The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-01-06
Beers atubbornly Resist thegBritish
=. at:Eyery Point But Grad
ually Retreat
{ Fl6nIIAesAA HILLS ABOUT THE IJoWN,
Molteno.Ae Attacked by the sBoers
and n Brisk Action Ii Reported In
ProgreSs--Col. Pitchers Canadian
Troops ,EnthuSiasticaIly Received
at Douglas.

point, but gradually retreated.
The British held the extreme posi-
tion to the south and east, overlooking
the town.
The hills apund Cokesberg are :au-
merous, not in ranges, but in groups,
making it difficult to hMnt the Boers
. out.
Sixteen woue6ed have arrived at
Arundel.
Big Developments Expected.
London, Jan. IA special dispatch
from Naauwpoort.,dated Tuesday, JAN
suary g. says the British command Nor
,yals Pont bridge. with two guns and
also command the. 2Colesberg bridge,
land that tie Beers have no way to re-
treat eXcepG by way. OF Normberg. The
dispatch adds that big developments
are expected.
Attasiz by the Beers.
6terkstroem, Cape Colony, Jan. A.
The Beers attacked Mpheno Wednes-
day morning. A brisk. action is now
in progress.
Canadian <ksoopss ~ uded.
LONDON, Jan. Attacking news from
the main British camps in South Africa,
whose future action can alone have an
important effect on ahe larger issues
OF the campaign, the British public is
making the. most of Col Pitchers mini
Ature battle. Unbounded tribute, is
paid to the ,prowess of the Canadians
and Australians and graphic accounts
ere published of the enthusiasm in
Douglas as the victorious troops e..
tered that place. The representative
of the press with the flying column
says:
1.-THE Immediate result Of Col Pitchers
success is the entire dispersal OF the rebels
who have been governing the country for
the past six weeks.
AFTER Sunnyside was captured, the To-
rontos occupied the lager for the night
and Joined the main body the following
morning, bringing the whole of the Boer
tents. wagons and loot. and leaving the
Cornwalls in garrison at Sunnyside. The
British force then started for Douglas, the
Torontos bringing up the rear in wagons.
In the afternoon the troops entered the
town unopposed and amid extraordinary
scenes. The inhabitants were overjoyed
and crowded about the soldiers, shaking
hands with them, and when they learned
that their delivere-s were Canadians and
Australians, the enthusiasm became fren-
zied. There We're deafening cheers as the
troops trayersed the main street, and 1t
was almost impossible for them to make
progress, the crowds being SO eager to
shake hands with the colorcls
1t appears that the landdrost and all the
mounted rebels evacuated the place on the
previous night. The u1Inounted rebels are
reported to be intrenched in tine vicinity.
Quantities of ammunition were captured
and destroyed"
To BE Treatc as Rebels.
A dispatch from the Modder river
intimates that the Sunnyside prisoners
will not be treated as prisoners of war,
but as British subjects caught in open
rebellion.
At the Modder river camp the con-
duct of the colonials is greatly admired,
and all are delighted that they have
struck the first blow on the western
frontier since the battle of Mayors
fontein. 1t is believed the relief of
Thurman will quickly follow.
Not So Much Of n Victory.
The latest advices from the Coles
berg district tend to modify the es-
innate of Gen. French's success. The
predicted occupation of Colesberg had
not been accomplished Tuesday even
ing, while the Beers guns, announced
to have been silenced. We're still
active. The war office Wednesday aft
crnoonissued a dispatch received from
Gen. French under Tuesdays date,
saying his position was the same as
on the previous day, that with small
requirements he could dislodge the
Beers from Colesberg, and in the
meantime he continued maneuvering.
Preparing for Advance.
Gen. Butler continues his night
bombardment and patrol surprises. AS
the Tugela river is again fordable,
and the stretchcr bearers have again
been requisitioned at Durham and
Pietermaritzburg, there is disposi-
ton to believe that the British adj
vance will not be long delayed.
It is reported at Durham that the
captured German steamer Bundesrath
had on board five big guns, so tons Of
shells and 100 trained artillerymen.
Nothing further has been heard
from Molteno, which was reported
from Sterkstroem to have been at
tackled by the Beers Wednesday morn
ing. So far as known here, there is
only small force there.
A dispatch from Sterkstorem an
nounces that Swanelef, the Boer COM
mandant at Stormberg, has died of
his wounds.
A special dispatch from Rensburg,
dated Tuesday, January 2, says a sup.
ply train, without locomotive, was
set in motion within the British lines
near Colesberg, and proceeded so near
the Boer position that it was impos-
sible to recover it, and the British
guns therefore destroyed the trucks.
1t is suspected that this was the act
of traitor.
The supply train, says another dis
patch from Rensberg, ran into a
broken culvert and was wrecked. Tue
Beers began lootng it, and another
Rensberg train was dispatched to the
scene in an effort to recover the pro-
visions. The Beers opened fire on
the troops and natives accompanying
it, forcing the second train to retreat
after several of the natives had been
killed.
The total British casualties about
Colesberg in two days were six men