The gold leaf., 1900-05-03
In A RUNNIhG FIGHT.
TIE BRITISH TRYING TO CUT OFF
THE BOER nETHEAT.
Tie British Hope Of Conclusive Re.
suits Very SIim-The Eoers Is.
cane Cnbeaten and Having AccOm.
plished an Immense AnlnUu' of
Dnmage-COmman ndant Cronje nc
ported Killed.

London, April 27-5 a. m.-Israefs
Poort, which is not marked en- the
maps, lies between Sannas Post and
Thabanchu. General Hamilton has
probably by this time arrived at Tha-
banchu, as he is using his utmost en-
deavors to cut off the Beers. who are
retreating from DewetsdOrp.
The Boer forces at Thabanchu are not
unlikely to make q stand to cover the
escape of the conveys from the south
ward. They have laagers eight miles
apart, stretching from Brantfort to
| Thabanchu, with a base camp at
Samaldell Station. A report comes
that a small force of British mounted
infantry had a brush with a party Of
Beers ten miles east of karee Siding,
who were trying to establish a connec-
ton between Brantfort and the Boer
forces to the southwark.
General Brabant, in the fight with the
Beers at Wepener, had narrow es-
cape. General Pole -Carew's advance
was much hampered by the tardy ar
rival Of artillery, which prevented him
from capturing Leeuew Kop before
darkness set in, and enabled the Beers
to secure their retreat.
Apparently Lord Roberts, with the
commands in the hands of younger
Generals, now has an exceedingly eff
| cient army. The report that the Beers
| had reoccupied BoshOf proves to be
| untrue. Lord Methuen is still there,
and General Hunters division from Ma
| tai, which was supposed To be going to
BlOemfontein, is arriving at Kimber
ley. This is evidence that some import
| ant operations are afOOt in that dis
| trict. The Beers are showing more ac-
| tivity in Natal. They are placing some
| heavy guns four miles north of Glands
| laagte.
A second body of Boer prisoners has
| been landed at ST. Helena.
| The Netherlands Minister of Foreign
| Affairs yesterday received the Beer
peace commissioners 1t is alleged that
| they Will time their arrival in the
| United States so that it will occur at
/ the most exciting period in the Presi-
| dental election campaign.
| BlOemfontein, April 26.-General Pole
| CareW's force are seven miles north Of
| DewetsGorp to-day. They are disap-
| pointed al the failure to surround the
| Beers. but believe the march vii! have
| good effect on the Free StateTs The
| latter, trustiE: to British leniency, had
| played the game of pretending TO sur
render and of taking every opportunity
| to fight Wherever he found Free
| Staters Who had broken the oath Cen
| eral Pole CareW seized their cattle and
| horses
| London, April 26.-All the interest in
| the South African war is now centered
| in the running fight in progress be-
| tween the DuTShe's retreatins from the
| southern portion OF the Orange Free
| State and General F,ench's horsemen
| and the infantry of Generals Pole
| CareW and CEefn:Side and Rumble. But
| the British hope OF conclusive results
| is slim at pIeSen the Beers escaping
| unEeaten and ha ing acc 'plished an
| immense anlcuIt of dam, -e. They
| clung TO their positions as )ng as it
| was safe 10 Go SO and they nave now
| slipped off to hold the next command
| ing ridge through a broken country
| admirably suited for a rear-guard de-
| fenSe.
| Dispatches from Aliwal North under
| date Of Wednesday, AIii' 25th. say the
| Beers left WepeEer 81 hurriedIy that
| many Of the dead We're left in the
| trenches uEburied. COmmandant S.
| Cronje is reported to have been killed.
| Ac, ding to 2dvices from Bioemfon-
| tein, the attempt of the Beers at
| Brandfort to Get in touch with the
| by a force dispatched by General Tuck
| er from Glen.
| dispatch from Pretoria reports the
| arrival there Of Lord Rosslyn as an
| unwoundcd prisoner.
| In the House Of Commons to day
| George Nyndham, Parliamentary Sec
| retary Of the War Office, replying to
| questions, declared Lord Roberts had
| made no comment whatever on General
| Lord Methuen's Magersfonten opera
| tions. Neither, he continued, did Lord
| Roberts dispatches indicate that the
| advance was either retarded or modi-
| fed by the scarcity of remounts At
| the same time the Secretary declared
| that it was true that the expenditure
of horse flesh had exceeded all the esti-
mates, and that the War Office had
invariably exceeded the acquisitions
| from South Africa. The difficulty in
procuring ships handicapped the au-
thorities, but already this year they
sent out 2l.01 horses and 7,143 mules
| as remounts in addition to those accom-
panying the troops, and by the end of
May the remounts delivered would
number $4,000 horses and 90 900 mules
Steps had also been taken to supply
the necessary rolling stock for the rail-
roads. But as far as the government
was aware the military problem before
Lord Roberts had not turned on the
question of remOunts or rolling stock,
but on the fact that Lord Roberts had
shifted his base from Cape Town to
Bloemfontein, thus necessitating the re-
capturing and repair of the railroad
and the clearing of the line of COM
muncations for distance of $50 miles
on single track with a rise of 45OO
feet.
Regarding the relief of Mafeking.
which all had at hea t. the Secretary
said the House Wor realize that
speedy relief would OF be aided by
divulging the ObjectiN of any of Lord
Roberts forces.
James Lowther, Conservative, was
heartily cheered wher he gave notice
that he would call attention May 22d
to Lord Roberts recent Spion Kop dis
patches and move the production of
further papers on the subject.
BrandfOrt. Orange Free State, April
ga British column in the direction
of Bultfontein and Hoopstad has been
beaten back through Boshof The Fed
erals sustained two casualties and the
British had twelve men killed and a
number wounded. Yesterday General
kellykenny's artillery at Dewetsdorp
indulged III mild bombardment of
General Dcwet's position, the firing
lasting through the morning.
| The scarcity of water is supposed
to be very pressing at Bloemfontein,
A desperate attempt was made by a
large British force in two columns yes
terday to recaptUre the water-works.
Their right flank was beaten back
however, a party of fifty were cut off
| and twelve