The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1900-02-17
70 ATTACK
Beers UNDER CRoNJE
1'Bobsn Expects to Raise the Siege
Of the Diamond City Be.
fore Many Days.
CENSORSHIP TO Be LESS STRICT
Hereafter Only Tclcsrams win b,
Blue Penciled..Bo,nb.rd.
mont by Beers ln.
creascs.

London, Feb. 14.-Lord Roberts has
gathered $4,000 mon, with whom, ne
cording to the best of military opin-
ion in London, he purposes turning
the left of the Magersfontein lines
nea Jacobusdale, entering the Free
State, compelling General Cronje to
the siege of Kimberley, and TINS
making his first step toward Bloem.
fontein.
Yesterday Lord Roberts announced
the appointment of General Sir Henry
Colville, hitherto commander Of the
Guards brigade, TO the command of
the Ninth division, which is being
formed and will consist probably to a
great extent of colonial troops. Gen.
cral Colville will be succeeded by Cen
eral Reginald P~ole-Carew.
Lord Roberts tells. the correspond.
cnts that when he gets down to bust
ness they shall have ample opportun.
ity to send news His chief press cen
sor yesterday issued new rules and in
future all written communications
are to go unchecked. Only kilograms
will be censored. For the next few
days little news is likely TO get
through, but later there will be more
freedom. Thus says the censor, and
the last clause may be interpreted to
mean that something is about to hap
pen.
Kimberley, twenty miles away from
the Modder river position. is in sore
straits. details of the December
death rate show that in a population
of $4,000 whites and 10000 blacks, the
mortality was co whites and l3S
blacks per j, 900. The ~infantile death
rate was 671 per 1000 among the
whites and 9l2 per 1000 among the
blacks. Enteric fever was prevalent.
This frightful state of things in De.
cember cannot have improved much.
if at all, since, and the fighting power
of the garrison must have been great
ly diminished.
Meanwhile the bombardment by the
Beers has increased. and there is inn
minent danger of the town falling I'M
der the very eyes of Lord Roberts. II
is believed in circles close to the war
office that he will move at once.
Scouts have approached within
1000 yards of the Eoer cntrenchments
at Magersfontein. They have found
these strong, and a%scertained that
they were used as dwelling places.
Naval gunners are constantly watch
ing the enemy's lines with strong
glasses, and they declare that there is
an appreciable diminution in the Bocr
forces.
In Natal the Boer commands south
of the Tugela occupy Bold's faTiu and
several miles west of Chieveley. Two
thousand Beers. with three guns, are
advancing through Zululand toward
Natal.
The war Office is making prepara-
tions to continue the strepm of troops
for South Africa. -Four large steamers
have been chartered. Japan agrees to
let the Armstrong; transfer to Eng
land four naval quick firers that We're
built for her, consenting to wait for
the execution of her own order until
the difficulties in South Africa are
over. Several European powers by
similar consents as to guns being con-
..structed by Nicker's Sons 4 Maxim
enable England to secure 100 maNims.
London. Feb. 12.-Thc war Office las
received the following from Lord Rob
erts, dated Modder river. yesterday:
81 have received a telegram from
Butler as follows, dated February 81
"|'It was necessary, after seizin2
Nanl krantz, to entrench it as a pivot
of further operations, but 1 found,
after two days. that owing to the ma
turc of the ground this was imprac.
ticable. 1t was also exposed to the fire
of heavy guns in positions from which
our artillery was dominated. 1t is es,
sential to troops advancing on Lady.
smith by Harding or Monger's drift
to hold Naal krantz securely. Accord
ingly we are not pressing the advance
by those roads, as l find we cannot
make it secure"