The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-11
ROBERTS WILL BE DELAYED.


LONDON. June IL. $50 a. m--The Beers
have torn up twenty-one miles of Lord
Roberts's vital line of railway between
America Siding and Roodeval. 1t Is a bold
raid and vexatious. but it does not disquiet
the military authorities as yet, for they
expect General Kelly y-Kenny to drive of
the maurauders and reopen the line. The
rapidity of the advance of Lord Roberts
cannot have permitted him to accumulate
large reserves of stores. Therefore an in
terruption of the railway. even for a week.
must embarrass the army and may bring
the forward operations to standstill.
Nothing has been heard from Lord Rob-
erts for three days. This raid on the rail-
way. the strenuous opposition to General
Rumble and the nimble escape of Com
mandant General Bothas division have
forced the War Office observers to the re-
luctanty conclusion that the war is not yet
over, although even the occasional civilian
Boer sympathizer cannot see how the Beers
will be able to do anything to change the
result
General Butler Is in Boer territory Dis
patches Of correspondents with him, flied
yesterday at sunset, describes the corps as
camping at Gansolei, close to the point
where the frontiers of the Free State, the
Transvaal and Natal meet. THE British
marched eight miles yesterday says a
Reuter- correspondent, before encountering
any opposition. The Beers, who had one
gun. withdrew under heavy ordnance fire
to ridge just ahead of the camp"
This long range. running skirmish will
doubtless be renewed this morning. Gen.
eral Butler is expected to make rapid pro-
gress now. and to throw the weight of
10000 men into Lord Roberts Transvaal
combinations. The fighting on June 6 in
which there were fewer than twenty
casualties, was kept up all day long by
musketry and artillery. The British at
tacking line. three miles in length, made
its way amid the precipitous hills. A Boer
gun on Spitz Kop fired shrapnel rapidly.
at range of four hundred yards, at the
British right flank but every shell was
buried in the ground before bursting The
defensive power of modern weapons seems
less effective in rough country than upon
levels, where wide spaces. can be covered
with fiat trajectories.
General Rundles and General Brabant's
divisions are still at Hammonia, in the
Ficksburg district. The latest intelligence
from their headquarters is that the Beers
are determined to fight to the bitter end
They are concentrating 1900 men around
Bethlehem. The country between them and
General Rumble Is mountainous and re-
sembles Northern Natal in being exceeding
ly difficult for military operations. General
Rundle's present care is to prevent the
Beers getting past him southwark. Major
Wood. of Rundle's staff. rode to a Boer out
post on June G. and announced that Pre-
toria had been occupied by the British.
How the Beers received this news is not
recorded. Altogether 600 Beers have sur
rendered to General Rumble.
General Hunters advance has occupied
Ventersdorp. 100 miles southwest of Pre-
toria. This took place on June Z.
General Plumer's column Is on the Glands
river. northwest of Pretoria. The British
are sending detachments right and left TO
accept the surrenders Of commanders,
horses, cattle and forage, and overawe the
sparsely settled country. Thus far only
one small commando has been heard Of
a commando at Tail Basch.
General Hunters immediate objective is
Potchefstroom. This town and Rustenburg
are the largest towns west of Johannes
burg. 1t is reported that Potchefstrom
Is ready to submit. General Hunter has
warned all burghers that IL the telegraph
Is cut hehind him he will send back and
burn the houses near the line.
The Dutch In Cape Colony appear to