The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-04-05
Beers Apparently Attempting to
Bottle Up Robrrtss
Great Army.
THEY ARE STILL ADVANCING
New Force of Six Thousand Rurgh
ers Marching From the North
English communication
Threatened
By MILTON Y. SNYDER.

| SPECIAL by rABLE
London. Thursday. April 5-Gcnerai Rob
! ei1s is conc.ntratinc his :roops around
| Sloemfontcin. Big naval guns have been
mounted upon kories commanding the ap-
| proachcs 10 the Free State capital,
! These arr the tidngs which this morn
inc's news bring, and there appears TO he
| hut one int rpretation 20 ne placed upon IL.
. namely. that the Beers are advancing with
! the idea Of making good President Kru-
| gers statement that he would retake
| Bl"emfoniein before many weeks elapsed.
| With the exception of the Seventh pi-
| vision. which holds Karee Siding and the
| korjes near there and of the troops along
| The railway to the south. Roberts and all
| Of his divisions are close 10 Rncmfontcin
The Beers seem t" have adopted she plan
F; Of assailinG the British communications. A
commando is reported 10 hc operating in
| the neghhor hood q: Sprlngfon;ein with
| this intention. BGt this is only an isolated
! movement. The real and significant Roer
! plan is to bottle Roberts mp in Bi0emfon-
| tein.
! General GataCrp. who has a comparatively
, small force. is looked % check the Rocr
operations III Sprinsfontein. failing which
the Commander in-Chief Will find his COM
U.niCations gone
General Clements and his division VIII"
| have been called up 10 Join Roberts was
within a days march OF the capital yes
| terday.
4 report that rev force of 5000 Beers
is approaching Boemfontein from the north
| adds further weight 10 the surposition that
| the Beers intend to attack instead Of wait
| ing 10 be attacked
| british INACTuON.
London. April 4-General Colvill' and
| General French have given up the move
| ,pent against the Beers east of B!oemton-
| te:n. and have 'ejonCd the main army ri
| Ploemfontein. I: doubtless seemed 10 Lord
| Roberts vain thing 10 send from 1000 TO
! I2NH Of his best troops into the wilderness
with field transport. in the direction al
right angle with his chosen line Of advance
| The Beers probably have moved elsewhere
| and If TO the southwest General Colville
could as easily strike them from Bloemfon-
tcin as by following them up across the
! plains.
These inferences still leave the situation
| bewildering for the time heinS. The enor-
rnously superior British forces appear in
active i'll every part of the war field
The London military commentators and
the public 10 some extent arc irritated and
confused by the situation.
GATACRE Is ACTIVE.
| Srrinsfonicin. Orange Free State, Tues
day. April lowing TO information that
| the Boers moving in the netGhborhood
| of the railroad running from this place TO
Bloemfontein. General Gatacre is preparing
to take vigorous measures to cope with any
! attempt 20 cut off Lord Robertss lire of
| communication at that point.
NEWS FROM MAFEktNG.
London. April 5.-A dispatch to the Daily
Y .l,,sN h
| runner TO Gaberoncs. says:
4 Last night we received the welcome
! news of the dispatch of column by way
| of NryburE to relieve US. The messenger
| reported that he had encountered no Beers
on the road.
! other runners from the north tell of tbs
| rapid approach of Colonel Plumer's col
| umn. The Beers continue the bomba rdment
, | b,,t il is believed now that there are not
. | more than 200 armed, many having left
/ daily
LARGE ROER FORCES.
: BIocmfontoin. April 4.-There are numer-
Gus indica t,ons that. in pursuance OF fhei'
boast tsat they will recapture Bloem!on-
J ,ein the Beers are trying to surround :he
: town and to cut our line of communications
| to the south Large forces are reported east
and south. which are supposed TO be max
in:; for the railway. They still hold Thabs
| N'Chu ard the waterworks.
| Lord Roberts is completing his corcen'
| tration Four a. guns and four nava
! twcIye-pounders have been mounted on
knpjcs commanding the plain. The cavalry
f, camp has been removed 10 a better posi-
l ton northeast of the city.
, | Special precautions are being taken u
| protect the railway southwark.
p Several arrests have heen made IN tH'
r | town of persons suspected OF giving ihtoi
| nation to the Beers.