Waterbury Democrat., 1900-12-24
KITCHENER HOPEFUL.
Believes the Cape Coloney Invasion
 Checked.

LONDON, Dec. 24.-Lord Kitchener's dispatches, breathing confidence hardly justified by their contents, are almost the only available news from the seat of hostilities in South Africa, but telegrams from Cape Town depict the situation ill anything but roseate views.
 Without believing the assertion of the Transvaal agency in Brussels that 6,O0O Boers have invaded Cape Colony, it is quite evident that the invasion was a se- rious and well planned affair.
 The Cape Colony cabinet had an i'm portant sitting yesterday. Ii appears that the Boers have destroyed a railway bridge 90 feet long about 12 miles south of De Aar and that no Cape mails have arrived at Bloemfontein for three days.
 Further anxiety has been caused in Cape Town by the discovery that during the last two months public bodies in out of the way places have reQuisitioned sup plies of dynamite The colonial govern ment is now endeavoring to recover pos session of these explosives and is remoy- ing all stores of arms and ammunition from suspected depots.
 Other advices from Cape Town repre- sent the Dutch element in Cape Colony as greatly elated over the southward progress of the Boers and as bOasting that the whole district of Victoria West VIII 1Oln the fdluPES- II Is SuSlJGcJeu III Cape Town that the force travelling from Zoutpan's drift is not q body of Boars, but one of colOnials hastening to join the invaders.
 The pietcrmaritzburg correspondent of The Daily Mail says:
 'The Boers are active between Johan- nesburg and Pretoria, exchanging shots with the British outposts, and it is re ported that parties of Boers are lowering around Johanuesburg.'
 The war office has received the follow ing dispatch from Lord Kitchener, dated Pretoria, Dee. p:
 So far as it is possible for me to form an opinion from the reports of officers on the spot. 1 think the Boer movement into Cape Colony has been checked. Of the two forces that entered the colony, the | eastern is still north of the Zoutpausberg range while the one that entered west appears to have been turned in the direc- ton of Britstown and Prieska. Oul l troops are getting around both bodies, | and q special column is also being or ! ganized which will be dispatched imme- | diatcy when l know where its services | are most wanted.
 The BOers here have not received much assistance ill Cape Colony, so faI as my information goes. We have armed 1 some of the cOlonistS, who are assisting 1 our forces. Railway and telegraph com municaton has been much interrupted l by the very bad weather.
 De Wet is in the neighborhood oi Senellal General French, ill conjunction with General Clements, attacked q force under Beyers south of the Magaliesberg | The Bocrs broke away in a southwester l ly direction toward potchefstroom aEC were followed by General Gordon with {; column of Frcnch's force.
 Yesterday evening about , o'clocl | Clements force was engaged south O. Oliphant's ncl1, but l do not yet know the result
 A later dispatch from Lord Kitchener dated Pretoria, Dec. 22, says:
 The western column of Boers occu pied Britstown and cut the railway soutl of De Aar Junction. The enemy is be | ing followed up."