The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-02-16
KIMBERLEY is RELIEVED,
thoroughly outwit and surprise the
Beers.
The British casualties were slight.
IrCCr A DIrIN r,pOnr I A AnXSNHITII

thoroughly outW1r and surprise Ine
Beers
The British casualties were slight.
ESCAPED FROM LADYSMITH.
London, Feb. 16.-The correspondent
of the Associated Press at Ladysmith
from which place he escaped February
10. and arrived at Durham. February IA.
sends the following written before he
left Ladysmith:
Since the furious cannonade in the
early part of the week. quietness has
reigned. The hills on which the relief
columns lyddite shells were bursting
in hundreds a few days previously are
now only occupied by grazing cattle
Further away on the north side of
SpfOn KOp,the Boer laagere can be seen,
evidently bigger then before, showing
they have no idea at present of retir-
ing from that position. Much disap-
pointment is felt at the non-appearance
of Gen. Butler as from the severity of
the fire every heart was glowing with
hope and excitement at the prospect OF
immediate relief; not that we are at all
in the blues, for every one capable or
shOuldering a rifle is confident in our
ability to hold the town against any
force the Beers are capable of putting
in the field Still the continued diet of
horse and mule flesh is getting some
what monotonous, although the health
of the camp, taking everything into
consideration is better than could be
expected. Enteric fever and dysentery
have abated. The camp fever is not vi
olent but is slightly increased.
THE scarcity of vegetables is very
trying to the troops and they are lux
uries beyond the means of the majority.
Eggs are Sc shillings a dozen, a small
fowl is Is shillings six pence, pumpkins
II shillings each, tin of jam II shill-
ingS six pence, a tin of milk seven Shill-
ingS six pence, box of sardines three
shillings, tobacco 80 shillings pound.
A case of whisky was ratified for las
pounds.
The Beers are smuggling tobacco in
to camp through natives. A la"d! fac
tory is turning out excellent horse Sau-
sageS and another is making nOurlShing
soup which is much appreciated by the
troops who certainly have increased IN
strength since these were served out
The escape of the Associated Press
correspondent was most adventurous
and arduOuS. Leaving LadySmith, the
evening of February 10, guided by ma
tive, he soon encountered Boer patrol
who fired upon him. Escaping the pa
troll he craw1ed % miles of the toughest
and stoniest paths. hiding in native huts
and kraals during the day and proceed
ing at night. Once a BOer patrol came
to the door of the hut where he was
hiding under blankets. He swan the
Tugela river and reached Chieveley the
morning of February 1S where he took
the train for Durham.
BUILDING THE DAM.
London, Feb. I6.-The Daily Mall has
the following dispatch from Lorenzo
Marques, dated Wednesday.
"A prominent Pretoria citizen, just
from Ladysmith, informs me that the
Beers are rapidly damming Kip river.
Two thousand Kaffirs are employed in
the work and they have deposited TO-
900 sand bags already. They are only
able TO work at night as they would
be under British fire. This citizen, how
ever, believes that the operation would
be futile"
KILLED ALL BUT II.
London, Feb. ia mutilated dis
patch from Cape Town, dated Wednes-
day, February IA, says some grenadiers
went through a body of eighty Beers
four times and that only seventeen of
| them escaped. AS the grenadiers form
part of the Modder river column, this
bayonet charge may be connected with
Lord Roberts movement.
DODGED BRITISH WAR SHIPS.
Cape Town, Thursday Feb. 15.-The
American ship Sea Witch, Capt Howes,
from Wallaroo, Dec. 8, has arrived at
Lorenzo Marques with 800 tons of f1oor.
/ She evaded the British war ships until
within the three mile limit.
ALARM AT NAAUWPORT.
Cape Town, Feb. 15.-There is consid-
cradle alarm at Naauwport owing to
the report that a Boer force has Occu-
/ pied a position on hill eight miles off
that town.
MODELLING RESERVE FLEET.
London, Feb. 16.-4:52 ma tele-
/ gram from Portsmouth says the ad-
miralty inquiries at the naval ports
have resulted in the assurance that
/ forty-seVen additional battleshipS, ,cruiS-
ers and torpedo boat destroyers could
forthwith hoist the penant. The adj
miralty today ordered the ships in the
/ fleet reserve at Portsmouth to be fully
/ crewed and ready for sea. This is re-
garded in some quarters as preliminary
/ to putting the whole reserve in readt-
ness for commissioning.
BOERS ACCUSED OF TREACHERY.
Reit River, Feb. 14-CoI. Hannay,
while on his way to Rambam, encoun-
/ tered five hundred Beers, with two guns
/ holding a kOple commanding the valley
all day long, and the Beers disappeared
/ during the night. Thirteen men report
| ed missing from HanEays force are
! prisoners. They were captured treach-
erously during the fight. They were
/ informed that an agreement had been
/ reached between the British officer
commanding the extreme left and the
1 cOmmandant of the Boer ambulance
that half a company of the British
| should be permitted to fetch water
| from a neighboring farm house. The
! ambulance then retired and the Beers
1 rushed out of concealment and cut off
! the water party. The prisoners in
cluded an officer.
Gen. French now holds both the Mod
der and Riet rivers between the Beers
at Magersfontein and their base at
Bloemfontein. Throughout the march
the Free State farms were respected,
1 but their owners almost invariably fed,
taking their effects.
The health of the troops is excellent
but sickness is prevalent among the
horses are a plentiful supply of re-
mounts win be required.
LONDON IN DOUBT.