The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-15
GEN. ROBERTS, WITH A FORCE OF
FIFTY THOUSAND MEN, HAS EN-
TERED FREE STATE
MiGERSF0iTEIE LINES TURNED
FORWARD MOVEMENT BEGAN ON
SUNDAY, GEN. FRENCH SEEING
RIET RIVER CROSSING
BOER PATROLS MELT AWAY

ureabIe Reach and Way to Blocm-
fontein Appreciably Easier
Times Refers to the Result as a
DexterOus and Brilliant Move
ment by Lord Roberts.
Ramah. The object of the march was
successfully carried out. -Four men were
killed, twenty-five were wounded and
thirteen are missing
''The Sixth division was last night on
the north bank of the Reit at Waterfall
Drift and is moving to support the cav
airy. The Fourth division is here and
will go on this afternoon.
Monday, Feb. IL, the cavalry division,
under Gen. French, seized the crossing of
the Reit river at Dekib Drift, on the east
bank of which the Sixth and Seventh di-
visions are now encamped The casual
ties were two troopers killed and Capt.
Majesndie, of the rifle brigade, wounded.
He has since died. One trooper was
wounded.
1.-The general handing al Rensberg
reports that on Monday, Feb. IL, he was
attacked in force by the Beers. Lieut..
Cunningham, of the Worcester regiment.
was wounded, and has since died. There
were ether casualties.
FRENCH'S BIG SUCCESS.
The war office has issued the following
message from Lord Roberts, received this
evening:
"Dekiefs Drift, Feb IA, $40 a. m.-Gen.
French left this point at 11:30 yesterday
morning with three brigades of cavalry,
horse artillery and mounted infantry, in
cluding several colonial contingents, in
order to seize a crossing of the Modder,
distant about twenty-five miles. He re-
~. Nv tol, dot E.O5 l.n
had forced passage at Clip Drift and
has occupied the hills north of the river,
capturing three of the enemy's laagers,
with their supplies, while Gen. Gordon,
of the Fifteenth hussars, with his bri-
gade, who had made feint at Rondoval
Drift. four miles west. has seized 1t and
second drift between that and Clip
Drift, together with two more laagers.
Gen. French's performance is bril-
liant, considering the excessive heat and
a binding dust storm which ragged dur
Ing the latter part of the day.
owing to the rapidity of his move
ments, Gen. French met with but slight
opposition, and his losses were small.
Lieut.. Johnson, of the Inniskilling dra-
gocns, is the only officer reported severe
Fly wounded.
1.-THE Sixth division was last night on
the north bank of the Riet, at Waterfall
Drift
-Four officers and ffty-three men had
to be sent last evening in the returning
of wagons to the railway line prostrated
by heat and exhaustion"
BOERs AT sPEARMAN's
LONDON, Feb. 15.-A dispatch to the
Morning Post from Chieveley, dated Tues
day, confirms the report that parties of
Boers have occupied the old British camp
on Spearmans farm. The crest is where
Lieut.. Churchill, brother of Winston
Churchill, was wounded, being shot in
the leg.
BOERS BUILDING DEFENSES.
The Daily Telegraph has the following,
dated Tuesday, from its special corre-
spondent at Frere camp:
On Sunday the Beers advanced down
the Ladysmith road towards Potgieter's.
Three hundred men, with others, proceed
ed to a point where they began constructs
ing new trenches at right angles to the
road This was about two miles north of
the drift. A part of the Beers also cross
ed the Tugela, now very low, six miley
below Potgieter's Drift, where they snip
ed the South African Light Horse, who
repulsed them.
Several other skirmishes have taken
place. and the Beers are evidently anX-
ious about their positions. They have
Trichard's Drift and the Spion Kop range
eastward to the Hlangwana and Monte
Cristo hills, both on this side Of the Tu-
gea. They also have two, If not three
wooded bridges spanning the Tugela in
the bend, and a wire rope apparatus for
the conveyance of food and ammunition
across the river"
TOTAL BRITISH CASUALTIES.
The total British casualty returns up to
tonight are: Officers killed, 1852; wounded,
$780, missing, 112; men killed. lat; wound
ed $3.50; missing 2,7S1 other fatalities re-
ported, 563; grand total, 1O,515.
BoERS SHELL WOMEN'S LAAGER.
The Daily Chronicle publishes the fol-
lowing dispatch from Mafeking, dated
Jan. 20:
1.-THE Beers shelled the wonlens laager
for two hours on Saturday, JAN n.
Boer women, warned by spies evidently,
went into the trenches, clapped their
hands and hurrahed when the shells fell
near the Englishwomen. Lady Sarah I
Wilson was slightly wounded. Maj. Gould
Adams and Capt. Wilson received contu-
sions from she'll fragments"
DISTURBER COURT-MARTLALED
LADYSMITH, Feb. S.-H. c. Foss, a
resident Of Ladysmith, has been court
martialed and sentenced to years inn
prisonment at hard labor. for circulating
false reports calculated to discourage the
troops, and for advising soldiers to desert.
Mr.. Foss. who is native of Natal, re-
sided for some time in the Free State Hs
had been twice warned for asserting
that the garrison was on the eve Of star
walton and capture.
WARM WORK AT RENsBERG.
RENSBERG, Feb 49, = Before dawn
yesterday the enemy opened an attack
on Slingersfontein, assaulting the hills on
the northwest, held by three companies
of the Lancasters, under Capt. Lovek
The artillery began bombardment, but
the Boers swept on IN great numbers,
estimated at seventeen to one. The Brit
ish. under good cover, sustained the at
tack throughout the day. Meanwhile two
big guns opened on the British at day
break and fired for half an hour, when
a British howitzer silenced them with
lyddite, the British artillery firing with
precision Then another Boer gun to the
north opened on the Royal Irish rifles,
but rather Intellectually, as the rifles had
good cover.
The shelling continued all day, and last
evening the Beers brought up forty
pounder In order to lombard the camp
from q hill TO the north. The attack was
plainly visible, as the gun could be seen
being dragged by eighteen oxen. Wnen
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