Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1900-01-11

London, Jan. 6.-No decisive opera
ton is reported from south Africa
this morning, military activity being
confined to points of subsidiary i'm
portance. In the central theater of
operations the British apparently have
secured no substantial gains. The
only dispatch of dramatic interest is
the narrative of the useless gallantry
at the sortie from Mafeking, where
stormers threw themselves hopeleSsly
against strongly defended boer works.
The question of contraband seizures
takes almost paramount place In the
thoughts of the public and the vague
possibility that these may be made a
preteXt for continental intervention.
The governments undertaking purpose
to enforce strictly the right of search
has been set forth in detailed instruc-
tons, dispatched yesterday by the
admiralty to British naval command
ers in south African waters giving
them weighty warnings, without eX-
ception TO uphold the government
measures for suppression of importa-
ton of contraband by way of Delagoa
bay.
BadenPowell Suffers Repulse,
London, Jan. 6.-The war Office has
received the following dispatch from
Col. Baden-Powell, dated Matching
Dec Goth: We attacked one of the
enemy's works this morning endeavor-
ing to push back the Gordon north
ward. We were assisted with an arm
ored train The enemy had strength
ensd their works during the night and
doubled the garrison. Nevertheless
our attack was carried out and pressed
home with the greatest possible gal
lantry and steadiness under very hot
fire. But all efforts to gain the in
terror by the escalade failed. the fort
being practically impregnable. Our
attack only withdrew after six Of our
officers and large number OF men had
been hit. Nothing could have exceed
ed the courage and dash displaced.
The general situation remains un-
changed, the health and spirits of the
garrison being very satisfactory.
Twenty-one were killed 23 wounded
and three taken prisoners"
Story of the Repulse.
London, Jan. 6.-The Times publish
es the following dispatch from MAIZE
king dated Dec. 18th: AT dawn today
Col. Baden-Powell organized an I'M
successful attack upon a strong posi-
ton of the enemy at Gametree, two
miles from Mafeking, from which the
beers had been maintaining a desul-
tory but annoying shell and rifle fire
for several weeks. The railway had
recently been reconstructed between
the town of Gametree where the beers
had destroyed it and final repairs were
made in preparation for the sortle.
During the night an armored train,
with maxim and hotchkiss guns, took
up position for attack from two
sides At daybreak the guns opened
fire which rapidly drew the reply
of the enemy, our shells bursting with
in effective range. Captain Vernon
gave the signal to cease firing and ad-
vance. his squadron leading off. AS
our men engaged their position with
their rife fire it was soon found that
the strength of the fort was greater
than we had supposed. The enemy
concentrated such an exceedingly hot
fire that the advance OF Captain YER
non was almost impossible but with
remarkable heroism and gallantry,
Captains Sanford and Vernon, Lieuts,
Patton, Scout and Cooke who guided
squadrons, and a few men actually
reached the sandbags within 300 yards
of the area Of fort. But nothing
living could exist there since it was
swept by mauser and martini bullets.
The men who charged through this
zone of fire suffered terribly, and IN
following their officers twenty men
lost their lives. Captain Sanford was
the first to fall, Captain Vernon, al
ready twice wounded, and Lieut.. Pat
ton were killed at the foot of the fort.
These two officers, climbing the ditch
which surrounded the fort, thrust their
revolvers through the enemys loop
holes only to be shot themselves the
next moment. iametree is surround
ed with scrub which contained many
sharpshooters, and their accuracy Of
fire still farther confused the men who
had followed Captain Vernon. When
we retired under cover of the armored
train so many men had been wounded
that a suspension Of hostilities oc-
Cured under the auspices of the Red
Cross. We had almost completely
surrounded It. and had it not been SO
extraordinarily we'll protected, we
should have been in possession.
A correspondent writes: While
the wounded were being attended
number of beers left the entrench-
ments and gathered round. I spoke to
several tattpred and dirty hut physi-