Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1900-02-20
KITCHENER CROWDING CRONjE
Ills UnoffIcIalIy Rumored That
Cronie Has Been Brought to
a Standstill and Engaged.
BULLER TO MAKE THIRD TRIAL

10 In0 railway nave SulNSiShtE Gu
vanced to enable the dispatch to-
iI.,hl Ut the hrs, train to Ki.aaeriey
laden with coal After that militia y
requirements viii have Grsl eonsid
Grafton; second, food stuffs; then pas
sengers. which las,sr tram. it Is an
ticipated, viii start Wcdrss1sy tr
Thursday.
Londcn, Feb. 2o-Thes Queen. IIier
to leaving OsIol is hoUse this rnrn-
ing, on return . Winlsrr inspectct
the fourth battaiin of .he lincoln
shire militia. Ter inaies.y announ-
ced, with a gra aed smile. that god
news had becn received this I.o.n.
ing from the seat Of war.
Kimberley, Feb. 1S-By heliograph
to Modder II -ee. Tho coantry is all
free around nm3er'w. The Burrs
evacuated Dr)lo't, Salt: an Slit
fontein and SholAnex One of their
twelve Founders, with ammunition.
was captured also their laager at
Dronfield, which was abandoned FIJI
day night. Rails are being laid to
the Modder river. Several herds Of
cattle were captured. Cecil Rhodes
is in excellent spirits.
London, Feb. 20-The war office an
nounces the following casualties
among the officers during the relief
Of Kimberley: Killed, Lieut. A. Il.
Heskith, of the Sixteenth lancers;
Lieut.. Hon. W. McCHntocle Bunburg,
of the second Dragons. Wounded |
Capt. A. r. Gordon, LieutSD f. Bras
sey OF the Ninth Lancers; Capt, G. B.
Tuson, Of the Sixteenth Lancers;
Iieuts. R. l. Fordyee, and w. Long,
of the Second Dragons.
Durham, Feb. 19-7While General
Butler is continuing movement ON
the extreme right, and made every
disposition for the defense Of his po-
sition to the left, and south of the
Tugela, by maintaining force ade-
quate for that purpose, isolated par
ties of the Beers sometimes cross the
river. There is much sniping.
Although the rapid march of Gen
eral French's division was marked by
a number of conflicts, the entry of
Kimberley was unopposed. When
the British were still eight miles off
the signalling corps intercepted a
heliograph message from the beleag-
uered garrison to the Modder River,
saying
"Boers are shellings the town. Ad-
vance in the column replied This
is General French coming to the re
lief of Kimberley" The garrison
was incredulous and thought the mes
sage was a Boer ruse and flashed the
query: What. regiment are your"
The reply satisfied the defenders of
Kimberley who anxiously awaited the
succor at hand. A few hours later
General French, at the head of his
column, made triumphant entry, the
people surrounding the troops, cheer
ing wildly, grasping the soldiers
hands, waving flags, hats, handker-
chiefs and exhibiting in a hundred
ways the intensity Of their joy
The inhabitants had been short on
rations for some time, eating horse
flesh, and living in burrows under
heaps of mine refuse. Diminishing
rations were served daily on the
market square, under the shell fire of
the enemy. No horse food was left.
Throughout the siege Cecil Rhodes
provided the natives with food and
thus kept them quiet.
General Frenchs march was so
rapid, and the heat so intense, that
many horses died Of exhaustion. At
the crossing of the Modder River the
Beers bolted, leaving their tents, guns,
oxen, wagons and large quantities of
ammunition in the hands of the Brit
ish. Moving northward, the Beers
again attempted to stem the advance,
but General French turned the flank
and reached his goal with the insigni-
fcant losses of seven men killed and
thirty-fve wounded, during the three
days.
After a nights rest at Kimberley,
French's column pursued the Beers to
Brontveld, surrounded the kopjes on
which they were camped and shelled
them till nightfall when the Beers
fed leaving many dead.
London, 2:56 p. m.-The war office
issued a dispatch from Lord Roberts,
the main Importance of which is the
fact that it is dated Paardeberg. 7:05
D. M, Monday. Paardeberg is thirty
miles east Of Jacobsdal. The dis
patch announces that the railroad to
Kimberley is open and General Me-
thuen will proceed there with rein
forcements for them forthwith. and
with large supplies to be forwarded
to the town. Whatever important
news may have been received from
the front It is carefully guarded. I'm
ohicially it is rsmored that Kitchen
er brought Cronie to a standstill and
engaged him. IN any case, the con
Adent hope that General Cronie has