Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-03-26
No Word Has Yet Been Re-
Ceived From Mafeking
ROBERTS, VAST ARMY
Will March on to Pretoria
With 10000 Men.

London, March 26.-When Lord Rob
erts starts on the march to Pretoria,
PROBABLY by April, he will. command an
army of at least 10000 men, and per-
llaps more. At least 10000 of these will
be under the eye of the field marshal him
self, while General Butler will command
10000. Lord Methuen may also start for
Pretoria at the same time with large
force.
Nothing has been heard recently from
Mafeking, but experts here are conf
dent that Lord Roberts is taking proper
steps to relieve the town, and the result
Of his plans soon will be known.
Nothing additional has been heard
from the big Boer commando supposed
to be walking into General French's
trap.
British Officers Trapped.
At late hour the war Office posted the
following dispatch from General Rob
erts:
'Bloemfontein. March 24.-Yestcrdny
Lieutenant Colonel Crabbe Captain
Trotter and Lieutenant the Hon. Il. Ly-
gon Of the Grenadier guards and Lieu
tenant Colonel Codrington of the Cold
stream guards rode eight or nine miles
beyond their camp on the Modder river
without escort, except one trooper. They
were fired upon by party of Beers. and
Lieutenant Lyon was killed and Lieu
tenant Colonel Crabbe. Lieutenant Colo
seriously wounded. The trooper also was
wounded.
"One of the wounded officers held up
white handkerchief, and the Beers came
to their assistance and did all they posi-
bly, could attending to their wounds. The
Beers then conveyed the wounded to the
nearest farmhouse, where they were tax
en- care Of"
Wilkinson's Views.
Spenser Wilkinson, reviewing the stu
alton at the seat Of war, says;
1.-THE two points of acute interest are
just now Mafeking and the Boer column
trekking north from Smithfeld and
RouXville along the Basuto border.
"About Mafeking we are in the daxk.
Colonel Plumer has but handful of men
and is not strong enough to attack Com
mandant Snyman and raise the siege.
Commandant Snyman, therefore, has at
tackled him, and Colonel Plumer has
prudently retired, expecting no doubt to
return after COmmandant Snyman when
ever the latter goes back.
Lord Roberts never forgets small
things while attending to great things.
1t may be taken as certain that he knows
how and when he shall have Mafeking
relieved, supposing the garrison can hold
out, but he doesn't disclose his plans in
advance.
May Escape French.
"The Boer general who is hoping to
get past General French up at Kroon-
stadt may be caught and made to fight,
but with few thousand mounted men he
ought to be able by temporary dispersion
to elude the British. If he stands ~
fight, he may be detained for some time.
Lord Roberts has now been more
than ten days at Bloemfontein. He seems
to wish to settle the country behind him
before going on. Probably, too, he has
extensive preparations to complete. His
next campaign will go into the dry sea-
son, when the nights are often cold and
the veldt is dry and bare. He will want
his men equipped for this season and his
transport service qualified to be as near
independent as possible of grass and wa
ter.
"The design no doubt is that General
Butler in the next advance will move
with Lord Roberts. Gen
eral Butler perhaps is not yet quite
ready.
Big Armies Gather.
"Lord Roberts will shortly have the
Eighth division and may also form of the
troops by now available new Tenth di-
vision. He will then have in his own
hands 10000 men, and General Butler
will have 10000. In view of these fig
ures and the known power of Lord Rob
erts as leader attach little impor-
tance to the Boer declarations that they
will make a big fight If they stand be-
fore they are driven into Pretoria, I ex-
pect they will be enveloped. They may
defend Pretoria, but that can help them
but little. 1t will be question Of
weeks"
A special dispatch from Bloemfontein,
dated March "a, says:
"Rudyard Kipling has arrived here.
The Beers are reported retiring from
Kroonstadt after having blown up
hr;d<-o"