The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-05-15
ROBERTS RESTS.
will Remain at KrOOnStad
Day or Two.
General Buffers Bold
Movement.
How DOer Position at Biggarsberg
Was Turned.
Nothing Definite From
Mafeking.
Month or Six Weeks Fixed For
Duration of War.

London, May 15-3.35 Q. m.-Gen.
Buffers turning of the Bisgarsbsrg po-
sition was elected by bold movement.
The Beers had eva,uateu Hillmakaar,
but were making q stand Monday eve
ming at Bleskoplaste. seven miles from
Dundee. The correspondents on the spot
regarded this as rear guard action In
tsndsd 10 cover she retreat Of the army.
At the same time Cen. Hildy ard took
Iudobs, and it 10 reported that the Boers
withdrew In disorder.
Gen. Butler who seems to be employing
bis full strength, Ia expected to push on.
His rirst marches were 40 miles In three
days he 10 thus breaking Into British
territory which had been Administered
for six months by the Transvsalers as
though 1t were part of the republic they
holding courts and levying taxes. His
success therefore, has political rs well as
military consequences
While Lord Roberta's Infantry are
concentrating at kToonstad, where they
will rest for day or two. his horsemen
have penetrated IS miles northward. In
the squadron which cut out the railway
10 miles beyond Kroonstad, was the
American scout, Frederick Burnham.
Two hundred Boers who had hidden IN
the river junglss near Kroonstad to es-
cape service, have surrendered to the
British and taken the oath Of allegiance.
According to a despatch from Mr.. Ben.
nett Burleigh to the Daily Telegraph.
dated Thursiay. May 10. Paul Botha and
Macdonald, members OF the Free State
Volksraad, demanded that the chairman
should call u meeting to sue for psace.
as farther Resistance was suicidal, and
proposed to make President Steyn q pris-
oner.
Nothing definite has been heard about
the expected relier OF Msfeking. Tie
Cape Town corr espoudents continue to
wire that relisf Is imminent, liking Tues
day or Wednesday as probable dates. In
quirers at the war office are told that
the news OF the relief Will to made put
Ito Immediately upon Its receipt. No
word had come to hand at midnight.
The latest supposition concerning Gen.
Hunter is that possibly be is marching
up the north bank OF the Vaal, with a
force sufficient In cooperation with Lord
Roberts, to render the Boer defense of
the yaal frontier impIaotioabls. East
Of Brosn fontsin, Gen. Rumble is advano-
ing toward Ladyhrand. HIS troops and
those OF Gsn. Brabant are stretched over
d,sssncs Of so miles. The Beers are de-
scrlbed as quite disorganized and as re.
treating northward. President Steyn's
lleutenants are trying to rally them.
The same stories of disintegration come
from nearly every point where the Eng
lish corresr ondents are. MIR. Hollswan,
formerly a correspondent at Mafeking,
who was put over the Transvaal border,
telegraphing from Lourenco Marquee,
Sunday, says:
Judging from talks ! have had with
the noeTs. the end Of the war will come
In O month or six weeks. Mr.. 5teinek amp,
chairman CT the second Raad, who taV-
ellsd with men, said II the burghers were
pressed from Pretoria, they would retire
to the district OF Lydenburg mountains
which had already been provisionsd. he
remarked that he hoped the burghers
would stand firm, but he feared they
were too broken in spirit
al gathered from him that the whole
available force Of the Transvaal was now
in the t5li, the final Communicating hav-
ing takeu plscs last Thursday and that
1t Ia only the powerful mag0st'sm OF
Presidsnt Kruger that keeps the burgh-
ers together"
Al the British hospitals In Bloemfon-
tein the deaths from entsrio fever average
from to 10 daily.