The Saint Paul globe., 1900-03-08

Is lnexplicable. We met a staff ofTic-r On
the way. He asked us what we wera do
ing. He knew nothing of the order. but
presumed we had better keep on our road
And so ended seventeen hours Of fight
we gave the enemy a victory The whole
of Warren's division had retired. Cali #
what you like, it was a sad and derlora
BILE business. There Is no explanation. no
one was more surprised at our action
than the Beers themselves; indeed, Their
oH1cers openly expressed their surprise to
Our doctors. If, owing to some unknown
reason. 1t was really necessary to take
Spion Kop (although 1t was said to ba
decided weeks ago that 1t would be an
act of folly TO attempt to do so). why eIva
1t up after sacrificing so many lives to
take it? 1t is question which VIII have
TO be answered soon. A Well-planned
strategical movement was to be carried
out, and every one felt satisfied that If
would be successful. In the middle of It
the whole plan was abandoned, and to D.;
are detailed from all sides to perform q
herculanear task, fraught with danger
and disastrous in result"
Bennett Burleigh relates this gruesome
incident. which included a serious lnsin-
uation against the Beers:
The Colonial Imperial light infantry
went into action upon Spion Kop 1t 9
a. m, and remained upon the mountain
until p. m. Out of $50 men they had
thirty-nine killed and ninety wounded.
Most of these volunteers were outlaniHrs.
and at least six of them, whose bodies
were afterwards discovered. had been
dubbed to death by the Beers"
DESPAIR IN LADYSMITH.
All the correspondents with Butler,
writing in the beginning of February, aft
er the defeat of Spion Kop had become q
matter of history, aver that, to a man,
the British troops are confident, and want
to push on to Ladysmith. From that be-
leagured camp there come several mailed
dispatches sneaked out by Kafflrs. of
great interest. Writing on Jan. q, while
Butler was trying to fight his way
through the Beers, the Times correspond
ent says:
''The weary state of Siege still drags on.
One day Is so similar to another that we
have begun to lose all account of time.
A week ago a flutter Of excitement reused
the garrison. The distant rumbling Of
artillery, heavy and continued, foretold
relief Already We knew that the south
ern column was In the vicinity of Pot
gieters Drift the heliograph had told us
this. But the booming OF the heavy guns
was the first substantial evidence of re-
lief. Would 1t be a day. or two days, be-
fore Butler was here. Excitement spread
through the town. Some hurried to the
postoffice with three months collected
correspondence. Others seizing binocu-
lars climbed to the highest points and
swept the horizon. Women who for
weeks had forgotten how to smile, stood
laughing on the river banks. holding their
babes that they. too. might hear the muf-
fed sounds which meant so much. Butler
is coming. These magic words were in
every mouth. But as hours grew into
days, and days into weeks, they lost their
charm, and the garrison sank back into
It's previous state of apathy, the sounds
of distant artillery were accepted as q
sidelight in the three months dream.
ION occasions a disturbance among the
pickets will precipitate an artillery duel
The apathy for a moment breaks. and the
garrison strains for some more definite
sound of the pipes than the monotonous
rolling Of the siege train twenty miles
away. Hitherto such hopes have been dis
PEELED as soon as they have arisen, and the
garrison subsidies to snatch frugal meal
during the intervals In the practice of
the enemy's six-inch guns. Then came
the sad realization that Butler had once
more failed"