Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1900-05-15
Gen. Buffers Dispatches Given
Out by the War Depart
ment Today.
BOER RETIREs BEFORE BRITON
Steyn's Brother and Many Free
State Burehers Surrender
to General Rumble.
ENGAGEMENTI AT MAFEKINe

Brands Drift, May lO-General Run
die completely checkmated the at
tempt. Of the Beers to come soutl
again, and the enemy are retiring be
fore the persistent advance of che
British. Many have been captured ol
are surrendering. There were $50 oi
these yesterday, and today, among
them President Steyn's brother. The
LAdybrand district is clear of Beers
they have evacuated Mequatling's
Mex and are now near Lindley.
London. 1:S5 p. MT is officially
announced that Dundee has been oc
cupied by the British.
Plumer's Camp, via Ootsi, May =
Natives who arrived here say the
bombardment of Mafeking on May 1st
was not heavy. Two hundred and
eighty refugees from Mafekfng have
reached here. Patrols who have re-
turned from the northern borders of
The Transvaal say they saw no signs
OF the Beers. All is quiet here.
Beers regularly patrol the neighbor--
hood of Mafeking, but do not seem dis.
posed to be aggressive.
Kroonstadt, May 14-lt is reported
that the whole of the Boer forces are
concentrating on the Vaal, withdraw
ing from Biggarsberg and southwest
ern borders.
It is computed that not more than O.
900 Free Staters will fight on the Vaal.
Railway communications with this
place are expected to be open Thurs.
day. Transport is working smoothly,
troops and horses recs@ing full ra-
tons, water is plentiful and health
of the troops excellent
London, May 15-The war Office re-
ceived the following dispatch from
General Butler: Dundee, May 18th,
p. m.-We have occupied Dundee,
About $500 of the enemy left yester-
day for Glencoe where they entrained
Their wagons also left yesterday by
Dejager's drift and Dannehauser road.
Their Kaffirs said they were going to
Laing's Mex. Almost every house in
Dundee was completely looted. The
navigation colliery is all right. The
machinery of the Dundee collieries has
been destroyed. The houses of the
town are damaged, but.a structural
ly intact. The war office today fur
nished tardy confirmation of the asso-
ciated press story yesterday telling Of
General Buffers move on Biggars-
berg in dispatch from General Bull
Ter as follows:
"Kemp's Farm, My 15-The follow
ing kilograms sent to Roberts are now
repeated to you. They begin under
date Of May 18th; In accordance with
instructions to keep the enemy oc-
cupied at Biggarsberg, May 18th,
concentrated the Third cavalry bri-
gade, Second division, and some corps
of artillery at Dunday's river dffft, on
the Helpmaaker road, and directed
Col. Bethune to advance on Grey
town with Bethune's mounted infan-
try, the UmYoti mounted rifles and
the Imperial light infantry. On May
18th, we moved to Washbank, anu
Bethune to Pomeroy, while Gen. Hid.
yard from Elanslaagte, occupied In
dodoa mountain. On May 18th, sent
General Hamilton, with three battal
ions, up the steep slope of Withock
hill. The Third" cavalry brigade
crowned the hill on each side of the
main road. Bethune attacked by the
Pomeroy road from three sides. The
enemy hurriedly abandoned their posi-