Connecticut western news., 1900-02-22
IN BESIEGED KIMBERLEY
How the Long Isolated Inhab-
 itants Have Suffered.
LIVED INM-JEs TO ESCAPE SHELLS
HorseHesh the Daily Diet For Two Months-PeopIe Danced and Sang With Joy When French Rode Into the Town.

Months-PeopIe Danced and Sang
 With Joy When French Rode Into
 the Town.
 London, Feb. 21.-A dispatch from Modder River says that when General French's force got to within eight miles of Kimberley the garrison there hello graphed that the Boers were smelling the town. In reply to this the garrison re- ceived message that French was com. ing to their relief. The besieged thought that this was Boer ruse and hello graphed the query, What regiment| The reply they received removed all sus. picion.
 A dispatch from Cape Town says that the country around Kimberley has been entirely cleared of Boers. Cecil Rhodes is in high spirits.
 Accounts of the privations of those who were besieged in Kimberley are coming in. Numbers of the people are now foeking to the Modder River camp. The women and children are weak from their sufferings during the siege, which, according to The Chronicles correspond ent, rivaled that of Paris. For 50 days horsefesh was the daily diet of the in. habitants of the town. All meal had been consumed, and the horses were starving. Those which died from starva- ton were seized and devoured by the Kaffirs.
 . Worst of the Siege.
 It was after the Boers brought up their 100 pounder that the siege became worst. This gun had a range of eight miles, and it was placed at Kamfersdam, four miles distant 1t pounded with segment and shrapnel shell daily. Women and children were killed in this ugly lombard ment, even those living in excavations falling in heaps. These burrows afford ed security against ordinary artillery, but not against the 100 pounder.
 Consequently most of the women and children, by Cecil Rhodes order, were sent down into the mines and distributed along the various levels. Many saw the sun on Friday for the first time in weeks. They came to the surface pale and weird looking like inhabitants of another world Nevertheless it was this residence in the mine workings that pre- vented heavy loss of life.
 The De Beers company did everything in its power for the noncombatants. Mir. Rhodes personally rendered invaluable help. Indeed but for his encouragement and infectious good spirits it is doubtful whether the town would have held out so long.
 American Made Gun.
 A truly remarkable achievement was the manufacture of the 2S pounder gun known as Long Cecil" Its maker was an American named George Labram. He was recently killed by shell from the Boers' big gun, which burst in his room in the Grand hotel. Long Cecil' was rifed. and it fired either shrapnel or common shells. It was simply invaluable in helping to keep the Boers at dis tance.
 It is easy to realize that the core spondents do not exaggerate when they ~..y that General French's arrival drew forth wild demonstrations and rejoicings from the inhabitants and that they sang and danced in a delirium of joy for half an hour before General French entered the town near the Premier mine The relief was not expected, the people not having even heard of the British ad- vance. A signaler saw the column on the move and recognized it as being Brit ish. The enemy's forces were melting away, and General French's cavalry were coming up extended along front of ten miles. MT. Rhodes rode out of the town, but went 10 the wrong flank, thus missing General French as he entered
 On Friday the British horses were nearly dead from the effects of their ter rible march, but notwithstanding this General French marched north in the di- rection of Dronfeld, hoping to capture the big Boer gun that had so harassed Kimberley, but he did not succeed in get ting it.
 The engineers repaired the railway. and the first train from the south entered the town on Monday evening.