The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-03-10
STORIES FROM THE FRONT
kitehe neF'S Selection Urged by
Queen Victoria.
Insisted Upon Having Him In south
Africa when Things Hogan To Go
" rcng-Account OF an Attempt to
Cross the TuGeIa-ScOtIand'S Gen
erOus Contribution to the War.


has become public. which must b. taken
for what IL is worth. When things first
began to go wrong in South Africa. the
Queen was naturally much distressed. Her
Majesty, however. had a panacea which.
with further misfortunes. became a fixed
idea.
To everyone In authority with whom she
preached the subject Of the war she said.
We must have Kitchener" Everybody
bowed. and agreed, but left it to the su-
preme war officials 10 point ont that there
was a host OF major generals senior to
Lord Kitchener The Queen. however.
was obdurate. and insisted so strongly
that in a matter OF the kind her royal will
should not be disregarded that at last the
officials themselves. by this time fairy
afraid OF public indignation. put their
heads together 10 devise means for CIV
ing effect to il without violating the rules
Of the army. The result explains why
General Kitchener went out not in a com
mand OF his own, but as chief Of the staff
to Lord Roberts.
One correspondent voices a little Of the
criticism of Butler that apparently cir
culated in Ladysmith as follows
Critics at home will no doubt. have
wondered why General Butler. in his at
tack Of December Is. received no help from
Ladysmith 10 was not known that Cen
eral Butler contemplated any attack until
December l.. The fact that We were in
photographic communication with the south
must not be taken as a proof that We we're
well informed. For reasons sound enough.
no doubt. We were deliberately kept in the
dark not only as 20 General Buffers
movements and intentions. but as 10 what
was happening In the outside world. Not
until December - did We learn by hello
gram thar an attack was TO be made on
Taba Imyana on the previous day
Had General Butler sought the advice
Of General White. be could have moved
with greater caution at first. and before
Offering battle on December u he would
have made an effort 10 cross the Tugela
an some point west OF. COlensO-say. at
Springfield or P0tgieter's Drift.
Heroes Of the TuEeIa.
Alfred Clarke. OF the Thirteenth Eus-
sars. with Lord Dwdonald's Cavalry Bri-
gade. tells this story OF an attempt to
cross the Tugela- lie says.
1T was an agonizing sight 10 see the
poor fellows struggling in the rushing
fOamiug water. and the horses pluuging
so a major Of ours asked for JwO powerful
swimmers Lieutenant Wise. OF our troop
said I viii make one. and in an instant
was on. Then yours truly sa;d And
viii make two. and in less time than 7
can tell you We were stripping. and half
dressed. I plunged into the river after the
officer.
In the meantime one Of ours had drift
ga a long way down the river. ana the
aIjgtaHt, Captain Tremsyne jumped En-.
clothes and ALL He was brought out uu-
conscious, but the poor chap he tried 20
save was drowned. Guyler was his name
However, We saved our man"
Lance Sergeant Glare. OF the Scots
Guards, writing OF the Modder River bat
tie. says Our machine gun was blown
10 pieces. and the sergeant in charge was
also killed. but we managed 20 drive the
Beers out IL was terrible sight TeXt
morning to see the dead lying all around
Il saw two or three touching sights
There was one poor fellow who was lying
dead. and had taken a letter from his po-k-
e. and had 10 grIsped in his hand. An
other had a Bible al his hand, and another
had a cartridge between his finger and
thumb and the breech of his rifle open in
the act Of loading. when be was shot
through the heart"
Generosity Of the scots.
Scotland has given most generously not
only her sons. but her money. and the
troops which have modified north Of the
Tweed cannot complain Of any shabbiness
in the heartiness and Ijberality Of their
send-off. Mr.. Forbes Leith. Of Fyrie has
presented to each Of the Gordon Volun-
teers going to the front an insurance poll
Cy for $500.
Provost Geddie. Of Fortrose. has given
60 eight volunteers from his own town
purse fun Of soyereigns and life policies
of $500 each. Mr.. Udny. OF Uduy. has given
TO each of the twenty men Of the Second
Volunteer Battalion Of the Gordon High
landers a dust-proof and damp-prOOf
lever watch with his came and an inscrip-
tiOn engraved upon il. and 10 each man OF
the Perthshire Volunteers Sir Robert and
Lady MOncreihfe have presented a small
packet containing two sOvereigns. Beyond
this there is. Of course. no end Of enter
taining-civiC and OtherwiSe-Of the men
for the front in all the Scottish towns
Lance Corporal A. Murphy. % the Sec
ond Gloucester Regiment, writes from
Naauwpoort: 1t is easy for people to talk
at home about what he ought to do, but
they ought 10 come out and have a look
at the country. To one acre OF fiat land
there are 500 acres Of high hills and great
rocks and powders, and the Beers are up
on these hills, ana won't show them
selves. We have got to force our way
up under their fire. II they would only
come out and fight like men we would
wipe them of The face Of the earth. As
il is We have got plenty to do. and We
have TO be careful how We do it."
Major Cubitt. second In command OF the
First Suffolk Regiment. which had such a
disastrous encounter with the BoerS at
Rensburg. writing to his friend. SAYS:
Colonel Watson got permession to capt
ure Boer position on the night OF Janua-
~ .. He kept il entirely to himself to the
last moment. and only told me when every
one but poor Mr.. Wilkins and Mr.. Wilson
had gone to bed He was awfully keen
about il and quite confident of success. 1t
would have been a magnificent thing for
our side If his hopes had been fulfilled. as
il was the key OF the BOer position That
Ii was not success was not Colonel Wat
sons fault. or indeed. anyone's. but the
result of treachery. probably on the part
Of Kafiirs attached to our transport
Colonel Watson at half-past 10 D. m.
told me his plans" adds Major Cubitt
"3OeedS Are Er,,Stc