The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1900-07-06
WAR STATUS In
SOUTH AFRICA
Roberts Reports Two Small En-.
gagementS With Enemy.
IN BOTH Beers WERE BEATEN
Within the Last Few Days British
Have Captured 5000 Rifles
Belonging to Burghers.

Lord Roberts has sent bulletins to
London of two small fights occurring
on June goth and June 9th in which
the Beers were discounted. In dis
patch from Pretoria dated Thursday
he says:
"a small force OF mounted troops,
with mounted guns, commended by
Lieutenant Colonel Dreiper was at
tackled by the enemy under Prefers
and Mel, on the morning Of June Goth,
seven miles north Of Senelal. They
beat off the enemy and burned their
laagers. Our casualties we're three
wounded and ten killed.
Hunter, temporarily commanding
Ian Hnmilton's, made a mrch yester-
day from Heidelberg toEaJl Frankfort
without meeting NV opposition.
1.-The enemy @slacked our Roodeval
spruit post the railway yesterday,
Thursday, but we're easily beaten off
l-by detachment of the Derbyshire
light infantry, the West Australian
mounted, fifteen FOUNDER and an ar
incurred train.
"Baden-Powell reports the capture
of an influential Boer named Ray, who
was endeavoring to raise q commando
in the Rustinburg district. A patrol
brought in over a hundred rifles.
More than 1000 rifles and LOCO infe-
rior pieces have been taken during the
last few days.
"He states that thirty Beers have
arrived at Rustenburg, going to their
homes from Delareys commando. They
would have left before if they had seen
the proclamation which was carefully
withheld by the Boer authority"
Lord Roberts says that Wednesday,
June 9th, was a record market day
in Pretoria for Boer farmers selling
produce.
Parties of Beers are s. ill hanging on
General Buffers tanks F. r. Burn
ham, the American scout, is invalided.
On June Goth the war Office cabled
Lord Roberts that disluieting reports
regarding the hosI ital were accumu-
lating, and asked him if anything
could be done, and particularly if
more nurses were needed.
On June Goth Lord Roberts replied,
saying that he did not wish to shirk
responsibility or to screen the short
comings of the medical corps, and he
suggested q committee of inquiry. He
said that there had been an abnormal
number of sick at Bloemfontein due
to the exhausting nature of the march
and the terribly unsanitary condition
of the camp at Paardeburg, where the
only water available for drinking flow
ed from the Boer camp higher up,
where the river was crowded with de-
composing animals and also with a
number of wounded after the fight on
March 10th.
To improvise accommodations at
Bloemfontein for such number,
which had become 1900 before he left
Bloemfontein, was no easy task, said
Lord Roberts. No tents were carried,
and the public buildings had to be
turned into hospitals. In three months
there had been $500 admissions to the
hospitals of patients suffering from
enteric fever, while the deaths mum
bered about ], 80 about q PEI cent.
Lord Roberts observed that he did not
know whether this would be an alb,
normal rate in civil hospitals in peace
times, but if the rate was abnormal il
was due to the exhausted state of the
men, and not to the neglect CT the
medical corps,