The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-01-12
GENERAL METHUEN'S ALLEGED
CONDITION.

GENERAL METHUEN'S ALLEGED
CONDITION.
Recall Said to Have Been Decided Up
on Owing to Reports Received from
the Front.
Chicago, Jan. IA cable dispatch to
the Chicago Tribune from London says:
Lieutenant General Lord Methuen,
commanding the column advancing to
the relief of Kimberley, is to be relieved
of his command within two weeks.
Later he will be sent to Cape Town, and
eventually ordered home. When he
reaches England. he will be retired.
These facts have been confirmed by an
official of the war office.
Lord Methuens case is sad one.
Always a man of rather. frail physique
although clever boxer and an all
round sportsman-his constitution be-
gan to show signs of breaking down al
most Immediately after he took COM
mand of his division. Three days after
the battle of Belmont General Wolseley
suggested to the war office that Methuen
be relieved. His advice was not heed
ed. The wisdom of the aged but keen
commander in chief Of the British
army is now realized to the fullest ex-
tent by the war office, who scoffed at
his suggestion.
Friends of Lord Methuen insist that
he is only in broken health; that the
strain Of many campaigns has shatter-
ed his naturally nervous system. Those
who know the circumstances and the
situation on Modder River equally well,
and who are willing to state facts
plainly, say that Methuen's mind is
unbalanced Constant proof of this has
been coming to the notice of the Off
Gals of the war office for two weeks
past The commander of the Modder
River forces has bombarded the govern
meft with some of the most remaEka BILE.
messages ever received from a general
in action. One, received a few days
ago, is a fair sample of the rest. 1t
contains just three words: Darkness
after dawn
1T is stated by those acquainted with
the inner workings and plan of cam
paign adopted by the war office that
Lord Kitchener, the hero of Omdurman,
who with Lord Roberts arrived at Cape
Town to-day, will proceed Immediately
to Modder River. He may not take
active field command Of the troops but
will put the column in working order
again, and then assign some one else,
probably General Colv!lle, to take Me-
thuen's plice.
Lord Methuen, in addition to his
other ecoentricities, has quarrelled with
number of other officers under him.
Three of them, Colonel Arthur Paget,
Colonel Cough and Captain Campbell,
na opdp in
don to-day. Colonel Cough is seeking a
vind!cation by court martial. When
Cough attempted to discuss the plan
of the Magersfontein attack Methuen
ordered him under arrest.
1.-The London press is considerably
suppressing the true state of affairs so
far as Methuen's aiment Is concerned,
but the papers do not hesitate to print
the hard facts about the battle of Ma
gersfonteir, which are just reaching
London through the mails, all of which
go to show, In the language of an Off
Ger, that the attack was that of mad
man. The death OF General Wauchope,
commander of the Black Watch, was
one of the many sad results of the en-
eagenent. General Waucirope, it is
now well known, realized the futility
against it, Methuen, however, persist
ed, and the two quarrelled over the
+. matter the night before the battle
which proved so disastrous to the Brit |
ish forces
"a member of the Black Watch in a |
letter just received gives the details of |
the charge which led Wauchope to his |
death. He quotes the generals dying |
words--words showing how fully he re-
allied the situation even in the hour of |
his death. The letter reads: 1t was one |
of the darkest nights we ever saw. The |!
rain fell in torrents and we went on |
and forward, falling, stumbling, and |
slipping over ROCKS and ant-hills. II |
was impossible to see where we were |
going. After we had been taken by sur |
prise our right half battalion charged, |
before q reaper. General Wauchope |
was shot at the beginning of the charge. |
When he saw the mistake that had hap |
pened, he shouted, Rally round me, |
Black Watch It's not my fault Then
he fell literally riddled with bullets.
Letters from men serving in the |
Modder River column tell of the demon
alization of the troops since the COM
mander's Interpretation. Highland !
Brigade man says: There is not the
slightest doubt that Methuen has lost
the confidence of every man in the
Highland Brigade. 1 am not going too