Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-06
BATTLE STILL RAGING.

Artllery yCOnHlct Continues Near La.
dysmtth-Boers Force Fighting.
London. Nov. 6.-Shortly before mid
night a dispatch from Gen. Butler at
Capetown was made public. This con-
tanned the following message from Gen.
White, received by carrier pigeon at
Durham:
'.Ladysmitn, Nov. 3.-Yesterday Gen.
French [Gen. Butler suggests that
White meant to say Brecklehurstl
went out with cavalry and field artil-
lery and effectively shelled the Boer
laager without loss on our side. Lieut.
Egerton, of the Powerful, is dead.
Gen. Joubert sent in Maj. c. S. Kin
caid, of the royal Irish fusilliers, and
nine wounded prisoners. Eight Beers
We're sent out in exchange, no others
being fit to travel.
"Col. Breckelhurst, with cavalry, field
artillery, the imperial lighthouse and
the Natal mounted volunteers, was en-
gagged today with the enemy to the
southwest of Ladysmith. The fighting
lasted several hours, our loss being very
small.
THE bombardment of Ladysmith
continued yesterday and today, many
Boer shells being pitched into the town.
Our troops are in good health and
spirits and the wounded are doing
we'll"
The London public had not even this
dispatch to calm it's anxiety throughout
the long Sunday, but it had numberless
rumors of disaster to excite it. The
latest bulletin that had been received
before the one just quoted was that an
nouncing the retirement of the British
force defending Colenso, twenty-three
miles south of Ladysmith. That par
TALLY confirmed the Belgian report of
Thursday that the Beers had occupied
Colenso and multiplied worry a thou
sandfold, for worse reports than that
have come out of Brussels since. There
and at Lisbon 1t is persstently ru-
mored that Ladysmith has fallen and
that Gen. Sir George White and his
of men are prisoners in the
hands of the Beers.
AT the best Gen. White is surrounded
by the enemy. with retreat toward Dur
ban impossible and reinforcement rem
dered most difficult. He may hold out.
If the war office has given out the
worst features Of his Fridays dispatch
time, provided he has adhered to de-
fensiye tactics.
Those two provisos comprehend the
Whole of the question of Gen. Whites
present and future security. 1t is the
general belief that the war office is
suppressing unwelcome tidings, and it
is the general rear that even il Lady
smith is still safe the garrison may be
drawn into yet another trap.
Attention IS directed also to the fact
that no word escapes the war office as
to the present temper of the Cape
Dutch. Now if ever is the time for
sympathies to crystalline
into allied action. If the Cape Dutch
We're unroused by Boer successes, 1t is
the war Office would be glad to
remove from the public mind that po-
tent cause for alarm.
The war Office is careful not to men,
tion Gen. Buffers movements, and in
military circles here it is not consid-
cred unlikely that the next news of the
commander-in-chief may tell of the ex-
ecution of the coup of the war-the mo-
bilizatlon at Delagoa bay of the force
now on the way to the Cape. The dis
patch posted last night purports to
come from Gen. Butler ut Cape Town,
but it by no means follows that the
commander-in-chief is there. If he has
gone to Lorenzo Marques, or is on his
way there, 1t is not in the war Offices
plans to tell the world Of 1t.
II the mobilization II not to b ef-