The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-02-23
Beers LEAVE COLENS9.
ALL THEIR FORCES RETIRE TO NORTH
SIDE OF TUGELA.
THE ENEMY IN FULL RETREAT.
General Roberts Rapidly Advancing
Toward Bloemfontefn-Freneh's En-
try of Kimberley-Great Rejoicing of
the inha No lsoers In That
Section Their Hasty Retreat De-
tached Boer Parties Shipping British
on the Tugela -French's Casualties.

Section Their Hasty Retreat De-
tached o Parties Shipping British
on the Tugela -French's Casualties.
| London, February 20.-The following
dispatch has been received at the war
office from General Butler:
Blows Farm. Tuesday, February
20-:10 p. m.-The Fusilier brigade
yesterday too Hlangwane hill, the
right Of the enemy's position and COM
handing Colenso, the rest of the force
advancing towards the Tugela. This
morning the enemy has withdrawn all
the troops north of the Tugela and has
practically evacuated Colenso. Today
General Hart occupied Colenso after a
very slight resistance by a weak rear
guard, and we hold the line of the Tu-
gela, on the south side, from Colenso
to Eagles Nest The enemy seems to
be in full retreat and apparently are
only holding the position they occupy
across the Colenso-Ladysmith railway,
where it is close to the angle of the
Tugela, with a weak rear guard. Harris
advance guard is crossing at Colenso.
Our casualties yesterday and today
have, l hope. been put few"
The war office has issued a dispatch
from Lord Roberts, the main import
ance of which is the fact that it is dat
ed Paardeberg, 7:05 o'clock p. m, Mon
day. P~aardeberg is thirty miles east
of J~acobsdal. The dispatch announces
that the railroad to Kimberley is open
and that General Methuen will proceed
there with reinforcements forthwith
and that large supplies will be forward
ed to the town.
FRENCH'S ENTRY INTO KIMBER-
LEY.
Modder River, Monday February 49,
Although the rapid march of General
French's division was marked by a
number of conflicts, the actual entry
into kimberley was ~unopposed. When
the British were still eight miles off
the signaling corps intercepted a hello
graph message from the beleagured
garrison to Modder river, saying: 1.-THE
Beers are Smelling the town"
The advancing column replied: ''This
is General French coming to the relief
Of Kimberley"
The garrison was incredulous and
hought the message was a Boer ruse
and flashed the queery: What regi-
ment are you?"
The reply satisfied the defenders of
Kimberley that the anxiously awaited
succor was at hand and a. few hours
later General French, at the head of
a column, made a triumphant entry
into the place, the people surrounding
the troops and intermingling with them
cheering wildly, grasping h soldiers
hands, waving flags, hats and handker-
chiefs and exhibiting in a hundred
ways the intensity of their joy. The
inhabitants had been on short rations
for some time, eating horse flesh and
living in burrows under heaps of mine
refuse. Diminishing rations were serv-
ed out daily at IL o'clock in the market
square under the shell fire of the enc
my, whose guns opened on the square
whenever the inhabitants assembled.
Nc horse food was left.
Throughout the siege Cecil Rhodes
provided the natives with work and
food and thus kept them quiet.
The miles of convoy, bearing provis-
ions for the relief column and the
town, slowly winding it way across the
plain in the direction of Kimberley,
was the gladdest sight which greeted
the eyes of the .Pesieged for four
months.
General French's march was so rapid
and the heat so intense that many OF
his horses died of exhaustion.
BOERS' HASTY RETREAT.
At the crossing of the Modder river
TIE DUETS DOlleu, leaving t1elT leulS
guns, oxen, agonS n large quaint.
ties of ammunition in the hands OF
the British. Moving northward, the
Beers again attempted to stem the a d
vance, but General French turned their
flank and reached his goal with insig.
nificant losses-seve men killed and
thirty-five wounded-during the three
days. After a nights rest at Kimber.
ley, General French'S column pursued
h Beers to Brontveld, surrounded the
kopjes on which they were posted anC
shelled them till nightfall, when the
Beers fled, leaving many dead
General Cronje left a gun. his tents
food and clothes at Magersfontein.
SHIPPING BY THE BOERS.
Durham, February 19.-Evening.-
While Genera Butler is continuing hi!
movement on the extreme right anC
has made every disposition fC- the de,
fence of his position to the left ana
south of the Tugela by maintaining
there a force adequate for that pur
pose, isolated parties of Beers some
times cross the river. There is much
SHIPPING.
No ROERS ABOUT KIMBERLEY.
Kimberley, February 1S-By hello
graph to Modder River, February 49,
The country is all free around Kimber
ley. The Beers have evacuated Don
field, Saltpan, Spytfontein and Scholt
mex. One CT their 12-pounders, with
ammunition, was captured, as was ais
their laager at Donfield, which wa
abandoned on Friday night. Rails ar
being laid to Modder river. Severa
herds of cattle have been captured
Cecil FhCCcs is in excellent spirits.
CASUALTIES AMONG BRITISH OF
FICERS.
London, February 2o.-The war ofic
announces the following casualtie
among officers during the relief o
Kimberley: Killed-Lieutenant A. E
Hesketh, Sixteenth Lancers; Lieuten
ant, the Hon. w. McClintock Bunbury
? Second Dragons. Wounded-Captail
E. r. Gordon and Lieutenant P. F
Brassey, Nineteenth Lancers; Capital
, G. B. Tuson. Sixteenth Lancers: Lieu
tenants R l. Fordyce and w. Ions
Second Dragons; Lieutenant H. ID
Durand. Ninth LancerS-
! The list of casualties again demon
startes the fact hat a number Of mel
: boys are serving in South Africa. Lieu
tenant, the Hon. w. McClintock Bun