The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-18
BRAVE AMERICAN SCOUTS
Deeds of Valor Done by United States
Boys in the Transvaal.
FeDERALS ABANDON THE BlGGARSBERG G
Beers 10 Make Stand on Ridges Near Johan-
nesburg and Afterwards at Pretoria. Plans
For Guerilla Warfare in the
Lydenburg District.
(By the Associated Press }

London, May 1S.-(3:30 a. m.)-Eng-
land still waits with intense anxiety
for news of the relief of Mafeking.
Skeleton messages from Lorenzo
Marques, based upon information that
leaked out at the Pretoria War Of
flee. show that the Boer stormers
Saturday fell into a trap. Colonel
Baden Powell permitted them TO seize
one fort and he then surrounded and
overbore them before the large forces
near at hand perceived the strate-
gem.
1t was thus NAT Commandant Elotf-
President Kruger's grandson and part
of the commando were taken and
fifty Beers killed.
General French. scouting north
ward. found the Beers in strong
force at Rhenoster Spruit. thirty
miles from Kroonstad. Generals Bo-
tha. Delary and Olivier with artillery.
are holding the position.
President Steyn according to one
dispatch has gone TO Pretoria. An
other says he is a fugitive at Ling
ley. The Free Staters are surrender
ing on all sides. 4 dispatch from
Cape Town says that proclamations
are being published there to be pub
lished on the Queens birthday. May
cath. atlnexing the Free State.
General Butler is pushing straight
ahead without opposition. He has
only lost four wounded during the
movement. Apparently he is aiming
~ Laing's Mex. which is the direct
road TO the Transvaal
General Hunters movements in the
Western Transvaa! are rather puz-
cling He has returned to Fourteen
Streams with one brigade. leaving an
other. General Barton's. at Chris
1ania. Lord Methuen is said to ne
advancing along the south bank Of
the Naal. Colonel Kekewich is with
him. The loop railway line across
the Vaa is fast nearing completio
The probability is that General Hun
ter took back a brigade to Fourteen
Streams owing to the scarcity of
transports.
General Rumble has captured 10000
bags of corn. He is marching slowly
through a district which is described
as literally teeming with cattle.
sheep and horses
At johannesburg the women are
forming police corps. so as to re-
lease every man for fighting purposes
at the front,
President Steyn saw the fight at
Zand River. The impression he got
there was that his burghers could not
face Lord Roberts in a pitched battle
and this resulted. according to adj
vices. from Lorenzo Marques, in his
decision to evacuate the Kroonstad
works without Il battle.
The Standard says:
Prem pro-I'oer sources we learn
first great stand by the Fed
erals will be on the ridges near .Jo-
hannesburg. This position has been
strongly entrenched and by the bur
ghers believe they can rold it for
some time. If driven from that point
part of the army will be trown into
Pretoria. to stand siege. while the
main body will retreat to the Lyden-
burg district to maintain a guerilla
warfare from that mountainous region.
They believe they can Indefinitely
postpone pacitication of the coun-
try. This view is partly supported
by dispatch to the Times from I.o-
renZo Marques. which says:
There is general talk in Pretoria
of President Kruger contemplating
an immediate departure from the cap
ital. There seems no longer any doubt
of the intention of the Transvaal to
transfer the seat of government TO
the Lydenburg district and to en-
.deayor to make final stand there.
The Raad is reported to have en-
dorsed the proposal
The Times also says that a num-
Der of the Transvaal officers are pre-
pairing for fight and that State Sec
retary Reitz has selected South Amer
lea as his future home.
II is unoffcialls asserted that Lord
Kitchener is in command of the Mafe-
king relief column and that news Of
the relief of the town cannot be re-
ceiyed until Monday.