The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-04
BELATED DISPATCHES.
Beers Were Mounting Guns Wecnes-
day, and Also Marching south.


LONDON. Nov 3-The War Office this
afternoon, replying to inquiries, said no in
formation had been received there of fresh
Boer movements at Colenso or elsewhere,
and II was added the officials were not
aware whether the railroad at Ladysmith
was intact or not
The Daily Mail publishes the following
dispatch from Ladysmith. dated Wednesday
morning: Matters to-day are quiet. The
Beers are apparently mounting more heavy
guns TO the north and northeast which are
likely to give us trouble A Boer contingent
Loo strong and clearly visible from the
camp il streaming away TO the south. The
inhabitants Of Ladysrnith continue to leave
the town"
Belated dispatches from Ladysmith add
little information regarding Mondays fight
except the estimates of the Boer losses,
which now said TO be ninety-five killed
and two hundred wounded, mostly victims
OF the artillery shells. which have wrought
such great havoc that is said General
Joubert, the Boer commander -in-chief, has
written a letter to General White, the Brit
ish commander. protesting against the use
of lyddite. According 10 all accounts the
presence at Ladysmith of the long range
naval guns and the splendid shooting of the
bluejackets have materially improved the
position of the British. A temporary armis-
stice was declared Monday evening to allow
for the collection of the dead and wounded.
While the wires to Ladysmith cut, the
optimism Of the War Office officials yester
day evening in refusing to believe that
Ladysmth was completely invested or
Colenso captured appears to be justified. as
this morning it was asserted that the rail-
poo1 t. -tfn H,o l,ac,
conducted with the greatest caution What.
however. was only rumor yesterday even
ing may, it Is claimed be reality at any
moment, as General Joubert, with large
and wonderfully mobile force. is expected TO
detach force of several thousand men and
make a dash at the railroad.
Rumors OF all kinds are springing up here.
1t is even asserted that General White has
been compelled to fall back on PietermartZ-
burg, leaving his wounded behind. Probably
such rumors have their origin in the recol-
lection of the ominous silence which pre-
cedcd the evacuation Of Dundee. But on the
other hand 1t is asserted that conditions are
altered and the British guns now seem more
| than equal to the artillery Of the Beers. thus
enhancing the difficulty of any assault on
the British lines.
A Cape Town dispatch reports a repulse
| Of the Beers by the British yesterday.
While there is q habit here TO assume that
news of Boer victories emanating from the
| continent cannot be true, because of the
censorship the fact is forgotten that for
| eign governments are fully privileged to
| send and receive cipher messages to and
| from their representatives In South Africa.
AS a matter of fact, the rumors of the cap
| ture Of the Hussars, the occupation OF Dun
dee and the disaster of Monday came first
from Berlin, from which city also came the
! first news of the Jameson raid. So tidings
! of any British reverse likely to come
| from there as from anywhere General
! Whites position is acknowledged to be SO
precarious that the landing of a big naval
brigade to go to his assistance Is being ad-
vocated- While yesterdays rumors of Boer
and British victories are taken here to in-
dictate that serious operations have
been carried out, 1t is generally recognized
that most of the news at present is largely
surmise and must be accepted with great
| caution.
| 1t is possible the Beers have placed them
selves on the British lines of communica-
ton, repeating exactly their Dundee tactics.
| Apparently General Joubert means to at
tempt to capture General Whites force In
the hope either to bring England to terms
or lead to European intervention.
A circumstantial report comes from Paris
| relating that Gen. Lucas Meyer, after fight
ing another battle south of Ladysmith, in
which the British lost thousand men, has
occupied ColensO in force and holds the rail-
way from Ladysmith to Pietermaritzburg.
Nothing is. however, known in regard to
this matter at the War Office and the rumor
is not credited in any responsible quarter.