Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1900-05-04
AN ARTILLERY DUEL
So Fatal Results Reported-S Stirring
tending FOrees-A Determined Ef-
supremacy-The Boers Blowing Up
Railways-A Daring Attempt to
Cut Off British Convoy.

Railwnys-A Daring Attempt to
Cut Off a British Convoy.
Lcn5on, May "A a. m.-Fighting,
heavier han any since Ladysmith, seems
{ TO be imminent near Thabanchu. The dis
! !, atches of Lord Roberts, dated Monday
| and Tuesday show that the Boer rear
| "a, stubbornly resisting his advance,
| forced the British on Saturday and Sun
| day to at chiefly on the defensive.
| General ITrencn, who is directing the
| operations, has at least 1900 men. Some
estimates give Rim 10000. The Beers are
estimated to be a = least GOOO strong, and
possibly 10.n00.
According to a dispatch fcsm Pretoria.
| dated April 28th, they Sege 2ecting to
give battle, and have numerous ErtflieIy.
So long as the Beers eugagc the atrention
Of half Of Lord Roberts force at Tha-
banchu, his advance toward Pretoria VIII
be delayed. No one here however, con-
siders that-General Botha will be able to
stand longer than a few days. The feeling
is that he must be beaten off by the
masses of Lord Roberts. The Beers
tackled the British Outposts at Boshef,
the headquarters OF LOTO Metnuen, on
April 2Sth, but without result. The Brit
ish guns at Warrenton shelled the Beers
out of their half constructed trenches
Sunday.
native runner got through from Ma
feking to Otsi, sixty miles north, on
April 22d, with dispatches for nearly all
the London dailies. That Of the Morning
Post says: I'VE can stick it out for two
months or more. Nobody minds"
Colonel Plumer, who appears to have
been reinforced lately by more Rhode
slams seems to be advancing again.
British accommodating party fell into
the hands of the Beers near Windsorton.
The German steamer Koenig, on April
22d, landed a quantity of war materials
for the Beers at Bcira, and embarked
quantity of TransVaaI wool.
Lord Landsdowne replying in the House
of Lords yesterday to a question regard
ing warm clothing for the troops read
this dispatch from Lord Roberts: There
is no necessity to appeal for warm cloth
| ing. Some corps have received more than
! they require, and all will be amply pro-
! Vided for as soon as the numerous cases
! of clothing and comforts of various de-
| scriptioHs can be brought here from the
base.
Marques, there are 1000 British residents
yet remaining in the Transvaal but they
are to be expelled Immediately.
| London, May 2.-The Bloemfontein cor
respondent Of the Times. telegraphing
Monday, says: The fighting at Thaban-
| Chu Is Of a desultory nature The whole
| front Is now to be swept by mounted
! troops, preparatory to a definite forward
movement, for which the forces may
now be termed organized"
London, May 1.-1:55 o. m.-The fol-
lowing dispatch has been sent by Lord
Roberts to the War Office:
| Bloemfontein, April 3O.-The Beers
| made very persistent attacks round
Thabanchu Saturday and Sunday, but
| the position which the Eighth
| (Rundle's) division holds is very strong
and he had the assistance Of Gordon's
and Dickson's brigade, the cavalry un-
der French and Smith-Dorrien's infan-
| try brigade and body Of mounted in
fantry under General Hamilton. Pole
CareWs division returned from DeWetS-
! dorp yesterday.
! Lord Roberts also reports additional
casualties sustained during the fighting
| Of April 9th around Thabanchu, con-
| sisting of Lieutenant Geary and two
enlisted men killed and one officer and
| three enlisted men wounded.
Neither the chiefs or
| the correspondents dispatches throw
any light on the plans being adopted to
| oust the Beers from the neighbOrhoOd
| of Tha abanchu and how long before a
| determined effort will be made to re-
| assert superiority is only matter Of
surmise. In the meantime, the Beers
| are remarkably aggressive, especially
| in view of the large forces opposing
| them.
| A special dispatch from Thabanchu,
| dated yesterday, says they made
| daring attempt to cut off a British con-
| voy which got into broken ground be-
| tween Tha banchu and Dewetsdorp,
opening fire from the adjacent hills. In
the nick Of time General Brabason,
with force Of yeomanry returning
| from Wepener, arrived on the scene
and extricated the convoy.
The same special correspondent de-
! scribes the dispositions Of the forces at
| Thabanchu as follows: General
Rumble is covering the advanced camp
facing the Beers position to the east,
where they are strongly entrenched.
| General Hamilton and General Smith
| Dorrien occupy strong positions on the
road to the north"
Another dispatch says a column un-
der General Hamilton located the Beers
to the northwest and an artillery duel
ensued, without result.
All accounts tell of much artillery fir
ing with scarcely any casualties. 1t is
| hardly likely that two such forces can
much longer patiently face each other
| without more stirring occurrences. Cen
eral Brabant's column Is expected to
join General French shortly. A number
of Beers are reported to have been
seen retiring north. but this is scarcely
authoritative. Stringent measures are
being adopted to prevent the Boer
guerrillas from securing supplies from
other centres.
The little news from Thabanchu is
absorbing all interest.
The Cape Parliament has been sum-
moned for June 22d.
At the conclusion of General Sir
Whites visit to Windsor to-day Queen
Victoria decorated the defender of
Ladysmith with the cross and star of
the Royal Victorian Order. Her Majesty
and the soldier had a lengthy confer
ence. 1t is learned that the Queen was
more angry than for years over the
publication of the Spion Kop dis
patches.
A special dispatch received here from
Cape Town under to-day's date, says
Mat Secretary of State Reitz, OF the
South African Republic. declared to a
"Persevere and prosper. I
you take Hoods Sarsapari1ls