The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1899-11-03
Beers BEGIN THE ATTACK.
Shell Ladysmith and Advance on
British Left Flank.
WILD REPORT FROM BERLIN.
Gen. White Said to Have Surrendered
His Whole Army to the Victorious
Misunderstanding and Kimberley
safe-Can Withstand Assault.

Ladysmith, Oct. 31.-Firing COM
menced at 500 this morning, the Beers
Smelling Ladysmith with forty-poun-
ders.
After seven shots the British guns
succeeded in silencing the Boer fire.
4 force of Beers is now advancing
on the British left flank.
Berlin, Oct. 31.-A report received
here from Holland says that the whole
British army at Ladysmith has sur
rendered and that the troops are now
prisoners of war
London, Oct. 31.-The latest news
ly treasured the British authorities as
to the ability of Mafeking and Kimber-
ley to withstand assaults.
A dispatch from Fort Tuli, forward
ed during the evening of Oct. "a, an
nounces that Blackburn's force, in the
skirmish at Rhodes Drift, killed twelve
Beers. A Kaffir spy reported that many
more Beers were lying in the drift dy-
ing. Blackburn died of his wounds on
returning to Fort Tuli. Scouts there
report that the Beers are concentrat-
ing strongly on the Rhodesian border
with MaXims.
The dispatch from Ladysmith this
| morning came through in the remark
able time of two hours. 1t shows the
crisis which the present stage Of war
operations has reached and that the
expected attack on Ladysmith by the
joint Boer forces has opened.
A dispatch from Durham, timed g. SO
this morning, supplements the dispatch
with the information that the Boer
shells were chiefly directed at the sta
tion and that no damage was done up
to the time the message from Durham
was forwarded.
That the heavy guns of the Beers,
from which so much was expected,
should be silenced so speedily is
matter OF great surprise, but the subse-
quent advance of the burgher force on
the British left flank shows the attack
ers were in no way dismayed thereby
and were still full of the same self
confidence and daring they have al
ready exhibited on various occasions.
Apparently the Beers have concen-
trated for a supreme effort at Lady
smith. They have withdrawn their
forces from other points, which they
consider momentarily to be of less i'm
portance. The ease with which they
reorganized the German corps, which
was almost annihilated at Glands
laagte, and Gen. Lucas Maier's column,
shattered at Talanac hill, show how
great are their recuperative powers
and their fertility of resource. The
perseverance the Beers have shown in
transporting heavy ordn1 ace and post
ing it in commanding positions has
forced admiration even from their en-
emies.
Unless the present attack is merely
feint to occupy the British while the
invaders are cutting off communica-
ton southwark the battle which OPP
ened this morning may decide the is
sue Of the war, so far as fighting in
the open is concerned, as, unless the
IS, 600 or 10000 Beers about Lady
smith are able to destroy the 1900
British there, they can hardly hope to
cope with Gen. Buffers army corps;
so it may be expected the Beers Will
return to the attack Of Ladysmith
after they are beaten off, so long as
they have a gun in position and men
willing to face the British, for they
must be fully cognizant that the news
of their success will bring thousands
of sympathizers and adventures to
their standard.
The active operations of the last few
days have shown cavalry, under mod
ern conditions, armed with long
range weapons, in an entirely new
light, proving them able to work as
infantry, both alone and in conjunction
with foot soldiers. Those cavalrymen
have shown themselves able to hold
infantry positions against mounted
infantry, which, under previous con-
ditions, they would have been forced
to relinquish, while the actual assault
on Elandslaagte was led by dismount-
ed cavalry.
A war Office dispatch from Cape
Town dated Oct &c, says:
IAN armored train under Llewellyn
got within 1900 yards of the Boer
lager, three miles south of Crocodile
Poort. The Beers had driven in their
horses on the approach Of the train.
Three Maxim bolts were discharged
into the Beers, who must have had
considerable loss. They returned ten
shots with no effect. Col Plumer's
outpost has had several skirmishes on
the Crocodile River"
From later advices it was learned
that the Llewellyn train returned to
Mochudi, 1000 miles north of Mafek-
ing. Llewellyn reports all quiet.