The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-02
ALL EYES ARE ON THABA NCHU.
FRENCH Is LEADING OPERATIONS
AGAINST THE BOERS.

There Was Warm Fighting ABOUND
That Town Saturday and Sunday
with Some Casualties, and Yestev-
day the British Were Opposed at
Hautney Beers Are Succeeding
Admirably in Delaying Roberts
Advance.
London, May 2, 4 a. mS-Fighting, heav-
Ter than any since La9gsm!th, seems to
be imminent near Thaba Nchu.
The dispatches of Lord Roberts, dated
Monday and Tuesday show that the Boer
rear guard, stubbornly resisting his ad-
vance, forced the British on Saturday and
Sunday to act chiefly on the defensive.
Gen. French, who is directing the oper-
ations, has at least $1,000 men. Some es-
Inmates give him 10000. The Beers are es-
timated to be at least 5000 strong, and
possibly 10000.
According to dispatch from Pretoria,
dated April 2S, they were expecting to
give battle, and have numerous artillery
So long as the Beers engage the attention
of half of Lord Roberts force at
Thaba Nchu his advance toward Pretoria
will be delayed. No one here, however,
considers that Gen. Botha will be able
TO stand longer than a few days. The
lScllnS - Nildl ne tl3uSt bC pCdlSu OAl ny
the masses of Lord Roberts.
| The Beers attacked the British outposts
at Boshof, the headquarters of Lord Me-
thuen on April 2S, but without results.
The British guns at Warrenton shelled
the Beers out of their half-cons tructed
trenches Sunday.
Situation at Mafel1inE.
A native ruAner got through from Mafe-
king to Ootsi sixty-one miles north, on
April %, with dispatches for nearly ali
the London dailies. That to the Morning
Post says:
1--WE can stick it out for two months or
more. Nobody minds"
Col. Plumer, who appears to have been
reinforced lately by more Rhodesians,
seems to be advancing again.
A British re ,onnoitering party fell into
the hands of the Beers near WIndsorton.
The German steamer Koenig on April p,
landed a quantity of war materials for the
Beers at Beira and embarked a quantity
of Transvaal wool.
Lord Lansdowne, replying in the House
of Lords Yesterday to a question regarding
warm clothing for the troops; read this
dispatch from Lord Roberts:
There is no necessity 70 appeal for
warm clothing. Some corps have received
more than they require and all will be am
ply provided for as soon the numerous
cases of clothing and comforts of various
descriptions can be brought here from the
base"
According to a dispatch from Lorenzo
Marques there are 1000 British residents
yet remaining in the Transvaal, but they
are TO be expelled Immediately.
Warm Fight at Thaba Nchu.
London, May l, 1:55 p. m.-The following
dispatch has been sent by Lord Roberts 10
the war office:
"Bloemfontein, April S0.-The Beers
made very persistent attacks around
| Thah nd Ent
the position which the Eighth (Rundle's 81
division holds is very strong, and he had
the assistance of Gordon's and Dickson's s
brigades, the cavalry under French and
Smith-Dorrien's infantry brigade and a
body of mounted infantry under Ian Ham
ilton. Pole-Carew's division returned
from Dewetsdorp yesterday"
Lord Roberts also reports additional cas-
ualties sustained during the fighting Of
April 27 around Thaba Nchu, consisting
of Lieut.. Geary and two enlisted men kill
ed and one officer and three enlisted men
| wounded.
Beers Are Very Aggressive.
Neither the commander-in-chief's nor
the correspondents dispatches throw any
light on the plans being adopted to GUST
the Beers from the neighborhood of
Thaba Nchu, and how long before a de-
termined effort will be made to reassert
British superiority is only a matter of
remarkably aggressive especially in view
of the large forces opposing them. A spe-
> cial dispatch from Thaha Nchu, dated
yesterday, says they made a daring at
tempt to cut off British convoy which
| got into broken ground between Thaba
Nchu and Dewetsdorp, opening fire from
the adjacent hills. In the nick of time
, Gen. BrabaZon, with a strong force of
yeomanry, returning from Wepener ar
rived on the scene and extricated the con-
voy.
The same special correspondent describes
the dispositions of the forces at Thaba
Nchu as follows
; "Gen. Rumble is covering the advanced
camp facing the Beers position to the east
} where they are strongly entrenched Gen.
Ian Hamilton and Gen Smith -Dorrien oc-
cupy strong positions on the road TO the
north"
Another dispatch says column under
Gen. Hamilton located The Beers 10 the
northwest and artillery duel ensued
| without result.
Much Artillery Firing.
All accounts tell Of much artillery firing,
: with scarcely any casualties. IL is hardly
likely that two such forces can much
longer patiently face each other Without
| more stirring occurrences. Gen. Brabant's s
column is expected to join Gen. French
shortly. A number Of Beers are reported
10 have been seen retiring north but this
|
| Stringent measures are being adopted to
prevent the Boer guerias from securing
supplies from other districts.
The news from Thaba Nchu is absorbing
all interest
The Cape Parliament has been sum-
/ moned for June %.
AT the conclusion of Gen. Sir George
Whites visit 10 Windsor to-day Queen
Victoria decorated che defender of Lady
smith with the cross and star of the
Royal Victorian Order. Her Majesty and
the soldier had lengthy conference. 1t
is learned that the Queen was more an
cry than for years over the publication
Of the Spion kop dispatches:
special dispatch received here from
Cape Town, under to-day's date, says
that Secretary of State Reitz of the South
African Republic, declared to a recent
visitor at Pretoria, that not only would
every Englishman be cleared out OF the
STATE, but also every American. Gsman
| or any man of other nationality who was