The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-30
ENTRANCE OF PRETORIA
How the Army Under Roberts Took
The Beer Capital.
The Scene in the Market square.
City, md Its Suburbs Suggestive
of Peace and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ed by the Arrival of BOtha-An All
Day Fisht-DeInand for Surrender.

| NEW YORK, July 29.-writing from
Pretoria under date of June /, a CORE
spondent of the "Commercia!-Advertise
| says:
After eight months Of hard war the
! British troops have marched into Pretoria.
| Now, so far as we can see into the future,
the war is practically at an end. The Brit
| ish flag is flying from the flagstaff on the
| Government building and all the ceremo-
| MES have come to an end. Whether or not,
| from the British point of view. this war
| has been just or unjust, whether It has
! been caused by capitalists, or the Uitland-
| err. CT the long-existing race hatred or the
! contempt of the Boar for the English since
the battle of Majuba Hill-all such Gues-
lions as these are matters to be brought up
for discussion at a later date.
What counts for the time being, what
stands above aught else is the fact that
| the British army has marched from Bloem-
fontein to Pretoria in thirty-two days. and
that the capital of the Transvaal has sur
rendered.
In appearance the city of Pretoria is n
| peaceful, abiding place. In contra
distinction TO Johannesburg. it would seem
that the citizen had at one time said: Il
am going away. farther toward the north,
to lead my quiet life by myself" There
are several large stone buildings in the
centre of the city, buildings by no means
lacking in dignity of architecture or grand
ness OF construction.
There is the Government building, fac
ing toward the north and the stone church,
and the white-triInmed Hall of Justice.
These form a part of the market square.
The remainder of the square is fianked on
all sides by business blocks. and the post
Office and the Grand Hotel The impress
sion of this centre OF Pretoria is one of
great dignity and steadiness and honest
purpose.
An Atmosphere of Peace.
In the outlying district the suggestion
of homes and general peacefulness is even
more apparent. Among the houses of
Sunnyside. for instances suburb OF Pre-
toria so closely Joined to the dwellings OF
the main town that there is no drawn
line between them-it would appear that
each citizen We'd with his neighbor to
render his home the mere beautiful. The
dwellings are all differently built, accord
ing TO the fancy of the builder.
All are low cottages decorated with re-
fined taste and knowledge; almost all have
clean-swept stables in the rear, or at the
side; all are surrounded with shrubbery
and gardens where many-colored flowers
look into the face OF the sun; and there
are plants in vases on the yerandas, and
punches of flowers on either side of the
entrances Truly it is strange that this
place should have become the seat of
operations of war. Nevertheless it was
only three days ago that the British shells
from the south. fred at the forts and
aimed too high. fell and burst in the
gardens of this suburb. Yes, war has come
here in spite of all.
On Sunday last the entire British col
umn moved cut of johannesburg TO finish
the remaining forty miles of the long
drawn journey toward the north. 1t SEEM
ed then at starting as if there was to be no
mere fighting, as if Pretoria would sur
render without firing single shot to check
the British advance And indeed the heavy
guns all were removed from the forts. be-
cause il had been-decided two days prev
ious 10 the departure of the British from
Johannesburg that there would be no de-
fence of the capital. Then when General
Bctha arrived at Pretoria it was deter
mined to make stand On the ranges OF
hills south of the town.
Thus on Monday, when the army under
Lord Roberts continued its northward
march, long and wide-eXtendef skirmish
fight took place on the creSts Of these
morning until the sun had almost gone
down Although the fighting continued
for many hours. ii was broken by long
spells of quiet was scattered over far
area, and at one time, excepting the first
outbreak. perhaps. was it in any way
fiercely contested.
This then was the defence of Pretoria
this the place where the Beers had MAIN
tanned throughout the war that they would
make their final stand Now there was
the sound OF scattered rife shots on the
left, now on the right; now single Beer
gun fired half dozen shells onto the
roadway over the hills; and this was all.
What had been intended for last and
magnificent stand of the enemy's forces
against the invasion OF the British army
became now a most pitiful attempt at re-
sistance by a scattered number Of men,
who. understanding full well the hopeless
ness of suchsendeaTor, yet thought they
owed 1t to themselves TO make this sad
prctense OF a battle to save their city from
surrender and their country from foreign
rule. They did what was possible to
them with the forces in the field. and then
retreated.
Demand for Surrender.
That same evening a British Officer was
sent forward into Pretoria to demand that
the capital of the Transvaal should sur
render Internationally. and the enemy
were constrained to comply with the Brit
ish demand. On the following morning
this word was carried 10 the troops-that
Pretoria had surrendered. Along the slope
OF the 1Tst range of hills which stand TO
the south Of the town the grass of the
veldt had been burned by the Beers so
that the hillside5 for miles were black
broken only here and there by ridges OF
CT NHrha an tnda lN4ra -
rock pierced the surface.
Here the regiments had slept during the
night on the ground they had held in
battle the day before. There were still
the wheel marks on the black grass where
the batteries had moved INTO action to the
right or to the left OF the road. There
were still the new-plowed holes where the
enemys shells had burst A little TO one
side lay the straight form OF a soldier,
killed in the last fight, waiting for its
grave TO be finished. And here the men
heard the news that the capital had fallen,
and great cheering broke out in the first
sunlight along the length of the entire
range. Then later the regiments formed
in line, and marched the last few miles
to the town.
After this there remained only that GER
tain ceremonies of the surrender should be
finished. At an early hour in the morning
of this Tuesday. June the 5th, part of an
infantry regiment marched to the market
square. Here they were stationed in lines
of sentries to keep the open space clear.