The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-25
Clements Force Engaged and
a Railroad Cut.
KITCHENER'S REPORTS HOPEFUL
Meager Details Of Running Engagement
south afthe MagaiiesburgR gRiver-Gordo
in Pursuit of Beyers' Comman ando-Cap
Dutch Hated, Predict Rising Of Victoria
West Observation-Disclosures Hunting Miss.
ing Dynamite-Ca abinet's sunday sitting.

NFANFu ltlt AB4GDNAAlE NlopdlIil lIb44A A<OAh
Kitchener, dated Pretoria, Dec. p:
As far as IL is possible for me TO form
an opinion from the reports Of officers on
the spot, / think the Boer movement into
Cape Colony has been checked. OF the
two forces that entered the colony, the
eastern is still north of the Zoutpansberg
range, while the one that entered west
appears 10 have been turned in the direc-
ton of Britstown and Prieska. Our
troops are getting around both bodies.
and a special column is also being or
ganzed, which will be dispatched imme-
diately when / know where its services
are most wanted.
THE Beers have not received much as
sistance in Cape Colony. as far as my in
formation goes. We have armed some Of
the colonists, who are assisting our forces.
Railway and telegraph communication
has been much interrupted by the very
bad weather.
Running Figbt Along the MagaIiesburg.
DE Wet is in the neighborhood of Sene-
kal Gen French. in conjunction WITH
Gen. Clements, attacked a force under
Reyers, south of the MagaIiesberg. The
POers broke away in a southwesterly di-
rection, toward PotchefstroOm, and were
followed by Gen. Gordon with a column Of
Frenchs force.
Yesterday evening about o'clock
Clements force was engaged south of
Oliphant's Mex, but do not yet know the
result"
A later dispatch from Lord Kitchener.
dated Pretoria, December %, says:
"The western column of Beers occupied
Britstown and cut the railway south OF
De Aar Junction. The enemy is being
followed up.
Gen. French has been in contact for
two days with the commanders of Beyers
and Delarey, south Of the Magaliesburg.
He is pursuing them. The enemy have
lost considerably, and Commandant
Kreuse and others have been captured.
Gen. Colville engaged two separate
commanders December q near Vlakfon-
tein. with slight losses, the enemy retir-
ing"
De Vets Raid Underestimate ted.
London, Dec. 24.-Lord Kitchener's dis
patches, breathing confidence hardly
justified by their contents, are almost the
only available news from the seat of hos
tilities in South Africa, but kilograms
from Cape Town depict the situation in
anything but roseate hues.
Without believing the assertion of the
Transvaal agency in Brussels that 5000
Beers have invaded Cape Colony il Is
quite evident that the invasion was a
serious and well-planned affair. In con-
nection with this a correspondent sends
an extremely interesting letter, dated
Bethulie, December l, describing Gen. De
Wet and his doings.
''De Wet has never been taken seriously
enough says the correspondent 1T is
of little use TO pursue him, as he fights
rear guard action and gains twenty miles
while he is being fought.
He is born military genius, whose
wonderful powers have kept up this phe-
nOmenal resistance
'Once he fails, the whole thing could be
crushed in fortnight. He has every sin
gle commando under his supervision. All
his patrols and columns march and coun-
ter-march on his order. The forces I'M
der his command have been reduced by
his strength Of will to a properly organ
ized army, moving at his word The
sooner the British rid themselves of the
idea that De Vets forces are mere rab-
BILE. wandering aimlessly. the sooner they
will grasp the need of the determined eff
fort which is necessary TO capture him."
Cape Cabinets sunday sitting.
The Cape Colony cabinet had an i'm
portant sitting yesterday Sunday. 1t ap-
pears that the Beers have destroyed |
railway bridge, ninety feet long, about
twelve miles south of Da Aar, and that |
no Cape mails have arrived at Bloemfon- |
tein for three days.
Further anxiety has been caused in Cape
Town by the discovery that during the |
last two months public bodies in out-of- |
the-Way places have requisitioned supplies
of dynamite The colonial government is |
now endeavoring to recover possession of |
the explosive, and is removing all stores
OF arms and ammunition from suspected |
depots.
Other advices from Cape Town repre- |
sent the Dutch element in Cape Colony as |
greatly elated over the southwark prog
ress of the Beers, and as boasting that |
the entire district of Victoria West will |
join the raiders. 1t is expected in Cape
Town that the force travelling from Zout- |
pans Drift is not a body of Beers, but /
one of colonials, Fastening TO join the in |
VaderS.
The Pietermaritzburg correspondent of |
the Daily Mail says:
THE Beers are active between Johan- |
nesburg and Pretoria, exchanging shots |
with the British outposts; and 1t Is re- |
ported that parties OF Soers are hovering !
around Johannesburg,
Canadian Troops Home from Africa,
Halifax, n. s., Dec. 23-The steamer |
Lake Champlain, having on board Col. |
Otter and $50 Canadian troops. returning |
from South Africa, arrived this morning |
from Liverpool and disembarked here. |
The order 10 land at ST. John. n. e, had /
been Cancelled by the militia department. |
The time saved by the change viii enable |
the Western men 10 get home for Christ |
mas. They started this afternoon on a /
special train for Montreal and Toronto.