St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-10-18
WAR IN THE TRANSVAAL.

an important message from the Glen
coe camp, dated 1886 Monday afternoon
announcing that the Boer commandos
which invaded Natal through Laings
Mex and, after occupying Newcastle, adj
vanced to Dannhauser. retired on In
gagane Sunday evening, their transport
service being reported defective. This
will delay indefinitely the anticipated
and hoped for assault on the strong
British position at Glencoe.
Another dispatch reports activity on
the part Of the Free State commando
in the neighborhood of Aliwal, north, on
the southern frontier. The Beers ad-
vance patrol, the dispatch says, go to the
frontier bridge nightly. to keep watch,
firing shots at intervals as signals. 1t Is
believed the enemy intends shortly to try
to rush the railway station with the help
of artillery posted on ridge command
ing the town.
The gradual cutting Of the outlying
points at the scene of hostilities in South
Africa from Geographic communication
reduces the accurate news obtainabe to
| minimum. No reliable information
has been received Of any actual fighting
outside the affair at Kraaipan and oc-
casional exchange Of shots at various
outposts.
There Is no lack of circumstantial
stories regarding fighting at various
points, but these are scarcely published
before they are denied. The only salient
facts are that the Beers have advanced
beyond Newcastle and formed laager
near Dannhauser about IL miles above
Dundee. and that Kimberley is isolated
and probably invested. Kimberley has
thus become the immediate centre Of
interest. The last message from Kim
berley, prior to the cutting Of the tele-
graph and railway by the Beers. ssid
"All the troops at Kimberley are WELL"
AS there are 5000 troops at that point,
there Is little anxiety for the safety Of
the town, especially as the Boer force is
said to be only Of about the same
strength.
Many stories Of brisk fighting at that
point are in circulation, but all alleged
details must be regarded as premature
and speculative, especially If the report
be true that the Orange Free State troops
are now in complete possession of the
| railway lEOIH INlluOGIiSy " TIE Oldl6t
river, 70 miles away. The alleged vir-
ulence of the Boer attack upon Mafe-
king and Kimberley can be readily I'M
derstood when it is realized that Bech-
uanaland Is to the Beers what Alsace-
Lorraine is to France. 1t is therefore
probable that both towns will be forced
to undergo long and dreary investment
before the British are in position to
send a relieving column. On the other
side the Beers are closing around the
British outposts, and have already come
into touch with them, and exchanged
shots Therefore, more stirring news Is
expected.
A Cape Town paper has dispatch from
the Orange river stating that the tele-
graph wires have been cut between Vry-
burg and Kimberley, and that the Beers
are taking advantage Of the presence of
large gathering of disloyal farmers at
Vryburg celebrating Nachtmaal to at
tack the town, hoping that the farmers
will assist them against the British
The same dispatch says that the British
force at Kimberley is confident of Its
ability to hold out, but urges the i'm
mediate dispatch of relief force.
This question of a possible rising OF
. the farmers in the northern portions OF
J Cape Colony is very important. The
Daily Mails correspondent at Coles.
burg has been inquiring regarding the
, matter and, on the whole, thinks the
: chances are against rising. He base.
: his opinion on the prospect Of good crop.
after four lean years, which he believes
! will predispose the farmers to peace
Nevertheless, there is serious disloyalt!
, and much anti-British agitation in these
| districts while the Free State Boers
threaten an immediate invasion Of Coles
berg and Aliwal, north.
' The Daily Mails correspondent asserts
Y that Sir Alfred Miner is worked to death
{ and that Cape Town Is surging will
, bitter resentment at what Is called tn
s schreiner cabinets betrayal of Mafe
king by its constant refusal to send
r volunteer force to its relief.
= Many residents of Cape Town hav,
e relatives at Vryburg, and they are fu
v rious with Messrs Merriman and Sauer
t respectively colonial treasurer and com
S missioner of public works, and the min
p listers are mobbed whenever they ap
n pear in public Mr.. Hofmeyer, the AT
s rikander leader has gone to the countr,
:. in order to escape the outbursts of indlg
s nation.
r On Sunday night, the streets were file
t with angry citizens, and 1t was feare
d that rioting would occur, This com
n bined with the pressure of the imperis
n government, brought the Schreiner gov
= eminent to sense of its peril, as we'll a
= its duty, and moved 1t to decide to cal
Y out the volunteers. The ministeria
party also worked it's hardest to proven
= the ovation to Mr.. Greene on his arriva
o from Pretoria, but failed.
The Natal invasion was made In thre
columns, at dawn on Oct. II, throug
Bothas pass, Laing's Mex and fror
. Wakkerstreoam, the objective point {
:, the invaders being Newcastle. TIL
;, Beers utilized several thousand natives
~ who were tramping from the rand,
y. drive their heavy guns up Laing's Mex.
y Precautions are being taken for tn
- defense Of Pletermaritzburg and Dul
ban, in the remote contingency that tn
=, enemy may elude the vigilance of tn
British at the Ladysmith and Glencc
j, camps.
- A dispatch from the latter place say
the partial closing down Of the Matt
coal mines will not interrupt the SUI
plies for the imperial transports at Dul
ban. as was imagined by the Beers, lare
e quantities of coal being already on II
y water from India. Regular shipment
u ,,,tI, arriva from, India until the Nat,