Connecticut western news., 1900-03-01


 Force of 45,OOo For a Week,
 Kept Up a Splendid Fight, but Courage Could Not Win Out Against such Crushing Superiority In Numbers-BulIer Making Slow Progress Toward Ladysmith.
 London, Feb. 2S.--It is officially an- nounced that General Cronje surrender ed with his whole force internationally at dawn yesterday morning.
 Lord Roberts has notified the war of- fee that the number of Boer prisoners approximates 1000. of which about 1 1,150 are citizens of the Orange Free State.
 The officers captured by General Rob- erts, besides General Piet Cronje, include Chief Commandant NJ. J. Woiverans, a member of the volksraad; Field Cornet Frus, Scandinavian; Major Albrecht, the German artillery leader of the Or ange Free State, and Major von Dewitz, a distinguished German officer, responsi- ble for most of the splendid engineering works of the Boers since the beginning of the war.
 Twenty-nine Transvaal officers were captured and IS Free State officers.
 The guns captured from the Transvaal 
 nine one pounders and one Maxim gun. From the Free Staters the British cap tured one 75 centimeter Krupp and one Maxim gun.
 A dispatch from Cape Town dated Monday says, General Cronje last night attempted to escape with a party of Boers, but he was driven back"
 Later the war office received these de tails from the commander in chief:
 "Paardeberg, II o'clock, Tuesday Morn ing.-From information furnished daily to me by the intelligence department it became apparent that General Cronje's force was becoming more depressed and that the discomfort of the troops and the discord among the leaders were rapidly increasing. This feeling was doubtless accentuated by the disappointment caus- ed when the Boer re-enforcements which tried to relieve General Cronje were de- feated by our troops on Feb. 23.
 Canadian. Compelled Surrender.
 "I resolved, therefore, to bring pressure to bear on the enemy. Each night the trenches were pushed forward toward the enemy's laager so as to gradually con tract his position, and at the same time I bombarded it heavily with artillery, which was yesterday materially aided by the arrival of four 6 inch howitzers, which I had ordered up from De Aar. la carrying out these measures a captive balloon gave great assistance by keep ing us informel of the disposition and movements of the enemy.
 At 5 a. Ill. today a most flashing ad- vance was made by the Canadian regi- ment and some engineers, supported by the First Gordon highlanders and Sec ond Shropshires, resulting in our gain ing a point some 600 yards nearer the enemy and within about 80 yards of his trenches, where our men intrenched themselves and maintained their posi- tions till morning, a gallant deed worthy of our colonial comrades and which, am glad to say, was attended by compara- lively slight loss.
 This apparently elinched matters, for at daylight a letter signed by General Cronje, in which he stated that he sur rendered internationally, was brought to our outposts under flag of truce In my reply I told General Cronje he must present himself at my camp and that his force must come out of their laager after laying down their arms. By a. m. received General Cronje and dispatched telegram 10 you announc- ing the fact.
 kind Treatment Promised.
 Tn the course of conversation he ask ed for kind treatment at our hands and also that his wife. grandson, private sec retary, adjutant and servants might ac- company him wherever he might be sent. I treasured him and told him his request would be complied with. I informed him that general officer would be sent with him to Cape Town to insure his be- .,x-. k,-an fnI He will start this afternoon under charge of Major General Prettyman, who will hand him over to the general command ing at Cape Town.
 "The prisoners, who number about 5000, will be formed into commandos under our own officers. They will also leave here today, reaching the Modder river tomorrow, when they will be rallied to Cape Town in detachments."
 Later the war office gave out this ad ditional dispatch:
 "Paardeberg, Feb. 27.-In the very sue cessful attack made by the royal Cana dian contingent on one of the enemy's trenches this morning Major Pellemier was wounded, eight men were killed and % men were wounded. General Mac donald is expected to return to duty in few days"
 This dispatch, dated Pietermaritzburg, Feb. 27, from its special correspondent is published by The Daily Telegraph:
 "An armistice was arranged on Sunday to allow for the burial of the dead.
 At its conclusion the Boers made de- termined night attack on Fort Wylie. The heavy fire was prolonged for hours. Our position was maintained.
 ''The Boers, when questioned during the armistiee, scorned the idea of the aban- donment of the investment of Ladysmith.
 Owing to the enemy's splendid posi- tions our difficulties are stupendous, and progress will necessarily be slow"