Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1900-02-15
ACCORDING: TO STATEMENTS FROM
BoER HEADQUARTERS.
London Accepts the Statements as
True-:Winston Churchill Says the
Retention CT vaal Krantz Was
Not Observation-Disclosures That
the Public Is Being Prepared for.
More Bad News-Endeavor Will
BE Made to Force the Line at,
Orange River by Wednesday,.
Possibly Sooner.

LONDON, EeD. ll.-LoAuou tASSSPIS as
true the Boer. statement that Gen.
Butler has failed again. These state
ments pass the British censor at Alden
and are read in connection with Mr..
Balfours statement that Gen. Butler
| is not pressing forward. Mr.. Winston
Churchill says that retention of Vaal
Krantz was not practicable and that
| further guns were needed to support
the advance. His cablegram leaves
Gen. Butler pressing forward a brig
ade to relieve the tired holders Of
Vaal Arantz. ..l
The descriptive writer's With Gen.
Butler were allowed rather free hand
again in explaining the ugly position
which the British held and the natural
obstacles which had to be overcome.
So it is easy to infer that with Boer
rifemen and artillery defending these
hills, ravines and jungles. have not
been overcome. and thus the public is
prepared in advance for bad news.
Heliograms from Ladysmith, dated
Monday, describe the effect Gen. Bull
er's cannonad had OH the worn garri-
son. Hope ran high that the long perl
I'd of inactivity and tedium was grow
ing to close. The crash of guns was
almost continuous for fourteen hours,
and at times it seemed as if as many
rs twenty shells burst in Il minute.
The Beers, preparing always for the
Possibility of Defeat
were driving herds and sending long
wagon trains toward the DraEcnsberg
passes. Intense darkness and silence
followed, broken only by frogs crOak-
ing and the occasional burst Of stray
shells fired at searchlights surround
ing the town with a wall of light to
prevent the unobserved approach of
the enemy. A series of British mines,
laid for the Beers. exploded accidental
ly, shaking and alarming the city and
camp.
Gen. MacDonalds retirement puz-
zles military commenters. The theory
Of the reconnaissance is that it was
ordered by Lord Roberts and that
Gen. MacDonald's operations were by
the direction of the commandments
chief in order to occupy the Beers at
widely separated points so they may
be unable to send any portion Of their
force to oppose the proposed central
advance.
Mr.. Charles Williams, a military
writer who is understood to be in con-
fdential relations With Lord Wolseley,
says that beyond doubt the best au-
thority in London regards it as certain
that an endeavor will be made to force
the line at the Orange river by
Wednesday night, possibly by Monday.
A dispatch from Spearman's Camp,
dated Friday, says that owing to the
Boer cross-fire and the impossibility of
lntrenching Vaal Krantz, Gen. Buffers
force will withdraw. The Financial
News, which publishes this dispatch,
suggests that Gen. Butler has not yet
actually crossed the Tugela.
Abandoned by British.
Boer Head Lager, Ladysmith, Feb.
1O--The British who were in posses
sion Of the kopje at Molen's drift,
abandoned it after bombardment by
Boer cannon Thursday morning, and
retired across the Tugela river to their
former position. A desultory cannon
ade is proceeding at the Tugela this
morning, but otherwise everything is
quiet.
As Long as Ammunition Holds Out.
London, Feb. 11.-Dr. Leyds has is
sued in Brussels a statement for pub
!ication in England denying purported
interviews IN winch ne is Represented
as predicting the Intervention of the
powers in the event Of the British in
vading the Free State. He says he is
convinced the war will continue as
long as the two republics have ammu-
milton. When their present ammuni-
ton is exhausted, he said, they would
GALL back upon Martini-Henry rifles,
, for which they have supply Of am
munition to last some time.
Hay at Pretoria.
Washington, Feb. II. Secretary
Hay received a cablegram from Adel-
, bert Hay. United States consul at Pre-
toria stating that he had received his
axequatur Wednesday, and that mat
ters were very satisfactory. This eff
fectually disposes of the apprehension
that existed in some quarters that the
Boer government might decline to re-
ceive Mr. Hay because Of the failure
| Of Col O'Bierne to receive recognition
from our government as diplomatic
representative from the Transvaal.
/
$sO,OOO,OOO INVOLVED.
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