The evening times., 1900-04-03
The DisnSter nt Doorn spruit.

The fun extent of the disaster to Colonel
Broadwood's column az Doom Spruit can
not be known at present as our des-
patches show indubitabie signs Of whole
sale censOriuG, and the same is true. Of
course Of cable reports in general II
is yet a matter OF doubt as to how many
Of the two crack cavalry commands In.
volved in. the affairs were killed or CAP
tuTed As there is every evidence Of official
concealmont. the reasonable inference is
that the worst has not been told
Two points are pushed 10 the front in
the oifi,ia and other messages from
Bloemfontein. One is that the Beers were
more than ten 10 one Of the British. The
Other is that the trap laid Tor BroadwooI
was the most cunningiy devised thing OF
the kind in the history OF warfare. Both
assertions may be true. but need not nee
essarily be so accepted in advance c. later
returns. We seem 20 remember that art
er the unfortunate WOOdgJte went 10 his
death on Spion Eop. his brigade Of TWEEN
ty-fve hundred mea was driven from the
position By such an overwhelming force
cf their enemy that resistance was quite
useless. But it has recently tranzgired
that the Boer attacking column. which
was led in person by Gen Louis Bo,hI.
only numbered four hundred rifles
The suggestion that the snare al the Sprlit
was work Of genius. is perhaps necessary
20 cover the embarrassing fact that Rim
ingtons scouts. hitherto regarded as a
command exclusively made up of sherlock
Holmeses. went all through and around aud
across the ground. and did not see hide or
hair OF any Beers. although they we're
within three hundred yards Of the trail.
in considerable force. quietly hiding and
biding their time behind a stone wall. The
scouting may have been brilliantly thor
ough. II So it is a little strange that it
did not include the enclosure in which
there were enough OF the foe to salivate a
convoy Of hundred wagons and two resi-
ments Of cavalry. and TO carry of seven
British guns. II may be patriotic vanity.
but we do not believe that any such scout
ing would be apt to happen in the case OF
an American field command similarly cir
cumstauced. Indeed. IL may be observed
with some confidence that any cowboy. or
frontier service veteran in Wheeler's di-
vision before Santiago. would have smoked
the trap at Docrn Spruit without any doubt
whatever.
The broad chances are that a heavy bat
tIe is in progress in the neighborhood Of
Bloemfontcin as the Beers appear to have
assumed the offensive on the theory that
Lord Roberts is not yet I'm condition to be-
gin extensive operations. They have not
waited for him at the Modder or the VaaI.
but have shown a disposition to force the
fighting. BY tomorrow We may hear some
details concerning events in progress. Va
rious things are possible. II may be that
Botha is making a demonstration in force
against BlOemfOntein in order TO create
diversion in support Of Olivier's move
ment from the BasutoIand border, the OBJ
ject Of which Of course. is TO effect juno
ton with the BOer main body. As Roberts
must have nearly or quite one hundred
thousand men, it does not seem likely that
Botha could indulge any hope of being able
to succeed against him in a general en-
gagement. for the Beers cannot have to
exceed thirty or thirty-6ve thousand
troops Of all arms available for the pur-
pose. even including the five or six thou
sand supposed to be with Olivier. The only
thing which appears to be completely evil
dent is that Lord Roberts is not liable to
reach Pretoria without some very serious
fighting or without heavy losses.