The Saint Paul globe., 1900-04-12
FIRST 70 CLEAR THE WAY
PROBABLE PROGRAMME OF LORD
ROBERTS IS OUTLINED IN
WAR DISPATCHES
MANY BoERs ARE BEHIND HIM
Gen. Gatacreis Recall Is Theme of
Much Speculation I'm London
RumOred Death OF Baden
Powell Discredfted.

LONDON, April 12-There is little fresh
intelligence from the seat of war in
South Africa. 1t looks as though Lord
Roberts may be preparing to take a
strong force to clear the Beers from be-
hind him. A Cape Town dispatch says
he will not move for another week, ow-
ing to the necessity Of gathering stores
and supplies.
Sir William Gatacre's sudden removal
Is the theme of much speculation. The
curt manner in which it Is announced
causes much comment. The general i'm
preston is that it is connected with the
Reddersburg affair, although there are
many who consider that there must be
something much more serious, as other
generals in South Africa have been re-
tained in command after blunders more
formidable than Gatacre's.
The war office has received no news of
the death of Col. Baden Powell and ut
terly discredits the 1umor.
The operations in Natal have not yet
been fully explained There appears to
have been an attempt to outf1ank the
British at Elandslaagte and to separate
The Duke of Marlborough has arrived at
Bloemfontein.
There are now fifteen grandsons of the
Duchess of Abercorn serving with the
British forces.
It is announced from Bloemfonte.n that
Col. lingo Jones has been appointed to
the command of the Guards brigade,
Col. Maxwell to the command of the
Fourteenth brigade, Col. Knox to the
command of the Twenty-th1rd brigade
and Maj Brazier-Creagh, of the Indian
staff corps, to the command Of Roberts
horse.
BOERS INDECISIVE.
The Bloemfontein correspondent Of the
Morning Post, telegraphing Tuesday,
says:
THE Beers to the southeast are ex-
hibiting indecision of movements, possi-
bly, in consequence of our occupation of
the railway. Bodies of the enemy are
still moving from Winburg through
Thaba NChu southwark. Their destina-
ton has not been ascertained. The
Beers in the neighborhood of Paardeberg
show no disposition to interrupt our COM
munication with Kimberley from which
point civil conveys are still arriving"
The Bloemfontein correspondent Of the
Daily Telegraph, in a dispatch dated
Tuesday, says:
''The permanent defenses are nearing
completion, so that the town can be held
by relatively small garrison.
"A British scout who has visited the
Bloemfontein water works reports that
the machinery and dams are intact. Only
a. few Beers remain in the neighborhoed.
The enemy have trekked six miles north
and formed a laager near Water vale
News from Gen. Brabant at Wepener.
shows that all is going satisfactorily
there. The troops are getting new khaki
serge uniforms and boots.'
CHEERS FOR TARs.
The British first class cruiser Powerful
whose brigade did such splendid service
in the defense of Ladysmith, arrived at
portsmouth this afternoon and was re-
ceived with immense enthusiasm by thous-
ands of people. The whole town appeared
to be in the neighborhood of the water
side, which was lavishly decorated with
bunting, while the Notifications and
other points of vantage were thronged
with cheering crowds waving flags. The
Warships in the harbor were ablaze with
bunting and their crews manned ship and
cheered and cheered again as the Power
full entered. The babel Of sounds caused
by the bands, the cheering and the
shrieking of the sirens was deafening
NO MENTION OF REvERSES.
Lord Roberts wires to the war office
from Bloemfontein, under date of Tues
day, April 10, as follows:
The enemy have been very active dur
ing the past few days. One commando
is now on the north bank of the Orange
river, not far from Aliwal North, while
another is attacking Wepener The gar
rison there is holding out bravely, and
inflicted serious loss on the Beers. Maj
Syringe, of the Cape Mounted Rifles, was
killed. No other casualties have been re-
ported as yet.
'The troops are being moved up rapid
ly. A patrol of six men of the Seventh
dragoon guards, under Lieut.. Wetherly,
which had been reported missing since
April Z, has returned safely
AS the foregoing dispatch does not men
tion the alleged British reverse on Satur,
day at Merkatsfontein the Boer tele,
grams are not credited at the war Office,
and they are further discredited on ac-
count of the discrepancies In the dis
patches, as Merkatsfontein in one mes
sage, is located near Brandfort, and in an
other it is located southeast of Bloen-