The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-02-26
HES POSITION IS REGARDED AS
HOPELESS BY THE MILL
TARY EXPERTS
HE is WILLING TO SURRENDER
PREVENTED FROM ABANDONING
THE UNEQUAL STRUGGLE BY
YOUNG BOER ELEMENT
MANY PRISONERS ARE TAKEN

british Gain Ground and Narrow
the Limits Held by the Coura-
geous Boer acknowledgement At
tack Made Upon British OutpOsts-
Fighting I'm Natal Is Still of the
Desperate Sort.
PAARDEBERG, Orange Free State,
Feb 23.-Gen. Cronje's position is more
hopeless than ever. Our guns dominate
the sloping ascents from the river on all
sides, and by the rush Of the Shropshlres
on Wednesday night up the river bed the
Beers lost 200 yards space in their cover
Deserters say the British fire has been
very deadly. and affirm that Gen. Cronje
himself is willing to surrender. but is
oyerborne by the young Beers from thu
Transvaal.
There are women and children with the
Boer force. Gen. Roberts proposed to let
them pass out of danger, but this sugges-
ton. as well as the proffer of medical aid,
has been rejected.
The kopje captured by the British last
Wednesday, when fifty prisoners were
position. It's possession should enable the
British to repuEse any Boer reinforce
ments from the eastward.
BoERs ATTACK IN FORCE.
LONDON, Feb 25-The war office pub
lished the following dispatch from Lord
Roberts:
"Paardeberg, Feb. A.-Parties Of Beers
recently arrived from Natal attacked our
outposts in force again yesterday. They
lost good many killed and wounded, and
nearly 100 prisoners, including a COM
mandant and three field cornets. Our
casualties were four officers wounded
nine men killed, twenty-three wounded,
two men missing On the 21st and 22d one
officer and thirteen men were wounded.
low-nosed Mauser bullets. The nickel
case Is slit with four Sits, making the
projectile of the most expansive and eA.
.plosiye nature possible. A wounded Boer
brought to our hospital yesterday had
sixty of these bullets in his pockets.
During the advance to and at Kinlber-
ley the casualties were: officers, killed,
13 wounded; men killed, 7S wounded.
CROWDS AT WAR OFFICE.
LONDON, Feb. 2s.-Perhaps never be-
fore in the course of the present cam
paiEn have such crowds visited the war
office as. went there yesterday AS the
Times remarked today, such deartn OF
news can only mean that success is I'M
minent.'
No diminution of confidence In Lord
n, a. al
Is ready to believe that he has good rea-
sons for not mentioning Gen. Cron1e In
the official dispatches, Probably he Is In
no hurry to end a situation which daily
brings parties of Beers In vain effort TO
reinforce Gen. Cronje. These he can deai
with in detail Lord Roberts has already
captured over 400 Beers, and at this rate
he will soon have quite respectable ar
raw. of prisoners to hold as hostages TOT
the $500 British already in Pretoria.
Gen. Cronje's refusal to accept the OF
fer of Lord Roberts regarding the women
and children indicates either that the po-
sition is less desperate than is reported, or
that he had been able to dig an absoiutely
safe place for them.
: Everything goes to show that Cen sBuf-'
.ler's advance is most stubbofnfyS contese-
ed and most carefully thrown out IL is
hoped he will soon be in position Wnere
Gen. White will be able to assist MIN ma
terially.
PEACE PROPOSALS.
The situation Is now presenting most
interesting phase. In about month the
congress of the Afrikander bund VIII
meet, and 1t is then believed MT. Hoi-
never will propose peace terms on the
basis of the republics retaining absoiute
independence, but offering to -disarm. II
these terms are rejected 1t Is understood
that a manifesto will be boldly issued 10
the Dutch throughout South Africa call
ing upon them to throw off their aiie-
glance to Great Britain. Probably THESE
rurnors are exaggerated but there is no
doubt that the greatest anxiety prevails
in Cape Town regarding coming events. I.
Germany, through the semf-ofhcial ber.
liner POST. reiterates that all reports OF
German interference are quite without
foundation.
Cant. Raymond Harvey de Montmor-
ency. who was killed in Gen. Gatacre.s
reconnaissance Saturday. was the heir
of Viscount Frankfort de Montmorency'
fourth heir to a Deerage