The Yale expositor., 1900-05-18
BIG VICTORY FOR BUTLER.
Beers Defensive Positions on The
Bggarsberg Taken.
GET AWAY FROM KRO0NSTAD.
Many Arrests Made of Those Who Were
Suspected of Malignlng the British
Free State and Transvaal Not on Good
Terms.


London, May ia special dis
patch from Stone Hill Farm, Natal
says: General Buffers advance COM
menced Thursday, when he left Lady
smith in strength When within two
miles of Helpmakaar the Beers opened
a heavy artillery fire and the British
guns replied, while a portion of Bull
ler's troops worked round the Boer
TANKS. The British attack was press
ed home Sunday. Bethune, on the
right, outfianked the Beers, whose
splendid defensive positions on the
Biggarsberg were practically taken
General Buffers march subsequent to
the attack was carried cut without a
hitch. The British are still pushing
on"
London, May 15.-The Beers have
retreated from Kroonstad to the Vaal
| river, where they are intrenching and
expect to give battle to the force
under Lord Roberts. 1t appears that
the Beers at Kroonstad had been re-
enforced by 5000 men from Natal last
Friday, and that altogether 10000 men
with twenty guns trekked from
Kroonstad on the approach of Lord
Roberts. The Beers made an inef-
fectual stand at Bochsrand and had
elaborate intrenchments in front of
Kroonstad, which offered great facili-
ties for a rear-guard action. Their
only anxiety, however, appears to have
been to get away safely with all their
guns and conveys, which again they
have successfully accomplished. The
| few stores they were unable to carry
away they burned. Gen. French en-
camped northeast of Kroonstad and
dispatched a force to cut the line. The
! project succeeded late at night, but,
unfortunately, after the departure Ct
the last train. Although the troops
had marched sixteen miles, they were
in excellent form on entering the
| town. Many arrests have been made,
chiefly of those who had maligned the
! British. 1t was found that many per-
sons have been deported from Lady
brand for ultra sympathy with the
British
President Steyn has gone to Lindley,
the new seat of the Free State govern
ment. A number of the burghers are
trekking homeward. The opposition in
the Free State is practically over. All
the prisoners in the hands of the Brit
ish here agree that the quarrel be-
tween the Free Staters and the Trans
walters is so acute that the Transvaal-
ers have decided to leave their allies,
whom they accuse of cowardice and
lack of patriotism. Most of the Trans
vaal prisoners think that If they are
defeated at the Vaal river the Beers
will retreat to Pretoria, but there ap-
! pears to be a growing strust in the
| Transvaal government. In a word, the
back of the Boer resistance seems to
have been broken. The burghers are
fighting without their previous stub
| borness. They seem ready to retreat
on the slightest pretext. The prisoners,
even the Transvaalers, appear glad to
| have been captured. They say they are
sick of a war which can have only one
end. Several have exclaimed, 1--WE
have lost our liberty, but why should
we lose our lives?" President Steyn
| is represented as having been frantic
with rage and as having kicked and
cuffed the burghers after vainly i'm
ploring them to continue their fight.
There was practically no fighting and
there are no further details to give re-
specting the occupation of Kroonstad.
Lord Roberts, after a march which is
regarded as worthy Of being ranked
with his famous march to Kandahar,
has thus covered another stage of his
campaign, stage which, although sue
cessful and without the mistakes and
misfortunes which characterized the
earlier stages, leaves the Boer forces
quite intact, not having lost gun and
having lost very few men. Experience
has taught the critics to be chary of
accepting reports of Boer demoraliza-