The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-04-04
IN SOUTH AFRICA,

oulduess again, as ralding party, es-
timated at 400 is believed by the Brit
.sh forces at Warrenton, to have cross
ed the Kimberley loemfontein wagon
road Monday and to have headed for
Jgcobsdsl, with the Intention of cut
ting the railway ten miles west.
Commandsnt Olivier appears 10 have
gotten his 5000 men aud twenty-five
miles of wagons into rugged country
where he can make an easy rear
guard defense. Mr.. Charles Williams,
the military expert says:
IF this column gets through sub
stantially, Commandant Olivier will
have carried out the great feat of the
war, seeing that he ran every chance
Of being ground between the upper
milestone of Lord Roberts army and
The ne her milestone of the broken
Basuto frontier. He will have done it
within fifty miles or so of Lord Rob-
erts' main strength. Certainly it look
ed for a week as though Lord Roberts
held Olivier in the hollow of his hand"
If Olivier gets through to KrOonstadt
with even three thousand men it will
be an important addition to the Boer
gathering there. His escape is attrib-
uted ID part to the worn out condition
of the British cavalry horses. Lord
Roberts transport appears to have
been badly dislocated by the loss at
Riet river, before Cronje's surrender of
the wagon train; and in addition to
tnis, the army with which he purposes
to advance toward Pretoria is nearly
double that of the earlier rapid move
ments.
LoND IN, March 29.-The news of
Gen. Joubert's death is confirmed from
reliable sources. He had not been well
from the very commencement of the
present war and the recent reyerses to
the Beers in the field, coupled with
some disagreement between himself
and President Kruger probably hasten
ed the end. AS indicating the nature
| of the npleasantness, William Cox, a
newspaper correspondent, who was re-
Gently released from imprisonment, al
Pretoria, said in an interview at Durham
yesterday that Gen. Joubert was ap.
parently suspected of half heartedness
and Mr.. Cox gathered that his life
would be in danger from the burghers
if Pretoria fell.
General Joubert died of peritonitis
The funeral will take place today. The
| government is pleading with the wild.
ow to allow a temporary interment
with a State funeral. Joubert ex
pressed desire to be buried in maus.
oleum built on his farm. His success
sor in the chief command will pro oably
be Gen. Louis Botba, now commanding
in Natal.
| Immense quantities of stores have
now been accumulated at Bloemfon
tein, and Lord Roberts infantry il
seemingly about to move. An impress
sion, which can be traced to the war Of
flee, is abroad that the advance will be
gin next Monday. Boer observation
parties are lowering near Bloemfon
TEN, but Lord Roberts has one-hun
dred and thirty five miles to cover be
fore reaching the great position which
the Beers are preparing at Kroonstadt
Moving ten miles day is probably
the best he can do with field transports
Therefore he can hardly engage thu
Beers in force for two weeks. The re
construction of the railway behind hin
may even delay an invasion of thu
Transvaal until May.
|
Gen. Joubert and its probable effec
continues to occupy first place in pub
lie attention. 1t is feared Gen. Kruge
will succeed Gen. Joubert in persona
command, which, it is said, means |
protraction of the struggle, due to Kru
gers intense resolution to fight to thu
death, combined with his excessiv,
caution.
LONDON, March 30.-The Beers ar,
concentrating in force about fifteeI
miles north of Bloemfontein, in thu
rear of Glen; and Lord Roberts il
sending forward troops to engage them
The seventh infantry division and par
of General French's cavalry have beer
sent up to join the Fourteenth Brigade
and the two cavalry regiments that ar
holding Glen and its environs. 1t doe
not seem probable that the Beers will
give serious battle in the fairly opei
country north of Glen. Still their evi
dent strength indicates more than
corps of observation.
In small affairs the Beers are daring
ly aggressive to all parts of the field o
war. The Johannesburg mounted pc
lice, esteemed by the Beers to be thei
best mounted commando, are raiding tn
country near Bloemfontein, harassinl
the farmers who have given up thei
arms to the British and carrying of
cattle.
The morning Post publishes des
patch from Bloemfontein which says
"President Kruger boasts his intention
TO retake Bloemfontein within wee
and it appears probable that the Boer
are advancing in force southwark"
Lord Roberts is making EXTENSIVE
arrangements to police and safeguard
all the Free State towns in the territor,
occupied. Dispatches from Masenl
assert that the Beers who returned Il
Ladybrand from Clocolan have takel
up strong positions and sent pickets ia
in every direction to watch Basutolan,
in the expectation that part of Genera
Buffers army will invade the Free
State on that side. According to Pre-
toria advices Mafeking was bombardet
for seven hours on Tuesday.
MANCHESTER, Eng, March 3d.