The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-11

LONDON, April IA dispatch to the
Daily Mail from Brandfort, dated Sun
day, says:
Yesterday Gen. Dewet inflicted the
third defeat Of the British within a week
at Merkatsfontein, killing and wounding
0Oo. He captured 800, With 12 wagons los
ing Beers killed and wounded"
The Daily News has the following from
Pretoria, dated Monday, by way of De-
lagoa bay:
At Is officially announced that battle
has been fought south of Brandfort in
which 800 British troops were killed and
wounded and 800 taken prisoners.
Lord Roberts is declared to be finding
great difficulty, owing to the scarcity OF
water
The Daily Mail publishes the following,
dated April 10, from Lourenzo Marques
The Netherlands Railway company
processes to have received a telegram re-
porting a Boer victory near Kroonstadt
the Beers capturing 800 British"
Commenting upon this the Daily Mail
remarks:
There is a Meerkafontein, about five
and half miles southeast of Kroonstadt.
but If the report be true, this can hard
ly be the place"
The Bloemfontein correspondent of the
Times. teIegraphing Monday, says:
The enemy is making a desperate at
tempt to discover a strategic opening.
Ihe1r numbers are unknown to US, but
are anywhere between 5000 and 5000
Ihey are moving cautiously"
The Bloemfontein correspondent of the
Morning Post says:
The water supply continues sattsfac-
tory. Entrenching is proceeding vigor-
ously on the hills commanding Bloemfon-
tein. Civilian labor is to be utilized. Sick
ness among the troops is somewhat di-
minishing."
BOER REPORTS DOUBTED.
LONDON, April 11-But that the war
office has issued no news from Lord Rob
erts during the last three days there
would be little disposition to place any
| credence in the Boer reports of another
British disaster. The unexpected rally
ing of the Free State command. however.
|, leaves the public In nervous condition,
fearing everything. Dispatches from Pre-
toria as late as Monday did not mention
any further Boer victory On the con-
trary, they said all the commanders were
quiet, and as Lord Roberts has hitherto
not failed promptly to report any mis-
chances as well as successes, before wait
ing for the newspaper correspondents to
report them, until there is some confir-
! nation there is justification in regarding
the Meekertsfontein rumor as only an
exaggerated account of the Reddersburg
affair. At the same time Boer reports
have so often proved correct that the
greatest anxiety will be felt.
/ No further news has been received of
| fighting either at Wepener or in Natal.
| Boer reports seem to indicate that Lord
Methuen is advancing from Boshof to-
wards Hoopstadt. It is bold and appar-
emily a dangerous move since, although
1t turns the right flank of the Boer po-
| sition at Brandfort it puts Lord Me-
thuen's forces between whatever garrison
| there may be at Bloemhof. in the Trans
vaal, and the Brandfort force.
MORE TROOPS TO THE FRONT.
The Durham correspondent of the Stand
ard, telegraphing Tuesday, says:
| Large bodies of troops are coming
| down en- route for Cape Colony. Two
regiments have already been shipped.
| Gen. Hart has gone to Cape Colony"
| The Durham correspondent of the Daily
Telegraph, telegraphing Tuesday, says:
Our naval guns have commenced bonn
harding the Beers position between Sun
day River and Biggarsberg"
BOERS GET BIG GUNS.
The correspondent Of the Times at Lou
renzo Marques, telegraphing Monday,
says:
Trustworthy refugees assert that the
Beers recently obtained at least thirty
| pieces Of artillery, some of large caliber,
which were brought overland as machin-
cry from a West African port. Eight of
these guns were dispatched to the Free
! State week ago. The Boer officials open
| ly boast that they have succeeded in
| smuggling ammunition through Portu-
guese territory.
'In the course of the Dempsey trial, State
| Engineer Munnik admitted, under pres
! sure, that, acting under instructions from
| State Secretary Reitz of the Transvaal,
he had bored holes in twenty-five mines. I"
ATTACK ON BRABRANT.
The Boer attack on Gen. Brabant' s
| force at Wepener was resumed again at
! dawn today. The enemy's attack on two
| or three sides on Monday lasted until
! 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon, when the
firing ceased, and It was believed that the
enemy had been beaten off, but it was an
nounced this morning from Aliwal North
that the fighting had again begun.
PLUMER NEAR MAFEKING.
The Daily Mall has the following from
Lady Sarah Wilson, dated Mafeking,
| March 30:
"Col. Plumer's column Is now within
| twenty miles of us, but its advent Is un-
| desirable, unless accompanied by food
| supplies. The opinion prevails here that
I young Cronje has returned to the ranks
of the investing Beers and is trying to
| avenge Paardeburg."
DIT TVNEP'S HARD FIGHT
GABERONES, Tuesday April 3.-Satur-
| days hard fight in the. environs of Mafe-
| king was conducted on Plumer's side un-
der great difficulty, being in the proximity
| of the Boer laagers, whence reinforce
ments could be promptly sent to the
Burghers, and there was little cover avail
able for the British when the fight be-
| gan, the plain being but sparsely wooded,
and the railroad embankment, the chief
| protection, being only two feet high. Th
men behaved gallantly, however, and Of
ficers were exceptionally conspicuous In
| the affair. With the exception of a faw
rounds fired by the British Maxim gun at
| Ramathlabama, the fire on both sides
was entirely by rifles. Half CT the Brit
| ish officers were more or less seriously
wounded.
| At the conclusion OF the fight Gen. Say-
/ man Informed Col. Baden-Powell that be