The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-05-18
RESULTS NOT YET ASCERTAINED
Beers Claim to Have Captured the
Town-British Say Enemy Gafned En-
trance and Were Then Surrounded.
Beers Concentrating on the vaaI.
Buffers Account of Hi Repulse of
the Enemy From the B~iegarsberg.
Rupture With Portuguese.

III
enemy left yesterday for Glencoe.
wher they en- trained. Their wagons
also left yesterday by deJager's drift
and the D~annhauser road. Their KAT
frs said they were going to Laing's
Mex. Almost every house in Dundee is
completely looted. The Navigation COL
liery is all right. The machinery of the
Dundee collieries is destroyed. The
houses Of the town are damaged, but
are structurally intact.
Lisbon. May 15.-It is rumored here
today that President Kruger has Or
dered the Portuguese consul to leave
the Transvaal republic.
CONFLICTING RUMORS FROM
MAFEKING.
Lorenzo Marques, May 15.-Tele-
grams received here report very heavy
fighting at Mafeking. Pretoria reports
that Mafeking has fallen and the Meth
erlands Railroad Company has issued
a statement that Colonel Baden-PowelI
has captured a large force of Beers.
A war bulletin posted at Pretoria May
18th announced that the British were
advancing to the relief of Mafeking.
Lorenzo Marques, May 15.-The
Beers, Saturday, occupied the Kaffir
location at Mafeking. They were. in
turn, attacked during the night of Sat
urday n on Sunday found them
selves surrounded. The Beers lost
seven killed and seventeen wounded.
The British loss is reported to have
been heavy.
BOERS CONCENTRATING ON THE
VAAL.
KrOonstad, Monday May LIT is re-
ported that the whole of the Boer
forces are concentrating on the Vaal,
Withdrawing from Biggarsberg and the
southwestern borders. 1t is computed
that not more that 1000 Free Staters
will fight on the Vaal. Railway COM
munications with this place are eX-
pected to be open on Thursday. The
transport is working smoothly, the
troops and horses are receiving full
rations. water is plentiful, and the
health of the troops is excellent.
BULLER'S ACCOUNT OF HIS AID
VANCE.
London, May 15.-1:3O p. m.-The war
office today furnished tardy confirma-
ton of the Associated Press story Of
yesterday, telling of General Buffers
move on the Biggarsberg, in a dis
patch from General Butler as follows:
Kemps Farm. May 15.-The follow
ing kilograms sent to Roberts are now
RS~ ~ @SN ~
of May 18th:
In accordance with instructions to
keep the enemy occupied at the Big
g~arsberg, on May IL, l concentrated
the Third cavalry brigade of the Sec
ond division and some corps of artil-
lery at Sundays river drift, on the
Helpmakaar road, and directed Col
onel Bethune to advance on Greytown
with the Bethune mounted infantry,
h Umvoti mounted rifles and the I'm
perial light infantry. On May 18th we
moved to Waschbank and Bethune to
Pomeroy, while General Hildyard,
from Elandslaagte, occupied Indoda
mountain. On May 18th 1 sent eneral
Hamilton with three battalions, up
the steep slope of Withock hill.
The Third cavalry brigade crowned
a hill on each side of the main road
and Bethune attacked by the Pomeroy
road from three sides. The enemy hur-
riedly abandoned the position which
they had strongly entrenched and re-
tired to the mex, in front of Helpmaa-
kar, whenc we hope to dislodge them
tomorrow, as many of them nave re-
tired. We have gained the summit of
the berg with the loss of Only a few
men wounded. 1 advance tomorrow on
Beth. and Hildyard moves on Vessels
mex"
A second dispatch, dated May 14th,
says: 1.-The enemy evacuated Helpmaa-
kar mex during the night leaving a
rear guard of about 1000 men in front
of us. These nave been forced back
throughout the day under considerable
difficulties, as they fired all the grass
on top of the berg, as they ~retreated,
and the wind being ~unfavorable to us,
we were scarcely able to see at all. 1
halted the infantry, who marched very
we'll through the hot smoke at Beth.
The cavalry AVE not yet reported,
but are some miles ahead. We have
taken a few prisoners. Our casual
ties are small"
A third dispatch dated from Kemps-
farm, May 18th, says: re-
ported late last night that he had
driven the rear guard on to the main
body of the enemy, near Buralinden,
where they occupied in force a strong
position with three powerful guns.
Major Cough, with the compoSlt reg
iment, Unanswered to the right around
their left flank and they retired. Dun
donald then halted. He was tWenty-
five miles from his previous nights
bivouac, had covered nearly forty miles
during the day in a waterlesS country,
most of the time riding through smoke.
l think his pursuit a very fine per-
formance. From prisoners I learned
that the enemy numbered over 1000 at
-Helpmaakar n being now Joined by
those who left vanJonder's pass the
must total nearly 5000 men. We move
on Dundee today. Hildyard reports the
occupation of Vessels mex and is re-
pairing the line"
DISPATCHES FROM MAFEKING.
London, May 16.-The war office has
received the following from Lord Rob-
erts, dated Kroonstad, May 18th:
'Baden-Powell reports, under date of
MAY It'll, all going we'll. is de-
creasing; the garrison is cheerful and
the food will last until about June TO-
SEVERE FIGHTING AT MAZE
KING.
London, May ia dispatch to The
Daily Mail, from Lorenzo Marques
dated Tuesday, says: There is nov
no doubt that there was desperate
fighting at Mafeking Saturday. but II
is believed to have zone in favor o.
the garrison. ALI hat a be ascertain
ed of a reliable character follows:
The Beers, using artillery, attack
ed the town Saturday. Very soon thu
Kaffir location was in flames, some say