Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-03-02
General Cronje Surrendered te
Avoid the Useless Shedding
of Blood.
British Were Steadily Lessenins
the Distance Between OPP
posing Forces,
And Further Resistance Appeared
Useless-.SOme Details of the
Surrender.

A~AtOEbENfs leu. Sl.-0e1. OTOLJo
sent an officer through the British lines
at dawn this morning with a flag of
truce. The officer said to Lord Hitch.
ener that General Cronje was willing to
surrender and that he wished to avoid
the useless shedding Of blood and to
ave women and children. He requested
that they be given safe conduct. Gen
eral Kitchener granted the request so
far as the women and children were
conce ned, but insisted that the surren-
der in all respects be absolutely uncon-
ditional. To this Cronje agreed.
LONDON, Feb. 2S.-4:ss p. m.-The
secretary Of state for war, the Marquis
Of L~ansdowne, announced in the house
OF lords that the prisoners captured with
General Cronje numbered about 5000.
General Cronje will be sent to Cape
Town.
LONDON, Feb. 28.-6:35 p. m.-Tho
wal Office has issued q list of 721 non
commissioned officers and men wounded
in the fighting at Paardeberg Sunday,
Feb. Is, including 63 Canadians and 2O3
Highlanders.
LONDON, Feb. 28.-6:25 p. NIT is
now announced that Lord Roberts has
notified the war office that the number
of Boer prisoners approximates 1900,
of which about 1,150 are citizens of the
Orange Free State. The remainder are
citizens of the Transvaal.
Twenty-Five Transvaal officers were
captured and Is Free State officers were
made prisoners.
The guns captured from the Trans
vaal forces were three 75.centimeter
Krupps, nine ~1-pounders and one
Maxim gun. From the Free Staters,
the British captured one 75.centimeter
Krupp and one Maxim gun.
LONDON, Feb. 2s.-7:o7 p. m.-The
officers captured by General Roberts,
beside General Piet Cronje, include the
following well known commanders:
Chief Commandant M. j. Wolverans,
a member of the volEsraad; Field Cor
net Frus, a Scandinavian; Major Al
brecht, the famous German artillery
man; Major Won DEWITT, the distin-
guished German officer, responsible for
most of the splendid engineering works
of the Beers since the commencement
of the war.
LONDON, Feb. $500 p. m.-The
war Office has received the following
dispatch from Lord Roberts:
"Paardeberg, II o'clock, Tuesday
morning.-From information furnished
daily to me by the intelligence depart
ment, it became apparent that General
Cronje's force vas becoming more de.
pressed and that the discomfort of the
troops and the discord among the lead
ers were rapidly increasing. This feel
ing was doubtless accentuated by the
disappointment caused when the Boer
reinforcements which tried to relieve
General Cronje were defeated by u
troops on Feb. %. resolved, there.
fore, to bring pressure to bear upon the
enemy. Each night the trenches were
pushed forward toward the en-.
emy's lager, so as to grad
ually contract his position,
and at the same time I bombarded it
heavily with artillery, which was yes.
terday materially aided by the arrival
of four 6-inch howitzers, which I had
ordered up from De Aar. In carrying
out these measures a captive balloon
gave great assistance by keeping us in.
formed of the disposition and move.
ments Of the enemy. At 8 a. m. today
a most dashing advance was made by
the Canadian regiment and some en-.
gineers, supported by the First Gordon
Highlanders and Second Shropshires,
resulting in u gaining q point some
800 yards nearer the enemy and within
80 yards of his trenches, where u
men entrenched themselves and
maintained their positions until morn.
ing, a gallant deed, worthy of our colo
NAL comrades and which, I am glad to
say, was attended by comparatively
s1SnC loss.
"This apparently clinched matters,
for, at daylight today, a letter signed by
General Cronje, in which he stated that
he surrendered Internationally, was
brought to our outposts under a flag of
truce.
Gin my reply, I told General Cronje
he must present himself at my camp,
and that MS forces must come out 81
their lager, after laying down their
arms. By 2 a. m. I received General
Cronje and dispatched O telegram to an
nouncing the fact. In the course of
conversation he asked for kind treat
ment at Jul hands, and also that his
wife, grandson, private secretary, ad-
jutant and servants might accompany
him wherever he might be sent. I re-
assured him, and told him this request
would be complied with. I
informed him that a general
officer would be sent with him to
Cape Town, to ensure his being treated
with proper respect en- route. He will
start this afternoon, under charge Of
Major General Prettyman, who will