Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1900-02-26
The PIucky Generals Position a
Great Deal Better Than
First Supposed.
GEN. DewIT SUFFERS A LOS:
Cecil Rhodes Gets Very Eloquent
In Talking De Beers Stocks
and French's Ride.
BULLER FINDS HORNETsNEsT

Paardeberg. Saturday. Feb. "a
Yesterday there was most inter-
esting series of fights along the Brit
ish front. A thousand Beers, COM
manded by General DeWet, who
were known to be operating on the
immediate front early at dawn yes.
terday, determined to break through
the British lines and aid General
Cronje. Their efforts to occupy a
kopje were frustrated by the Scot
tish Borderers. Vigorous shelling,
accompanied by British fusilade,
completely silenced the Beers.
Eighty Beers surrendered, but many,
it appears, escaped.
Most of the prisoners had. just ar
rived from Ladysmith. They COM
planned of bad generalship on the
part Of their leader. Nearly every
man carried explosive bullets. Five
British were wounded by these mis-
siles.
Kimberley. Feb. 24-Cecil Rhodes
presiding at meeting of the De
Beers company, delivered a speech
which was received with enthusiasm.
The years profits of the DeBeers
company, he said, amounted to 1000
900 pounds. The Transvaal and Free
State were not republics, he declared
but oligarchies, and had long been
conspiring to seize British South
South Africa. Each government was
simply a small political gang, who
were humbugging the poor Dutch
men, appealing to their patriotism
and dividing the spoils among their
coteries. The Afrikander had been
working for twenty years for inde
pendence. He said that former Pres
ident Reitz, of the Orange Free State
years ago avowed that his only ambi-
tion in life was to drive England out
of Africa. After showing how Kim
berley had been defended by citizens.
of whom 12O had been killed or
wounded, and thanking General
French for his gallant ride, Rhodes
closed brilliantly, asserting:
1--WE have done our duty in preserv-
ing and protecting the greatest com
mercial asset in the world-Her
Majesty's flag"
London, Feb. 26-If the latest dis
patches from Paardeberg throw any
light on the situation, they are to the
effect that General Cronje's forces
have far more protection from Field
Marshal Lord Roberts heavy fire
than the first dispatches indicated. A
dispatch from Paardeberg, says:
"a balloon discovered that the
enemy were we'll covered by system
of burrowing in the river bank which
resembles rabbit-warren and affords
shell-proof positions. )"
This, perhaps, more than any other
circumstance, explains why what is
looked upon here as Cronje's death
struggle is prolonged. Small bodies
of Beers are apparently able to es-
cape, causing a comparison here OF
the Beers method of investment,
with their quickly dug surrounding
bitches, impossible barbed wire, etc.
and those of the British.
As Cronje is reported to have plen'
ty of food the plan of starving him
out can scarcely avail, SO Roberts
must either wait until Cronjes am
munition, which is said to be short
runs out, or those who are counsell
ing surrender prevail. Meanwhile
engineers are sapping steadily to
wards the Boer laager and the cor
don is drawing closer.
Buffers march on Ladysmith Is be
ing marked by sharp fighting. a
Pietermaritzburg dispatch, of today's
date, says he is still heavily engaged
in fighting. In Grobler's Kloof, Bul
Ter seems to have discovered hor
nets nest.
| In Cape Colony, British arms ar'