Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1900-04-21
RAINS HAMPER BRITONS|
Blockade Of Wepener Continues,
But Relief Is Near.
wARLIKE RED CROSS NURSES.

Members of the Chicago Ambulance
Corps Tore on Their Peaceful
Badges and shonIdered Boer Mus
kets-ConsuI Hay VIII Report Facts
London, April 19.-Heavy rains inn
pede the movements of the British coli
umns. The blockade of Wepener con-
tinues, although relief is near. Large
quantities of stores are being moved
southwark from Bloemfontein, which
is reversal of the course of freight
for the last six weeks. These ship
ments are made necessary by the oper-
ations in the southeast of the Free
State.
There are 1000 sick in the field hos
pitfalls, most of the cases being OF
dysentery and enteric fever.
With the exception of these facts the
embargo upon war intelligence is al
most complete. The special corre-
spondents send trivialities or state
ments which obscure rather than ex-
plain, the situation, in their efforts to
prepare matter that will pass the CEN
sor. Here and there a phrase indi-
Gates an expectancy that large things
are about to happen.
What is to be done with Sir Redvers
Butler and Sir Charles Warren occu-
pies everybody's attention. The pa
pers continue to comment earnestly
upon Lord Roberts censure of these
commanders. They ask If more err
rors are likely to occur together with
fruitless waste of life, in the event that
men who have been declared incompe-
tent by their superiors continue to
command 10000 troops. 1t is now
generally accepted that the government
had purpose in the publication OF
Lord Roberts dispatch, and that the
recall of Gen. Butler and Gen. Warren
has probably been decided upon.
According to Boer reports there is a
steady flow of foreign volunteers to the
Transvaal. Hitherto these adventur-
ers have been attached to the various
commanders. Now it is said they are
to be formed into a special legion,
with continental officers, and there is a
ramor that the command will be given
to distinguished French soldier, late
ly retired, who is now in the Trans
vaal or is nearly the end of the jour
ney thither.
Presumably the French officer refer
red to is Gen. De Negrier, formerly a
member of the French supreme council
of war, who was removed from the ac-
tive list last July by the Marquis de
Gallifet as disciplinary measure dur
ing the excitement arising from the
Dreyfus court martial.
In this connection comes dispatch
to The Daily Mail from Lourenzo
Marques saying that nearly half the
members of the Chicago ambulance
corps, when offered Mausers ON their
arrival at Pretoria, tore off their Red
Cross badges. Adelbert S. Hay, Uni
ted States consul notified the Trans
vaal government that he must report
the circumstance to Washington.
A Pretoria dispatch says: The latest
official reports from the Orange Free
State are to the effect that Gen. De
Wet Is still surrounding Dalgety's
forces, though the British are strongly
entrenched in Boer fashion, indicating
that they are colonials. Commandant
Fronemann reports that he chased 400
troops across the river in the direction
of Aliwal North, capturing several
prisoners. 1t is said that Bethulie
bridge has been blown up.
The Morning Post has the following
from Bloemfontein, dated Tuesday: Iii
view of the advisability of a retreat
through Swaziland emissaries of the
Beers are now endeavoring to pur-
chase secret information concerning
caverns in the Greystone country,
which are only known to the natives,
with the object of accommodating pro-
visions and ammunition. Large guam
titles of British forage and stores were
dispatched to the south yesterday. ,,
From Accra, Gold Coast Colony,
West Africa, comes news that Kumassi
is closely invested, and that the sit
uation will become exceedingly grave
If relief is delayed. The governor, Sir
Frederick Mitchell Hodgson, is ask
ing for all available forces. A British
officer who is in command of an i'm
portant station north of Kumassi says
that unless relief is forthcoming soon
1t will be impossible to hold out. Ma
tives are convinced that French in
fiuences are operating against the
British.
Court Martial For Colonel Petit.