The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-06-04
FRENCH CLOSE TO PRETORIA.
INDICATIONS ARE RESISTANCE
WILL DE FEEBLE.


Pretoria Pictured as Being In "a State
of Confusion and Chaos, with the
British Expected HourIy-Eoreisn
Enjoys Getting Ready TO Leave.
Burghers said to He DESERVING.
But the Beers Do Not Seem Conn
pIetely Crushed.
London, June 4, a. m.-There is no di-
rect news from Pretoria of later date than
Thursday evening. General French's cav
airy were then at Irene. eight miles south
of Pretoria. and firing was heard there.
Lord Roberts messages about seconda-
ry operations elsewhere and the situation
at johannesburg, dated at Orange Grove,
farm four miles northeast OF Johannes
burg, show that on Saturday, at $40 p
m, he was twenty-five miles from Pre-
.toria.
The correspondents with Lord Roberts
have not got through line about the OPP
erations leading to the occupation of Jo-
hannesburg. Official messages continue
to come through, but press telegrams are
held up. probably to avoid giving even a
hint as 60 what may be the pending OPP
erations. From the other side there Ill
ters through Lorenzo Marquee mass Of
statements, some contradictory, others
obviously improbable. but the following
purporting to be facts:
Passengers arriving at Lorenzo Mar
ques Saturday, direct from Pretoria, say
that the capital was preparing to surren-
der when they left Thursday. The forts
were dismantied. The Boer guard at
Komati Poort searched all trains, and
eirned back most of the fugitlves, among
them deserving foreigners. who were
striving to reach neutral soil.
Immense Boer conveys Of provisions
are between Pretoria and Middieberg.
Fifteen trains are sent daily to Macha-
dasdoran, with supplies for Lydenburg.
Pretoria is pictured by the refugees as
in a state of indescribable confusion and
chaos. The populace are dismayed, ana
the British are expected hourly"
Foreigners Want to Leave.
Some foreign attaches have arrived at
Lorenzo Marques 10 communicate with
their governments for orders to- lsave, as
they consider that organized war on the
Transvaal side is at an end.
Flying among the Beers are reports
that the British have been beaten back
at Lindley, with heavy loss, that the
main ATTACK on Hfi4I@%tRHlt-n ldlic0 aiiN
Lord Roberts was forctd to retire 10
Klipriverberg, that che railway has be n
cut behind him south ~ Vereening. and
that a provisiaa train liAs been capture l.
Without cirediting any OF these Boer bull
letins, everything from the field of war
behind Lord Roberts points to a great ef-
fort last week to paralyze his advance by
a bold stroke from the eastward at the
railway north of Bloemfontein. No less
than four Boer columns were in move
ment seemingly with this objective. There
was a commando in front OF Gen. Bra
bant near Ficksburg, another faced Gen.
Rundel near Senakal; a third occupied
Lindley and pressed toward the railway,
and a fourth seized Heilbron end pushed
toward Kroonstad. These operations, as
suming them to have been independent,
all appear to have failed.
Hurshers Are Not Yet Crushed.
The revival of the Boer hgting power
east of Lord Roberts advance, although
fruitless, is symptom that the Beers are
not vet crushed. In Gen. Rundle's attack
on the entrenched Beers, seven miles east
of Seneka May 20, the British did not see
a Boer all day, so completely were they
screened. The British infantry did not get
within 1000 yards of their rihemen. The
lS2 losses wired by Lord Roberts were
suffered by. the Grenadiers and Scots
Guards while advancing over level from
Britishers In khaki were conspicuous tar
get against the black background.
Gen. Rumble withdrew his whole force
at sundown to Senekal, having succeeded
in drawing the Beers from Lindley al
lowing the threatened force to get away
safely The Beers sent to the British for
medical help saying that Comman6ant
de Viliiers was seriously wounded. Gen.
Rundle Gent a doctor, with a bottle of
champagne ard his compliments, as we'll
as a message that he would release all
the Beer prisoners at Senekal.
Burghers Arc DESERVING.
The Lorenzo Marquee correspondent OF
the Times, tslegraphing June 2, says:
IAN Austrian who has seen seven
months active service in the Transvaal
declares that large proportion of the
burghers are deserving to their homes.
The arrangement whereby the British
prisoners al Pretoria have been placed
under an armed guard with British Of
ficers pending The formal occupation of
the town, is ascribed to the good sense
and humane disposition of Gen. Louis
Botha, and the Transvaa war secre-
tary."
In the advance OF the Grenadiers Col.
Lloyd led In the face of a deadly fire.
He was hit, but struggled on, only to be
disabled by another bullet. Lieut.. Muir
ray, falling, cried: Forward, Grena-
dIersw The binding smoke OF the veldt
hampered the operations.
Lieut.. Lord Seymour on going back
TO direct the artillery. was wounded. The
order to retire was given and executed
under a screen OF smoke. The Boer fire
was kept up until dusk.