The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-27

Inc bIllSn nave crossed the Naa1 at
Grobler's Drift, near Parys. The high
level bridge at Vereeninging has been
blown up by the federals.
Gen. Du Toit advises that the burgh-
ers are coming forward in force, deter
mined to fight to the end.
After re-taking Hebron the federals
followed the British as far as Wolve
Hook"
PRETORIA WITHIN A WEEK.
LONDON, May 27.-Spencer Wilkinson,
reviewing the situation at the seat of war
in South Africa for the Associated Press,
says:
Lord Roberts is keeping a tight hand
on all kilograms in order not to dis
close his moves. After occupying Rhen-
oster he pushed his left wing at once to-
wards Parys, where the Vaal river was
crossed on Thursday. The whole army
seems to have changed its direction to
the left as Gen. Hamiltons original right
wing was today at Boschbank, half way
from Parys to the railway bridge at Vii
joen's drift, which is being watched by
Roberts scouts
Gen. Hamilton probably crossed the
Vaal today, assisted If necessary by a
ma n up the river of the force that
fIOSS0Q dl 1dINS. Inc WnOl6 force DrOD-
ably viii be across the Vaal by Sunday
afternoon. Johannesburg then will be
two marches distant.
'I suppose that Lord Roberts will push
on, Gen. Hamilton and perhaps Cen
French to turn the Beers, while Generals
Tucker and Pole-Carew will attack in
front
The Beers as usual, must either be
enVelOped or go. Special eXertions will
De made To off their retreat q c OP6
Roberts is now determined to capture
them If possible. He relies fully on Ian
Hamilton, whose combination of fire and
prudence justifies every confidence If the
Beers escape towards Pretoria Roberts
will likely follow swiftly and be at Pre-
toria in less than week.
THE Beers say they have retaken He'll
bron. Gen. Roberts will neglect that, but
will guard his railway, which I think he
viii not wait to repair before going to
Pretoria Gen. Butler at Laing's Mex, Is
nearing Johannesburg.
Roberts advance must make the Beers
at Vol1rust uneasy, and so viii facilitate
Buffers advance. Gen. Hunter, when at
Mafcking, viii be eleven marches from
Pretoria, and it will be impracticable
therefore for the Beers to make any Sc
Tious resistance at Pretoria, where to
wait would mean to be hemmed in be-
tween the British armies. The Boer plan
is to retreat to the Lydenburg mountains,
which would postpone, but not avert the
catastrophe, and the strength of the Boer
forces after the coming week remains to
be seen. Possibly the lack of supplies may
cause Cen Roberts to pause on the Vaal
river and repair the railway, thus giving
time for Gen. Butler and Gen. Hunter to
invade the TransvaaL I fancy however,
that Lord Roberts will prefer the bolder
course and attempt to end the war right
now"
CROSSING OF THE VAAL.
The war office has received the follow
ing dispatch from Lord Roberts:
''Wolve Hook (Orange Free State), May
B.-An advance portion of this force
. crossed the Vaal river on the queen s
birthday near Parys. Hamilton's col
umn is at Boschbank Our scouts are
now at VilJoens Drift (on the frontier
north of Wolve Hook. The local mines
are uninju ed, and~work is going on as
usual There is no enemy. this side of
the river.
Hunter reached Vryberg May a."
BOERS FALLING BACK.
MAFEKING, May 2-The Beers to the
south retired from Kunana, ten miles east
Of Martha. and are falling back further
on Barsphilan. The BOers leaving here
rallied a few miles from Polefontein
A cornet who failed to support Com
mandant Eloff in the latter's attack on
Mafeking, in which Eloff was captured,
wrote a letter sympathizing with him.
Eloff replied that he hoped the devil and
all his angels will torment him cternally,
and that he and his would rot
PATHETIC SCENE.
MAEG&ING. May 1S.-The entire garri-
son paraded this morning to a thanksgiv-
ing service. Col Baden-Powell address
ed the men, saying:
I'VE have been unable to fire a voley
over the graves Of our killed, being fear
full of drawing the fire of the enemy
guns"
Today the garrison paid the last honors
TO the dead, assembling in the graveyard
and bidding goodbye to their fallen com
rades. After sounding the last call, t!4s
garrison attempted to sing the last SDthem
but could hardly be heard, as the mer
chcked with emotion. Col. Baden-Powcl
was deeply affected and addressed each
unit separately. He told the town guard
that those who wished would be permit
ted to return to their civilian vocation
To the Rhodesian column, in a character
istic manner, he said:
We've kicked out the Boer protecto-
rate"