The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-06
BOERS RETREAT.
Gen. Brabant Scores a Victory
at DOrdrecht.
Gen. Gatacre Enters StOrmberg
UnOppOsed.
ACROSS BOBS' PATH.
The Dutch Line Extends a Dis
tance of Eight Miles.
Marlborough Leaves Cape Town
For the Front.
ACROSS BOBS' PATH.

Dordrecht, March 5.-Evening-Gen.
Brabant has scored a complete victory.
The Beers are in full retreat with their
guns and wagons and are being pur-
sued
sterlstroon. March 5.-Evening-
General Gatacre entered Stormberg
unopposed today. The Beers destroyed
the railway approach, but the station
is intact.
THE BOER POSITION.
Osfontein, Saturday, March 3.-The
Boer position has now been located
about four miles to the British front
and extending about eight miles, The
Boer right consists of a high. long
mountain on the north side of the river.
which General French shelled this
morning
Apparently the space between the
mountain and the river has been en-
trenehed- South of the river the Boer
lines cover more ground. A few days
ago their left rested on the high kopjes
standing in the middle of the plain.
They have now been extended two miles
further south, while six small kopjes
stand in the plain between the center
and the left and between the center and
the river and form ridge, behind
which the Beers move unseen The
weakness of the whole position, how
ever. is that it can be turned in either
direction The country is fiat and water
abounds
SHARP FIGHTING.
DOrdrecht, March 5.-FolloWing yes
terday's success General Brabant again
engaged the Beers today, with advant-
age, holding the position captured yes
this morning, the British losing five or
six men and capturing the Boer fort,
thus improving their position. The
Beers fought tenaciOusly, but ultimately
they retreated suddenly. cerrying OFF
their guns and wagons. A mounted
force pursued them, but the result is
not yet known. The British casualties
during the two days We're thirty wound
ed and II or 13 killed. The Beers losses
are unknown. The Colonials behaved
splendidly.
MARLBOROUGH GOES TO THE
FRONT.
London, March 6.-The war office has
received the following dispatch from
Lord Roberts:
Osfontein, March 5.-GeneraI Gatacre
occupied StOrmberg yesterday. The
lines of railway north and west will
now be repaired. General Clements is
at Joubert's Siding station. beyond
Colesberg. The Duke of Marlborough
with the Oxford company of the I'm
perial yeomanry has left Cape Town for
Naauwport. General Butler reports
Natal now practically clear of the en-
emy and that he can not hear of any
formed body of them anywhere. The
1soers left some ambulances full of their
sick, from which the mules had been
taken for transport service"
TROUBLE WITH RHODES.
London. March 6.-Mafel1ing is to be
relieved as soon as the British force al
ready on the way to Kimberley can
raise the siege. This force is described
vaguely as strong" The Kimberley
Light Horse is mentioned as a COM
ponent. In view of the fact that the
Kimberley Light Horse is under the
control of the De Beers company, Lord
Roberts visit to Kimberley probably
had to do with an arrangement with
Cecil Rhodes to use this company of
troops.
Mr.. Rhodes and Colonel Kekwieh
have have had differences of policy, it
appears, which did not end with the
relief of Kimberley. What shall I do
with him?" Colonel KelWich is said to
have wired to Lord Roberts, who half
humOrOusly replied, according to a
story circulated at the clubs, put him
in chains"
Fresh intelligence as to what Lord
Roberts is doing has ceased again. This
silence is taken to mean that something
has happened or is about to happen.
Boer raiders are uncOmmOnly active
In the northwestern section of Cape
Colony, where they are stirring up the
Dutch.
Martial law has consequently been
Mr.. Chamberlain's request for $500
additional Australian bushmen is un-
derstood to be explained by the fact
that the war Office requires this force
for the pursuit of irrecOncilable Beers,
who, according to the intelligence de-
partment, have been quietly collecting
great quantities of ammunition and
stores IN the mountain Businesses of
the SeOupansberg district in the north
OF the TransYaal where they are pre-
pairing to carry on guerrilla warfare
The mobilization of a powerful fleet
began yesterday evening at Torby Fif-
teen battleships arrived
Lady Sarah Wilson wires the Daily
Mail from Mafeking, under date of
February I. as follows:
The shelling of the town is less Sc
we're, but bullets are more plentiful
Women and children are deliberately
aimed at. For this reason, Colonel
Baden Powell is having a network of
trenches dug all over the town for
pedestrians. There are now miles of
these trenches, but in wet weather they
are impossible and so risks must be
run by everybody.
THE food question is becoming diff
cult. A soup kitchen has been ORGANIZED
and horses, stray dogs and heads and
feet of oxen are utilized. The town is
on strict ratIons. Oats are procured
with bread meal and rejected husks
for the horses" presumably this
means that oats are served out as a
part of the ratiOns.)
KRUGER'S PEACE TERMS.
Brussels, March 6.-The Transvaal
agency here confirms the statement
that President Kruger is ready to con-
clude peace with Great Britain on the
basis Of the independence of the two re-
publies. and that otherwise the strug-
gle viii continue to the bitter end.
The agency believes that the Afri-
kander element in Cape Colony and