Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-02

London, Jan. 2.-The war Office has re-
ce.ived the following from Capetown, un-
der today's date:
"Col. Pitcher reports through the off,
Ger commanding at the Orange river: I
have completely defeated a hostile COM
mand at the Sunnyside laager this day,
Jan. /. taking the laager and forty prfs-
oners besides the killed and woundei.
Gu rcasuallties are two privates killed
Our casualties are two privates killed
at Dover Farm, twenty miles northwest
Of Belmont, and ten miles from Sunny
side.'
The success Of General French's COL
umn is at length confirmed officially at
the war office this afternoon in a dispatch
from Capetown, Monday. Jan. /, as fol-
lows:
French reports at 2 p. M, today from
Coleskop by heliograph as follows: Leav-
ing at Rencburg, holding the enemy in
front, half of the First Suffolks and a
section of the Royal Horse Artillery,
started thence at in the afternoon, Dec.
g. taking with me five squadrons of cav
airy, half of the second Berl1s and, eighty
mounted infantry. The infantry were
carried in wagons, and ten guns. I halt
ed for four hours at Maddor1s farm and at
$3.50 this morning occupied the kopje
overlooking and westward Of Colesburg.
The enemy's ouItposts were taken COM
pletely by surprise. At daylight we she'll
ed the laager and enfiladed the right Of
the enerny's position. The artillery fire
in reply was hot from a fifteen FOUNDER,
using royal laboratory ammunition, and
other guns. We silenced the guns of the
enenly's right flank, demonstrating with
cavalry and guns to the north of Coles
burg, towards the junction where a
strong laager of the enemy was holding a
hill position southeast of COlesIburg as
far as the Junction. Our position cuts
the line OF retreat via the road and bridge.
Some thousands of Beers with two guns
are reported to be retreating towards
Norvalspont. ALI Remington scouts pro-
ceded toward Achterland yesterday
morning. Slight casualties, about thret,
killed and q few wounded. Details later. "
Brief independent messages from Rens-
berg, filed the eve of Jan. 1, supplement
Gen. Frenchs dispatch but slightly. Ac-
cording to them the British were still
shelMng the Boer position ait o'clock
Monday evening and expected to enter
Colesburg today. The British loss IS
Were three men killed and seven wound
ed. No officers We're killed or wounded
The Beers are supposed to have suffered
heavily from the accuracy of the British
artillery fire. French's statement that
the Beers We're using a fifteen FOUNDER
and Woolwich ammunition evidently re-
fers to one of the British guns capture
at Stormberg. The BOer strength in the
! engagement with French was estimated
at from 5000 to 1000 men.
While the afternoon papers are not dis
posed to overrate the brtIliancy OF
F'renchs success it will doubtless have a
good moral effect, and If promptly follow
ed up as seems likely from the fact that
Remington guides are already advanc-
ing on Achterlang. it may result in cap
turing Norvalspont bridge Thus gaining
an important strategtic advantage az
then French will probably be able to
threaten Bethulie bridge, which is the
main line of retreat for the Beers facing
the ground Of Gatacre. Other official DIS
patches dated january 1 say Gen. Me-
, thuen's position Is unchanged.