Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-25
And It May Have Been a Ruse
On the Part of the Beers to
Entrap Their Enemies.
REPORT FROM GEN, BULLER
Says That Warren Thinks He Has
Rendered the Boer Position I'm.
tenable-Crowds Gather at War
Office Waiting For News.

| LONDON, JAN 2:25 p. m.-Jubilation over
| General Warren's achievement in can.
| turing Sp1onkop Tuesday night is chas-
tened 0y the realization that his success
IS only provisional. as it appears clear
from Buffers dispatch that the Beers
1uily realize the strategical importance Of
Spionkop and at the time his message
was sent off they had not abandoned the
hope Of recapturing the position.
nevertheless a heavy load of anxiety
has been removed from the nation and
there is general expectation that as the
British have succeeded in keeping the hill
all day long, they will manage to retain
1t until Warren plants guns enough on it
to dominate the Boer trenches right and
left.
There is the usual disposition here to
exaggerate the Importance Of the point
scored, but it is realized that Butler still
has task before him calling for most
dogged persistence and untiring attack
and that the difficulties will increase an
the position developes.
The relief of the tension on the stock
exchange was very marked. Business
began more cheeriully all around and with
an upward movement under the influence
of news at the war office and at the
clubs and other resorts there was a not
able change from the gloomy fears Of
yesterday.
The appearance of news placards on the
streets sent crowds of people to the war
Office and the lobbies were soon filled to
suffocation. Those near the notice board
read out the news at frequent intervals
for the benefit Of late arrivals who were
unable to approach. Each successive
reading lead to renewal of cheering.
In the ladies' lobby there were signs Of
a sad side Of the victory. The question |
often asked was when will the casualties |
be received" Though Buffers dispatch !
is dated to-day and speaks of Spionkop |
being captured last night 1t apparently |
means Tuesday night. According to !
Buffers dispatch, "a small garrison was
His subsequent statement
"our losses were considerable" indicated !
that the British suffered greatly later
from she'll fire from farther Boer po-
sition.
The statement that there was only a
small garrison at Spionkop came some.
what as surprise as it was imagined the
Beers We're there in great force, and it
is taken in some quarters to indicate the
Eoers were not so surprised at the assault
as it appeared but previously drew of
their main body>Aad lett small force to
withstand the British advance.
1t is even suggested that the Beers In
veigled the British into occupying Spion-
kop and have now surrounded them. It
s evident, in spite of the fact that the
British hold Potgieter's drift and the hills
above. that the Beers have succeeded in
bringing up enough artillery to infiict
losses to the British force
which seized Spionkop. although Lord
Dundonald is supposed to have been
securing the country beyond the ranges
n order to prevent this very thing. and
llthough General Lyttleton ought to have
rot near enough to Spionkop to either in
ercept the retreating Beers or prevent a
'erious attack, once the British had taken
possession Of the hill.