The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-06-15
THE ~TRANSvAAL WAR
Engiands Recon Reverses Butler
Unable TO Advance-Attempts ID
Bride the Boer Leaders.

Unable 10 Advance-Attempts ID
Bride the Boer Leaders.
London, June 12..s:l3 p. m.-The war
office has issued the following from
Butler 10 the secretary OF war:
"Jouberts Farm. June 12..5:05 p. n
Encamped four miles north Of ok
rust. Laing's mex and Majuha were
completely evacuated BY the Beers last
night. General Clery. from Ingogo. IS
now coming over the mex. I have had
TO camp here for want of water. a
correct list of yesterdays casualties
will be sent as soon as received"
The following dispatch has been re-
ceived at the war office from Kelly
Kenny:
June 11.-No communication from
Methuen since June 18th. He was
fighting June 9Th to he north OF
Vetchkop. Steyn is near ReitZ. The
British prisoners sent to Erede. are
we'll treated"
The war office has received h fol-
lowing dispatch from General Kelly
Kenny:
"Bloemfontein, June 12.-Our troops
from the north are at Honings spruit.
south of R~oodeval, where the Beers
cut the British lines of communication,
having defeated the nemy. They
will be at America siding tomorrow at
s O'Clock a.. m. General Knox moves
out from Kroonstad to intercept the
enemy. Fuller particulars later"
A comparison of General kelly-ken-
ny's dispatch with the maps available
shows, apparently, that the British
line of communications cut by the
Beers, has been restored, by the move
ment of troops from the north toward
Honing spruit, to reach which place
they would have to pass through
The fact that General kelly-kenny
says Knox will 10Y out from Kroons-
tad to intercept the enemy" would
seem to demonstrate that the Beers
are retreating between the northern
British force and that troops from
Kronstad, south Of Honing spruit, have
been SEM to intercept them if possible.
The war office posts he following
dispatch from General Butler:
Headquarters in Natal, June IL
We force in the Almonds mex today.
1t is not marked on the map, but is the
last defle to Charleston flats. The
enemy were in considerable force with
several guns in position. The brunt
of the fighting fell upon the Second
Dorsets, who carried the position at
the point of the bayonet, and the Third
cavalry brigade, who were heavily
attacked on our right from every brok-
en- country round Iketini L
hope our casualties are less than 100,
which, considering the extreme length
Of the position, is much less h I
expected.
THE whole attack was directed by
Hilyard, whose dispositions We're ex-
tremely good. The artillery, Tenth
brigade and Third cavalry brigade. dif
most of the work"
London, June photographic COM
m~unication with Lord Roberts is ex-
pected to be restored today. as a dis
patch from BIoemfontein, dated yes
terday, says that the rail-
way is in British possession and
that the work of repairing the line is
going on rapidly with the abundant
material w~arehoused at Bloemfontein.
From the subjoined telegram it
would appear that General Hunter was
in command of the troops referred to
by General Kelly-Kenny in his dis
patch from Bloemfontein:
''Bloemfontein June
Hunter is coming up rapidly from the
northeast, having severely defeated a
large commando of Beers who a
destroyed two miles of railway north
of KrOonStad."
The Boer government is also issuing
news cheering to its sympathizers.
The following bulletin, the Boer YER
sion of the disaster to the Derbyshires,
was posted by President Kruger Sun
day at Machadodorp:
On June 7th four divisions of burgh-
ers commanded by Steenkamp, Prone
man, Duploy, Fourie and Mel, attack
ed the British at Roodeval, killed 200.
took 700 prisoners, and captured i'm
mense stores of food and ammunition
"a Maxim gun and one 1000 Lyddite
shells. Some food was taken by the
Boer farmers n the rest was burn
ed The English mail was taken. The
burghers attacked from the pen veldt
and ave evidence Of unprecedented
bravery"
TRYING TO BRIDE THE BOER
LEADERS.
According to a dispatch to The Daily
Express from Machadodorp, dated
June 10th, via Lourenzo Marqes, those
around President Kruger say that
Louis Botha and De1arri hav been of
fered indirectly 91O,O 900 a piece to lay
down their arms, and he expects the
same offer Il be made to himself, Pres
ident Steyn and DeWet President
Kruger believes that the British make
these offers to close h war on the
principle that it would cost less than
to fight it out.
A dispatch from Lourenzo Marques
says that Is, 900 Beers are reported TO
oC ClillIS Oh S1ioNtCboAS ALVIN F"tA
ous quarters. and that, after wedding
out the faint hearted, 10000 steadfast
men are still left.
Genera Butler was unable on Mon
day to follow up the Beers from lack
of cavalry as Wen as water. The dis
patches describe him as lighting a
spirited advance over a rugged neid
under prolonged rifle fire
The war office casualty returns UP
to June 9th aggregate 1854. besides
1872 officers and Il, 235 men sent home as
invalids, but o including the sick in