The sun., 1900-04-11
BIG BATTLE 1T NEPENER
BOer Commands Attacking Bra
bant's Troops in Force With
Fierce Conflict.
THE SITUATION Is SERIOUS
Federal Forces Are Now Practically
in Possession of the Free State
to the East ofthe Railroad.
Fight With Armed
KafIirs.
THE SITUATION Is SERIOUS

Kaffirs.
London, April 10.-The Boer attack on I
General Brabant's force at Wepener has |
been resumed again. The enemy's attack |
On two or three sides April 8 lasted until |
2:;30 o'clock in the afternoon, when the
firing ceased, aud it was believed that the |
enemy had been beaten off, but it was an
nounced from Aliwal North that the
fighting had begun again. General Bra-
bant's force, numbering from 1000 to
5000 men, holds position in rough
country. The Beers are in unknown
numbers with re-enforcements reaching
them.
Another body of 1000 Beers is march
hi toward Springfontein from Smith
ield. between Wepener and Springfon-
Elm. The dctonation of heavy guns was
card 1T AIaspru. Sir Godfrey Lagden,
lie British resident commissioner OF Ba-
utoland, has left AIaseru for the border.
lA dispatch from pietermaritzburg says
hat heavy cannonading has begun in the
ficinity Of Elandslaagte. No details of
he engagement have been received.
IN connection with the resumption of
iostiities in Natal an interesting rumor
current that General Butler has OBJ
lined command of one Of the Draken-
rrg passes, whereby he hopes to take
le Rncrs in the rear. In the event of
Is being successful. General Butler has
Dough troops to leave 10000 men to
Ia Natal while he advances by way of
srrismith, whence he would be able to
seaten the B0cr positions at Bethlehem
1d krbonstul.
a The events in the southeast part of the
Free State have caused the Eighth dl-
vision. which had been ordered to -Four
isecn Streams, to he diverted To Spring
fontein.
Mysterious movements of troops at
Bloemfontcin are proceeding. The news
yaper1 correspondents are not permitted
10 Telegraph their destinations, and the
brx.sullption Is that Lord Roberts Is mak-
n& dispositions To cut off the raidins
Rocr forces when they try TO Withdraw
nortliward from the pursuing British col
anns.
Uneasiness In Free State.
The reappearance of the Beers in the
occnped country has caused IL revival ot
iheswarlike feeling among the Free Stat
ers of the Fauresmth and Phlippoli'
iistricts. The federal agents are bus,
getting details of the surrendered Beers
and owing to the British garrison bens
withdrawn from those districts the Brit
ish residents are uneasy and sent dele
gntes to Springfontein to ask for help
They were told that steps for their de
fensc would be Immediately taken.
asS The Beers are reported to have ven
tured south of the Biggarsberg and TO b
hosting heavy guns four miles north o
Elandslaagtc. They are also said t
have fortified the vicinity of Vessel
Mex
General Sir Frederick Darlington ha
Reached Cape Town and is going to Bel
ara. Portuguese East Africa, forthwith.
'rhc war office proposes to land 2o,OO
horses at Cape Town before the end o
May. They will be conveyed there in ,
steamcrs sailing from New Orleans, But
nos Ayrcs and Australian ports.
The Westminster Gazette likens I'll
British campaign to ''the fruitless serie
Of campaigns in which the large. disc
piinea armies of Spain sought TO crns
the Cuban inSurrcction," adding: 20
course our troops far excel in yalor an
discipline the cunscript armies OF Spain
and the climate is in our favor. But on
kenelnics equally excel the ragged levic
Aof the Cuban insurgents"
E Fight with Armed gSafiirs.
VI Advicns from Marrking say that
band of armed Katlirs left Mafekin,
through the burghers' lines. during III
night of April > and were followed an
surrounded in the bush. when they wei
shelled by Il Maxim N0rlenfeldt gui
The Beers then stormed the Kaffir pos
tion, killing 81. The kafirs fought Stul
bornly.
1t is expected that the Beers will q
deavor to rctake and destroy the bridg
over the Orange river at Bethulic. Con
spauently, extraordinary prccaution
nave been taken. \ force of Beers
located II miles east As Il matter I
fact, the Bocrs practically again hold I'll
Free State eastward of the railroad an
are greatly encouraged by their su
cesscs al Reddersburs and Korn spruit
q AIafcking dispatch, dated March >
says:
s'News was received yesterday Of IL
ADVANCE of the southern relief column
The Beers this morning opened lire ;
sunrise with seven guns, including ol
100 FOUNDER. This has been the mos
VIGOROUS bomhardment of the scasoi
. The Boer siege gun alone has alread
fired more than 60 rounds. Under GOV,
OF the lire the BOerS advanced To I'll
Z nofthern face of the works. but retire
precipitately ON coming within riff
: range. They also advanced to the soutl
western posts, but were repulsed Thei
was one casualty.
:. n'rhe Beers under Commandant ia
Comic are evidently falling back bcfoi
the advance of the southern relief 60
unln and are concentrating with tw
S5nlmandos that are retiring before Col
u &sP,G er in order to make final @
N to reduce the town. All the fort
:. I'd outlying positions are manned. an
I,, erybody is under cover. All are COZ
red that THIS is the Beers last a
and Mrs. j. Wesley Jones {
iL .. have been visiting in this cit