Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-01-18
BULLER is SILENT
NO WORD FROM BRITISH GEN
ERAL BEFORE LADYSMITH.
ALL QUIET ELSEWHERE
Military Expert Says Butler and White
Are Outnumb NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. kru-
ger and Steyn Call Out All Bur-
ghers-British Ministers Decide to
Stand Together.

LOuuOu, Jan. lo.-G60. Butler lat
est authentic word as to what he anC
his 10000 men were doing was wired
from Springfield after the first for
ward step. Striving to think out the
unknown, London is confused by sur.
mise and rumor and disQuieted by
suspense. Spencer Wilkinson, the
lucid military expert of the Morning
Post, asserts that the boer force in
northern Natal is larger than Gen
Buffers and Sir George Whites to-
gether, so that the beers will be able
to leave a force around Ladysmith
larger than that within the town and
to oppose Gen. Butler with a force SUI
perior to his own. Reports from
Goer camps affirm that the circle OF
investment has been drawn closer by
the occupation of some hills nearer
tOW1, thus iberating achievements
to oppose Gen. Butler. The Daily
News suggests that the multitude of
rumors that originate in south Africa
and London are given currency by
| to mislead the beers. The war pages
of the great dailies this morning are
almost barren. Nevertheless instru-
ments on loops connecting the war Of
| flee with the cables continue to click.
| The yeomanry recruiters are disturbed
| by the fact that they are able to get
only one and one-half companies out
of upward of 1000 applicants in the
metropolitan districts All other ap-
| plicants fall short of requirements.
| One thousand would be regarded as a
very small number even were all &C
cepted. The provinces are doing bet
| ter, although to raise 10000 appears
| far from the easy matter it did fort
night ago. Among the minor perplex-
| tiles of the war office is the strike
among the military tailors which
causes delay in uniforming the re-
cruits.
J. B. Robinson, the south African
millionaire, in a signed article in the
Daily News this morning, relates
conversations he had with President
Kruger, among them several ccnver-
sations in which the Jameson raid was
talked over. On one occasion Presl-
dent Kruger said: DO you mean to
tell me you do not know that the men
who organized and engineered the
raid, organized it for their own bene-
fit? They had decided how they
would divide the Transvaal, how each
of the parties was to have certain
interest in this country. Many re-
formers who were put in jail were per-
fectly innocent. They were ignorant
of the scheme of the meI in the inner
circles. There were only twelve men
in that inner circle and they were to
divide the Transvaal among them
| selves. They and their companies
found money for the raid. Do you
think we are so innocent as not to
know that Rhodes, metaphOrically
speaking, held the pistol at the heads
of certain men in England and said to
| them: If you do not support me l
shall denounce you and your compile
| ity in the raid At this stage &C
cording to Robinson, President Kruger
| became more excited and shouted so
| loudly that people in the street stopped
to listen to the conversation. Kruger
| then said: And now you are remon-
strating with me about arming. 1t is
| true I am arming, but it is because l
see clearly I must defend my country"
| To this Robinson replied: THE Brit
| ish public is aroused. If any attempt
were made again to enter this country
there would be a great cutlery in Eng
| = oI o,,tL ioc4 Id
| take steps to punish the organizers and
prevent such free-booting expedi-
TONS" President Kruger approached
Robinson, placed his hand on his
| shoulder made violent effort to sup
press his excitement and said: You
mean we'll, but l have lost all conf
| dence What has happened will take
place again; am determined to guard
against it Later Kruger said:
What is to prevent Rhodes and his
co-adiutors from again engineering
some diabolical attempt against the in
dependence of my country?" Robinson
proposes to publish a book giving the
true history of the jameson raid.
The Birmingham Mail, the organ of
Joseph Chamberlain, says: eve I'M
derstand on the highest authority that
if the government is defeated in parlia-
men on the question of the war, the
cabinet will Immediately appeal to the
country, all ministers having decided
to stand together and not to permit
any individual minister to be made a
scapegoat."
Has Relief Reached White?
London, Jan. 16.-The Standard
gives prominence to the following,
dated Jan. Is, from Durham: " A man
who just arrived here from Springfield
says British column, proceeding to
the relief of Ladysmith, has crossed
the Little Tugela. When he left it was
facing the boer position on the Big
Tugela and howitzer was Smelling the
boer trenches. He says also 270 wa
| CONS laden with commissariat
stores for Ladysmith left Frere and
1t was expected the column would join
hands with Gen. White Monday even
ing. British patrols have discovered
parties of beers in the direction OF
Ennersdale, between Frere and Est
court"
Methuen Reports no Change.
London, Jan. 16.-Tbe war office
mas published the following dispatch
from Lord Roberts, dated Capetown
Jan. Is. Gen. French reports a re-
co1naissance Sunday in which he
shelled the Colesburg road and bridge
There were no casualties Gems. Me-
thuen and Gatacre report no change