Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1900-05-17
FREED OR FALLEN.
ADvIcEs FROM PRETORIA SAY BoERs
HAVE TAKEN MAFEKlNG.

ADvlCES FROM PRETORIA SAY BOERS
HAVE TAKEN MAFEklNG.
Another Story That Isaden-Powell Has
Captured Many Boers-Dundee I1 Occu-
pied by Buller-Boers Retreat After
Looting the Place.
LoURENzo MARQUEE, May 15.-Tele-
grams received here report very heavy
fighting at Mafeking. Pretoria reports
that Mafeking has fallen and the Meth
erlands Railroad company has issued a
statement that Colonel Baden Powell
has captured large force of Beers.
LONDON, May 16.-"Food will last
until about June 10" is the latest official
word from Colonel Baden-Powell, the
British commander at Mafeking, sent
to Lord Roberts under date of May Z.
,, Five days later the Beers attempted to
storm the town and it is possible that
they succeeded, although nothing is
known of the attack or of its results
I except through Pretoria sources, which
have no countenance here.
The British relief column is due there
now. Ten days ago General Snyman
was having difficulty in keeping the
burghers together, owing to the ap-
proach of the British, and when the
last Associated Press dispatch left Maj
eking, on May T. the Beers had killed,
on the previous day, one of the Horse
guards and had captured several of Ba-
den-Powell's few remaining horses.
Major F. d. Bailie has sent to the
Morning Post from Mafeking, under
date Of May Z, this message: This
morning the Beers attacked u.s. Result
as usual There is an aching void here.
Pass the Loaf
The Transvaal army has taken posi-
tion at Blauwbaschdoort pass, near
Heilbron road station, so miles north of
Kroonstadt. Its rear guard is still hold
ing the hills north of the Valsch river,
while the Boer scouts are in touch with
British accommodating parties 20 miles
north of Kroonstadt
The Beers have held council of war
at Lingley, and British spies have
learned that the Beers decided to hold
Harrismith as long as possible.
Lord Roberts infantry is still at
Kroonstadt. The railway laborers are
hard at work and the engineers hope to
have the linerepaired within three days.
The prairie has put on russet Win
3 ter coat. The nights are bitterly cold,
I but the days are hot.
Beers Still Have 10000 Men.
The Free Staters are surrendering in
3 larger numbers than after the occupa-
y ton OF Bloemfontein. One officer of
the Transvaal artillery says: "There
4 will be no serious fighting this side of
z Pretoria, as Bereenigeng, on the Vaal,
Y is lndefensible. Heavy guns are being
mounted at Pretoria. Both Generals
{ Botha and Limmer are agreed that ul-
q Innate success is impossible. President
4 Kruger is obstinate and majority of
i the Transvaalers hold firmly with him.
: 1t is estimated that the Transvaalers
can still muster 80, 900 men on the fight
ing line"
General Buller's advance, as his tele.
grams indicate, was by the instructions
! OF Lord Roberts and it will cease or 90
forward as Lord Roberts may direct.
Certain commentators affiliated with
4 the war Office say that General Buller's
3 orders to keep the Beers employed have
been supplemented by orders to drive
them completely out of Natal and then
to move on Harrismith.
General Rumble and General Brabant
, are taking possession of the wide re-
gions around Ladybrand almost with
out opposition. They find the country
plentifully supplied with cattle horse
feed and flour General Rumble is re-.
duclng his transportation and feeding
his men and animals largely off the
country.
The Beers in that quarter surrender
daily, and it is the expectation of the
correspondents on the spot that the
eastern section of the Free State will
soon be as tranquil as the western,
General Rundles front is 80 miles long,
but his column is so disposed that
should any point be attacked the troops
there could be quickly reinforced.
The war Office has received the fol.
!, lowing dispatch from General Butler:
! "DUNDEE, May l5.-We have occu.
pied Dundee. About $500 of the en-
emy left yesterday for Glencoe, where
they entrained. Their wagons also left
yesterday by De Jagers drift and the
Dannhauser road. Their Katfirs said
they We're going to Laing's mex. AL.
most every house in Dundee is looted.
The Navigation colliery is all right.
The machinery of the Dundee collieries
Is destroyed. The houses of the town
are damaged, but are structurally in
tact p"
rorIy larsnns Ilro,unaa