Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1900-04-06
A BIG BATTLE IMMINENT.
LORD ROBERTS, REGYNs MARCH
NORTHwARD.
The Latest Dispatches from the Seat
OF War Indicate that the Opposing
Armies Will Soon Meet aud n Ter
stranded-Roberts' Sympathy for
J8ubert.

London, April Ii a. m.-The War
Office issued no further news tonight
and the few dispatches received from
the seat of war bear evidence of hav-
ing been delayed by the censor.
According to a special from Pretoria,
dated yesterday, Lord Roberts has
commenced his advance northward.
The dispatch says that there are daily
skirmishes and that a big battle is I'M
minent
This, however, may refer to the
operations preceding the engagement
at karee Siding, which has apparently
cleared the way as we'll as secured an
advantage of position whence the next
operations may be conducted.
fuckers division is now strongly oc-
cupying the BOer camp al Karee Sid
ing with the way clear to Brandfort,
which is reported already evacuated.
Orders have been received at Cape
Town for the Eighth Division to ~
disembarked and sent north imme-
diately on it's arrival there.
The Boer forces in the neighborhood
of Paardeberg are reported to be active
ly engaged in marauding and in at
tempting to capture British horses left
on the veldt owing to their weak con-
dition.
Six hundred Barkley refugees sent
back from Cape Town are stranded,
the Kimberley military authorities re-
fuslng assistance to allow them to
nrnooo1
rne transportation of the prisoners
to st. Helena is arOusing the anger Of
the Beers, who threaten to retaliate
by sending the British prisoners to
Koomatipoort, reputed to be the worst
fever den in South Africa.
Bloemfontein, March 31.-General
Lord Roberts has sent telegram of
coincidence to President Kruger on the
death of General Joubert.
Rudyard Kipling has written a poem
on Joubert's death, which appears in
The Friend Of the Free State.
London, March 31.-LOrd Roberts to-
day reported to the War Office that he
had received news from Colonel Baden
Powell, at Mafeking, up to March 10th,
when the general health of the garri-
son and its spirits were good, the local
ly made gun, searchlight and ammu-
milton We're working we'll, the food was
holding out we'll and the paper curren-
cy which the British commander has
issued was satisfactory.
From Cape Town it is reported that
President Steyn has gone to Pretoria
after, according to refugees, issuing an
order that all British burghers refusing
to join the BOer armies shall be shot.
The stories of refugees, however, are
notOriOusly unreliable.
The news from elsewhere is meagre,
though the last reports from Natal in
dicated the speedy clashing of the Op-
posing armies.
The War Office has posted the fol-
lowing dispatch from Lord Roberts,
dated at BloemfOntein March Goth,
evening: reports point to the enemys 8
leaving BrandfOrt and proceeding in a
northerly direction. The casualties in
yesterdays engagement were more nu-
merOus than at first reported. Officers
killed, two; wounded, eight. Rank and
file, killed, nineteen; wounded, 159;
missing, 81
Kroonstad, o. F. s., March 30
General Smuts to-day engaged the
British at Mafat KOp, south of Brand
fort, and held them at bay for six
hours. The burghers fought we'll. The
casualties are unknown. The Free
State Raad will assemble at Kroon-
stad April 2nd.