The age-herald., 1900-04-09
GREAT FEAR IS
 FELT IN LONDON Late News Brings No Satisfac-
 ton to Great Britain BOERS REPORT BIG VICTORY Dewet Defeats British Cavalry Taking 450 Prisoners. C0LvILLE'S MISSION A FAILURE He Arrived Too Late to Entrap the Boer Leaders While Holding
 Meeting-Gatacre Was Also
 Unsuccessful
C0LvILLE'S MISSION A FAILURE

London April 9.-4:50 a. m.-When 1t is the front are severely censored, there Is little in the news to bring satisfaction to England. Assurances that nothing need be feared, even if the railways and tele- graphs are cut and Bloemfontein isolated, together with the news that the ladies and other civilians are being ordered away, do not augur well.
 There are rumors from Capetown that the telegraph wires were already cut yes- terday Sunday, and also that the Hus- sars who were sent to the relief of the Royal Irish Rifles are also missing, al- though probably these are the outcome of Boer congregations designed to en- courage the burghers.
 The attempt of General Colville to catch the Boer leaders in conference at Reit- fontein failed, probably, as usual, because of the lack of cavalry.
 The results of these serious checks to the British arms Is that the whole Free State is up again, and that the Boers are full of activity over the entire field.
 A belated Boer dispatch says that bayo- nets were being made for the foreign legion under the late General De Villebois Mareuil
 The Boers are boosting that the Coes- berg and Stormberg commandos, number- ing 6O00 with ten cannon and 750 wagons, have gotten safely through thus perform- ing a magnificent strategic feature"
 British Were Entrapped
 4:5o a. m-A Boer account of the Bloem- fontein waterworks affair says:
 "Colonel Broadwood evacuated Thaba N'Chu owing to the advance of Commando ant Olivier from the south. The federal troops found the British camp in peaceful slumber, without sentinel or an outpost to give the alarm. General Dewet imme- diately placed guns and the commanders in such position as to surround the Brit ish, who did not have time to recover from their surprise"
 The Capetown correspondent of the Times, discussing the affair, says:
 "All the details only serve to bring out clearly the marvellous cleverness of the Boers, no less than the marvellous care- lessness and improvidence of the British officers, whom, it would seem, no series of disasters will ever teach to keep wide- awake.
 ''The Boers in Colonel Broadwood's rear drove his force into the party at the drift exactly as cartridges are driven to gun. At the drift itself, as each wagon descend- ed the hollow, it was shown which way to drive, so as to not block the convoy. When the guns arrived the trap was all clear again for their reception. As one who was present said, Tt was like cloak room The Boers politely took your rife and asked you kindly to step to one side. There was nothing else for you to do.'
 The American scout Burnham testifies to the terrific pace with which the Boer conn., mandoes cover the ground and the ease with which they move their guns.
 The Boers are displaying increased activ- ity in Naval, but there Is no sign that Gen. eral Butler is moving.
 Mafeking was still beseged on April 1. The garriosn was suffering severely from lack of bread and mixture of oats, bran ity in Natal but there is no sign that Gen. cle, which is described "coarse in sub- stance, of the color of gingerbread and of the consistency of Norwegian pine."