Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1900-05-14
Capital Of the ORANGE Free State
Moved to HeiIbrun-Many
Free Staters Give Up.
400 BURGHERs GIVE UP ARMS
General ActlvIty Among the Va
FIous British Divisions
Butler Scores Success.
DIssENsIONs IN vALKSRAND

Thaba N'Chu, May 14-The eighth
division. with front extending for thir
ty miles was yesterday moving for
ward. Generals Greenfell and Bra
bant followed the Beers, reaching
Newberry's mills. capturing great
quantities of flour and grain. Bra.
bant's main force with Campbells bri.
gade of guards and General Boye's
brigade cleared the country. The
Beers are splitting up and retiring in
the direction of Clocoland.
Kroonstadt. May 12-President
Steyn has gone to Heilbrun, which he
declared the new capital. Four hun
dred burghers have given up their
arms, The Transvaalers are report
ed massing at Vaal. The STANDARD
and Diggers' News" Of johannesburg
shows that dissensions exist in the
Transvaal Volksraad. Railway re-
pairs are progressing rapidly. The
town accepts the occupation quietly
London, May PA dispatch re-
ceived by the associated press from
Peitermaritzburg, Natal, today brings
the first intimation Of success attained
by General Butler, north of Natal.
The sender of this dispatch evidently
assumes that news of the affair has
been received direct from the scene of
hostilities. for he merely says: Gen
eral Buffers Official telegram notify
ing Of his success at Biggarsberg, re-
ceived an hour ago, has given keen sat
isfaction. It is confidently anticipat-
ed that Dundee will be occupied by
the British today. Residents of the
north country are delighted, as by
forcing Biggarsberg, they will speed
lily be enabled to return to their
homes.
farm -this morning, saysc Hnur Htit
days of march eastwards at the foot
Of the Biggarsberg ridges in the direc-
tion of Helpmaaker. which was occu-
pied by the federals, the second bri-
gade Sunday led the attack. Dun
donaid's cavalry broke the Beers
center. Bethune's horse advanced on
their extreme right. In the direction
OF Pomeroy, a small party of burghers
occupied the ridge overlooking Help
maaker, but did not wait for the as
sault."
Recent British scouting in the direc-
ton of Dundee has shown that the
federals were in great force on Big
garsberg. So. apparently, Butler has
concluded that it is necessary to clear
them from his rear before commenc-
ing a movement in the direction OF
the Drakensberg range. If that is his
plan he possibly has divided his forces
sending one column eastward to
threaten vryheid and Utrecht, and
take Laing's Mex in the rear, while
the west bound column attempts &c
form q junction with the forces o.
Lord Roberts, via the Harrismitl
railroad. Telegrams from Kroonstad'
indicate that General French's caval
ry is keeping in touch with the Beers
but perhaps Lord Roberts will be com
PEELED to order a brief halt OF hi
main body in order to allow the troop
to recuperate after the exhaustinl
marches of the past week. All col
respondents agree that to all intent
and purposes. the Free Staters hav
severed their military alliance wit
the Transvaal, though scattered boo
les, they say, can possibly hold on
here and there
A dispatch from Cape Town say