Connecticut western news., 1900-12-20
DISASTER TO BRITISH
KTcHENERs FORCES SUFFER HEAVY
 LOSSES.
One Hundred and Twenty of Brr- bant's Horse Captured Tn One En- Easement With Boers-Four Com panies of FusIIicrs Tn Another.

bant's Horse Captured Tn One En-
 Ragement With Boers-Four Com
 panies of FusIIicrs In Another.
 Recent heavy losses by the British in South Africa have renewed interest in the Boer war.
 Lord Kitchener is reported to have sent a fresh and urgent request to the govern ment to send out every available mount ed man. With General De Wet again escaping through the British eordon in the neighborhood of Thabanehu, the seri- ous affairs at Nryheid and Zastron and the Magaliesberg disaster confronting the British people. they may well begin to ask, as they do, why Lord Roberts is allowed to come home.
 The colonial office announces its deci- sion to enlist 5000 men instead of the 1000 previously asked to be recruited in Great Britain for General Baden Powelfs constabulary, which shows that recruiting in South Africa is less active than had been anticipated.
 Dispatches from Lourenco Marques as sert that all the Boer forces are plenti- fully supplied with ammunition, but ter ribly in want of food and clothing.
 The following dispatch has been re- ceived by the war office from Lord Kitchener, dated Pretoria, Dec. 15:
 Five officers and 316 men, Magalies- berg prisoners, have been released.
 1.-The Boers surrounded and captured Zastron district.
 Colonel Bloomfield, moving on yry- held, defeated the Boers with heavy loss, driving them from Scheeper's nek and capturing a quantity of arms. The Scheeper's nek movement occurred on Dec. 13.
 1.-The Boers who attacked Vryheid on Dec. 10 lost 100 killed and wounded be- fore they retired. The fighting lasted all day, the enemy drawing off at 7:30 D. m. The British loss was 6 killed, 19 wounded and 30 missing. Our casual ties include two officers who died from their wounds"
 Lord Kitchener, after announcing that the released Magaliesberg prisoners had arrived in Rustenberg, says that the Boer force divided into two attachments, one moving south and the other west.
 The MepaIiesberg Anair.
 The Magaliesberg affair is described as follows in a dispatch to The Standard from Rietfontein:
 "The scene of the engagement was a horseshoe shaped depression. The North umberlands occupied the center. General Clements camp was pitched 1000 yards lower down at the eastern point of the horseshoe. and Colonel Legge's camp was about 800 yards distant.
 General Delarey's 1000 men, against whom General Clements had fought re- peated actions, were suddenly, unknown to General Clements, re-enforced by 5000 men from Warm Baths under Command ant Boyers. At daybreak Colonel Legge's picket deserted what seemed n fresh force of British troops 80 yards distant. The strangers were challenged. They replied with a volley, revealing 400 Boers in khaki. The firing became heavy, and the noise aroused Colonel Legge's troops who arrived just in time to save the out. posts from capture.
 "A furious engagement ensued. Artil lery was brought up, and it compelled tho Boers to retire. Colonel Legge, follow ing up the withdrawal, was shot dead by a bullet through the head. General Clements and his staff sooI arrived. The staff suffered severely, but General Clements appeared to. have [ | charmed life.
 "While mounted men were driving tn, | enemy back along slope covered thicllly | with Boer dead q deafening rife fire sud | denly broke on the plateau above. Th' signalers photographed that the Northum berlands were being attacked. Genera | Clements, convinced that they would c1s | fly hold their own, disposed the remain | der of his forces on the Hanks and real | of his two camps.
 At 4:30 a. m. heliograph from tn, western peak announced that the Boer, | were about to overwhelm the fusiliers | General Clements was unable to send ad | equate help, but dispatched yeomanry tC climb the precipitous hillside and create a diversion. Before the--=~manry could come into action the Boers had overlap ped the Northumberland and were 1T | possession of the entire horseshoe, firing down on the yeomanry entangled in thu | bushes and powders.
 "The Northumberlands made a mag nifcent defense as long as their ammuni !, tion lasted. According to the Boer nc count, many even when resistance wal hopeless died fighting.
 | General Clements, now left with 7oC men, made superhuman efforts agains | the bullets from the Boers pouring ove | the peaks and managed to save his gum and the camp equipment. He retired il | splendid order and at 4 D. m. started t march to Bloemfontein, fighting a req guard action all the way and arriving th' next day at 4 p. m."
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