The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-01-02

Asia, high official dec Jared in part
"There is no objection to stating that
the understanding had by Great Brit.
ain, Germany and Portugal refers only
to Africa and leaves Asia out of the ac'
count"
LONDON, Dec. 29.-Acoordihg to a
dispatch received from Ladysmith,
dated Wedn esday, Dec. 20, the heal
then was intense, being 1O4 degrees
fahrenheit in the shade. There were
many cases of enteric fever i'll the town
at that time, but not enough TO cause
alarm. On the other hand, reports from
Boer sources on the continent assert that
typhoid fever is epidemic in Ladysmith.
The MOdder river correspondent OF
The Daily Chronicle gave an explana'
ton of sudden rifle fire ineXplicably
opened from the Boer trenches. He
said:
"The Beers have wires stretched
along the ground in front of the
tire nches and connected with lamps. II
wire be touched lamp is eXtin.
y guished, thus giving warning. One
night high wind extinguished lamp,
which resulted in a false alarm. T he
fire ceased when the Beers diSCOv cred
that the alarm was false
at Frere camp announced that tram
way is being constructed from the rail
way to hill commanding the Boer po
sition, and that along this the British
will convey heavy guns.
A dispatch to The Daily Mail from
Pietermaritzburg dated Saturday, Dec
80, said in part:
"Thanks TO the services of continental
officers, the character of the campaign
has changed. We are no longer fight
ing foe who relies upon guerilla tac
tics, but we have to deal with what il
rapidly becoming a disciplined army
enjoying the advantages of knowing
the country and of selecting the scene
of contest without the burdens Of, a
cumbersome commisiarat.
"The Beers have converted the hills
near Colenso into fortresses of immense
strength. Everywhere tney have splen
did trenches, many of them bomb proof
Tramway lines permit the shifting o.
guns with astonishing rapidity. The
main positions are connected with the
outlying positions by underground pas
sages and the forts proper bristle will
machine guns that command the ap
proaches. Probably mines are laid.
"One hears less nowadays about Boel
shells not bursting. Observers of the
Calenso fight say the Boer shell fire was
very effective. This is due largely tc
the fact that the distances are marked
off with white paint"
CAPE Town, Dec. 29.-A man named
Green, a former sergeant major of the
British bal loon departments among the
Boer prisoners captured at Magersfon,
tein. He deserted from Aldershot il
1898. He said there were $4,000 Boer,
at Magersfontein, 81 900 of whom were
engaged the day of the battle. The Boei
losses, he also asserted, were very
heavy, the trenches being full of dead
Green further declared that IL the at
tack had been pressed the Beers would
have yielded.
CHIEvELEY CAMP, Natal, Wednesday
Dec. 27.-A heavy Boer gnn on Bul
whana hill fired steadily upon Lady
smith throughout the morning. Lady
smith did not respond.
The enemy having been again de
tected attempting 20 improve theil
trenches facing General Butler, th'
British heavy guns opened upon then
and the Boers scampered back into tht
hills. The British patrols sighted the
enemy in force on the extreme left
Nine Beers were killed in a skirmisi
that followed, and six Hoer wagons
were captured.
LONDON, Dec. 20.--The war Office re
ceiyed a. dispatch from Cape Town
dated Dec. "a, containing the following
whibthden reports as follows:sAt 9:3,
yesterday evening the Beers on the soutl
side of MaQersfontein opened YER,
heavy fire for some time. This morning
the naval brigado u rsoonnoitering in I