidence of any severe
discontinue on the part of the Beers.
After the Modder river fight it is quite
possible that they merely retired from {
lposition difficult to retain-retired
without loss and in an orderly manner,
their power and inclination to fight un-
destroyed. SO one may expect to hear
of their force showing activity in the
near future.
Gen. Sir Redvers Butler declares that
to arrive at the Boer losses one must
multiply Pretoria reports by ten. The
war office has made public dispatch
from Pietermaritzburg, signed with the
name of the COMMUNICATIVE chief, alleg-
| ing that the burghers' list of dead and
wounded already mounts high. The dis
patch is dated December and is as
follows:
ut is very difficult to make any state
ment in regard to the enemy's loss. For
instance. at Belmont eighty-one of their
dead are accounted for. The enemy
gave fifteen as the number killed. There
is every reason to believe that the
enemys loss in the fight at I4adysmith
November was over 500 killed and
wounded. Information from a trust
| worthy Boer source shows that at Gen.
Hildyards fight. November 90, the
enemy st5thirty killed and 100 wound-
ed. 1t is Impossible to say how far
these numbers are correct, but it is evi-
dent that the enemy does not admit a
tenth Of the losses suffered. intercept
ed dispatches to Joubert from COM
mander show that even the official dis
patches contain decidedly inaccurate
information in this respect"
Will Marry ..Dook.o