Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-23
No Hope That Cronje and
His Men Can Escape.
SURROUNDED BY BRITISH
B0er General Announces That It Will
be a Fight to the Death as His
Forces Will Never Surrender to
the Enemy.

London, Feb. 23.- a. m.-General
Cronje is seemingly making his last
stand. He is dying hard, hemmed in by
British infantry and with shells from
60 guns falling into his camp.
On the third day of the fight the Boer
chief asked for IN armiStice to bury MS
dead. Fight to a finish or surrender
Internationally" was Lord kltcheners
reply. General Cronje Immediately sent
back word that his request for a truce
had been misunderstood, and that his
determination then. as before. was to
fight to the death.
The battle went on. This was the stu
alton of General Cronje on Tuesday even
ing as sketched in the scanty kilograms
that have emerged from the semi
silence of South Africa.
Officially, Lord Roberts wires that he
has scattered the advance
of the reinforcements that are striving
to reach General Cronje. 1t is regarded
as singular that Lord Roberts,, wiring
Wednesday, should not mention the APP
peal for an armistice on the previous day
and also that the war office should with
hold good news. if it had any.
Without trying to reconcile even the
scanty materials at hand, it seems plain
that General Cronje is in a bad and even
desperate situation and that the British
are pressing their advantage.
While the attack on General CrOnje
proceeds, there is a race for concentra-
ton between the Beers and the British.
The engagement with General Cronje's
5000 to 5000 entrenched men is likely to
become an incident in a battle between
the masses. The separate factions of
%Io 0No, Ov,or oto no ri11u n ro uiN o. IN.
gether to attack Lord Roberts.
Will General Cronje be able to hold out
until the Boer masses appear, or, If he
does, will they h be able to succor
him? The British are facing the Beers
OH ground where the arms, tactics and
training of the British are expected to
give them the advantage.
General Butler, according to a dispatch
from Chievetey, dated Wednesday, finds
the Beers in position north of the Tugela,
largely reinforced. This seems strange.
The war office, for the first time. has
given out an official compilation of the
British losses. The total is 1880 to Feb
ruary II. This does NOT include, there
fore, Lord Roberts recent losses nor the
Wiltshire prisoners.
The Press Association learns that the
British losses at koodoos rand were 700.
Three thousand fresh troops will en-
bark for South Africa today.
The relative positions of the combat
ants are liEened to chess players, one of
whom from time to time adds pieces to
the board, while any loss to the adver-
sary is irreparable.
Paardeburg Drift. Orange Free State,
Tuesday, Feb. 20.-General Cronje's
magnificent night march from Mayors
fontein NOW appears likely to end in dis
aster. The main body of the Beers is
enclosed in a terrible death trap. The
Gnnn1U l C / mo. in h nod ~ a. NJ
der river, commanded by the British ar
tlllery, and enclosed IN the east mid west
by the British infantry. Sunday wit
messed a gallant stand on the part of the
retreating foe. Tired, harassed. they
Still maintained a bold front.
1t is somewhat difficult to explain the
Sunday action in which all the British
forces were engaged, in which General
Cronje, under difficult conditions, man.
aged to hold his own On Saturday night
the British mounted infantry came in
touch with Cronje's rear guard. driving
them back upon the main body. On
Sunday morning the action was enewed
but the Beers, who had entrenched the
river bed during the night, prevented a
further advance Of the MOUNTED infantry
in this direction.
Meanwhile the Highland brigade, con-
slsting of the Seaforths, the Black Watch
and he rgyles, advanced from the south
bank and the Essex, Welsh and York.
shires formed a long line on the left
which rested on the river, the extreme
right being the Welsh. The whole line
was ordered to envelop the Beers who
lined both banks of the river. The firms
soon became heavy. The Beers. holding
a splendid position, covered the left of thu
Highland brigade, which advanced partl,
up the river bed and partly in the oper
While the rest Of the brigade with the
other regiments swung around the front
of the Highland brigade on the leve
ground, exposed to a terrible fire which
obhge the men to lie upon the ground, a:
they did for the remainder of the day. this
being at half past seven in the morning
Through the dreadful heat and a terrible
thunderstorm, our men hung to the posi-
ton, answering the. Boer fire and shoot
ing steadily.
In the meanwhile the rest of the infan
try completed the e~nveloping movement
the Welsh regiment having succeeded il
Selling the drift, thus closing in the Boer
VINO had fought throughout with splendi
courage. General Cronje's laager, full q
Giants, ammunition and stores could b
PLAINLY seen near the north bank.
General Smith, orrien collected a larg
oody of men, including the Canadians
ana crossed the river by Paardebur
drift, advancing toward the laager, whic
was being vigorously shelled. This fore
made a gallant attempt to charge mi
the laager, but failed.
Before selling the western drifts tn
Beers occupied a kopje on the south BAN
running down theriver. Therefore,, the
force is cut in two. The Beers hold til
kopje and have one Vickers-Maxim an
probably one or two other guns. Towar
evening the battery on the south sic
opened, cooperating with the battery 9
the north side, a wonderful sight follow
ed. Thu shells fell with amazing prec..
lon along the river bed, opposite tn
lager, which was shelled thorough,
sailing everything it contained. One she