The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-12-01
Officers Killed at Mod
der River.
Gen. j J0ubert Thought TO Be Sick
or Wounded.


graph and railroad communication 10
open with Modder river no further news
Of General Metbuen's movements or the
big tight was given out This 10 general
ly takan to indicate thAtdeneral Nethuen
is again on the march and that, az hers-
tofore, he will net again be heard from
until he has fought another battle and
gained another stage. That the general
anticipated dogged resistance on his
northw ward march 10 shown by the speech
which be delivered to his troops Novem :
ber !. after the battle Of 6ras Pan, reports
CT which have Just srrived here. After
reading q telegram from Gen. Miner con-
Circulating the troops or sympa,hizins
with the wounded. Gen. Methuen perso l.
ally congratulated the trooIs on the work
done and expressed appreciation OF the
manner in which they endured the hard
sh ips. The work. he faid, was the
most sevsre encountered by the British
army for many long day. They had in
front Of them, he said, an enemy to
whom they could not afford to give a
single point. Their tactics had been e.
cellsnt and he recognized and admired
their coursge
Containing Gen. Methuen said that
when called upon to 1ght for his country
he p referred to fight foe worthh of.its
steel rather than savages whose cole rec
ommendAtion was bravery.
He then expressed the hop, that he and
bis men had gained each others oonf-
denoe and would all 60 their duty to their
country as Erglishmen should.
0sa. Ssthtsn then described as das-
tardly The ooi'dGo. OF the Bcers In firing
ON ambulance uAsors. the shooting OF
the Boer use Of dunn DUN bullets But.
be refused to believe that thsss acts were
characteristic OF the Roers. He gave them
credit until convinced to the contrary
that they, like the British, wished to fxht
fair and square. Those who are ac-
quaintsi with Gen. Methuen think that
his tsrs, description Of the battle of
Mos dsr river forecas ts "feArful butch
ers' bill"
Little attention was paid here to the
fiimsy fabrication announcing the fall Of
Ladysmith. The despatch caused frsu-
zies Of joy In Paris, but is i'nr ossible to
make Briton believe, that, after with
standing the seige SO long, Gen. White.
with the thunder of Gen. Clery's guns at
Colenso, tslling Of the coming relief,
would yield his position while round OF
ammunition or n man was left. The
n,ws OF the Briti,h successes wss speedily
spre,d far and wide among the Hoars.
Gen. Bulier's despatch from Pletsr-
uaritzburS yesterday would hardly yihavs
dealt with belatsd detail OF the situation
at Lady ysmith II there was any thing seri-
Gus to report. Since then has come the
despatch from Estcourt saying Gen. Jou-
bert is hsssening to oppose Gen. Baden.
Powell. This is incomprehensible here
and 1t Is generally supr osen that names
have been mixed up. But In some guar.
ters conjsctures are ventured that the
besiGeIs Of Mtfeking have Withdrawn
fouthward and permitted Col. Baden
Powell to leave that place and that he
Ia now In conj juno tion with Col. Plumer
of Fort Iujli, trave sing the Iransvaal.
1t Is claimed that II Gen. Joubert Is
In an omnibus he must be
either sick or wounded.