The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1899-11-04
MAFEK|kG WAS bOMbARDED
GEN. CRONJES IN COMMAND.
Women and Children Snfe-MnrtinI
Law DecIared-Gen. Joubert Re-
ports Batt1e-The Beers More
Victorious So Far-They Are Push
ing the Fighting.

Ing tht tS
Pretoria, Oct 2S (via Lourenzo Mar
quez).-The bombardment of Mafeking by
Gen. Cronjes' command has taken place.
The women and children were given ample
time to leave the town.
Under Martial Law.
Newcastle is under martial law. The
town is quiet. Farmers within radius
of three miles have been called on to give
an inventory of their stock in case it is
required, and citizens have been ordered
to give up their arms. About 300 have
complied.
The Fight at EIandsInagte.
President Steyn of the Orange Free
State has issued a proclamation to the
Basuto nation explaining the reason for
war. He makes known that the republic
is at peace with the Basutos and wishes to
continue so.
Gen. Joubert reports that Gen. Cronje,
commanding Free State and Winburg
forces, had an engagement with the Brit
ish at Elandslaagte, lasting seven hours.
Nine burghers were wounded and six kill.
ed. All the British retired to Ladysmith.
Gen. symons Is Dead.
London, Oct. 2S.-The death of Gen.
Sir William Penn Symons, British COM
mander at Glencoe, who was shot in the
stomach in the battle with the Beers there
has been officially announced in the house
of commons.
No Decisive Results.
London, Oct. 2S.-Dispatches sent from
the front are so diversified and contradic-
tory that it is difficult to outline the stu
alton with any degree of precision. Three
or four main facts, however, stand out
prominently.
Gen. Symons' fight at Glencoe was not
anything like the decisive victory alleged
and Gen. Yule would in all probability
have been annihilated or have met with
the same fate as the captured Hussars if
he had not retreated.
Gen. Whites artillery duel" at Reit-
fontein was a very severe engagement, in
which the Boer rifles did great execution
and which success was also achieved at
distressing cost.
Altogether, the campaign is being push
ed by the Beers so strenuously and on
such sound strategical lines that the sit
uation of the British, in all probability,
will give them cause for anxiety for some
time TO come.
1t is difficult to see how the concentrat-
ed force at Ladysmith will be able to take
the aggressive Immediately. Apart from
fatigue, regiments like the Gordon High
landers and Royal Rifles have been prac-
tically without officers since the fight, and
1876 additional officers have been ordered
to leave England as speedily as possible.
Ready for Complications.
New York, Oct. 2s.-A dispatch from
London says:
1t can not be doubted whatever may be
the attitude of reticence or even denial on
the part of officials that the superluous
proportions of the army dispatched under
Gen. Butler to the cape, with the activity
that prevails, point to expectation of pos
sibe serious complications with foreign
powers. Russia and France are the powers
indicated.
To have a British fleet in readiness and
to dispatch large force to the cape under
a commanding officer and staff who would
direct British arms in the event of an Eu-
ropean war, must be regarded as an ex-
tremely wise and prudent move on the
part of the government. The Persian gulf
is the point where it is most likely that
any active complications will center, as,
in the event of war, the Suez would be
blocked even with great fleets to keep it
open. The cape is England's natural route
to India and Persia.
If the secret history of the present crisis
could be told, it would be found that the
foreign offices of Great Britain and Ger
many have never been on more friendly
terms This fact must be taken into ac-
count by those seeking to forecast the tu-
ture.
? ChapeIIe's Mission.
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