Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1900-01-19
ARINSOUTHAFR1CA
CRITICAL SITUATION REPORTED
At LADYsMlTH.

Reports Say the Boer Onslaught Of SAT-
urday Resulted In Killing or Wound
ing Nearly One Thousand British and
About Two Thousand Burghers.
The defeat of the Beers Saturday III
their desperate assault upon Gen. White
in Ladysmith has not greatly relieved the
South African situation from the British
standpoint. Terrible losses on both sides
are reported as the result Of the fierce
battle. While nothing official has been
given out us to the British casualties, q
summary of them has been received IN
London, in which it is stated that they
amount to twelve officers killed and thir-
ty wounded, and 500 men of the rank and
file killed and wounded. That Is u heavy
percentage in a force which probably
cannot muster moro than $500 fit for
duty. The Bocr losses were placed by
the same report ut between 2,OOO
1900. Manifestly there must be a good
deal of conjecture about the latter hg-
ures, yet it must be remembered that the
fighting lasted for seventeen hours II
that the Beers were attacking ~intrcnched
positions. If these figures IRE correct
they show very clearly the determined
nature of the fighting.
AT this writing no movement is report
ed from any direction in South Africa.
All the columns are inactive and appar-
emily waiting directions from the new
c0mmandcr-in-chief. Ladysmith is still
besieged by the Beers and Butler, with
his immense army of $4,000 men, is UNI
able to relieve it. Kimberley still re-
mains hard pressed by the enemy, and
Gen. Mcthuen cautiously remains in his
fortified camp to the south of the Modder
river, evidently afraid to resume opera
tions against the Dutch. Mafeking, in
British ~Bechuanaland, is surrounded by
Boer forces and the latest sortie of the
British ended in a repulse, which cost
the besieged dearly. In northern Cape
Colony Gems. French and Gatacre are
unable to obtain any important advan-
tage over the Beers. The reported cap
turc of Colesberg by Gen. French has
turned out to he untrue and n of his
later reports is an admission of a defeat
in which 157 men were killed or captured.
Gatacre, after his disastrous experience
at Stormberg, warily keeps out of Boer
traps by remaining practically inactive.
Thus while the British are justly proud
of Gen. Whites heroic defense of Lady
smith, there is nothing in the general
situation that is encouraging. Every
where the British are held at bay and.
although in the campaign thus far they
have lost nearly 1900 men they have &C
complished practically nothing. In no
place have the Beers been pressed back
from British territory. The plan of cam
paign of Butler has proved so far a COM
plete failure.
1t would be unwisc to conclude, how
ever, that this condition will long remain
10. Humanity speaking, the Beers can
not long withstand the tremendous ar
mics that Gems. Roberts and Kitchener
will o be sending against them and
the result will be that they will be beaten
back into their own territories, where the
fighting will be of even a more desperate
character than any hitherto in this cam-
|paign.
A Desperate Fight.
The desperate fighting at L%adysmith
Saturday %disabused the British and the
world generally of n highly erroneous
opinion. 1t was held that while the
Beers fought well from cover they were
ed enemy. But they conclusively proved.
and adroit in attock rs in dafense. For
nearly seventeen hours thev hurled thcm-
selves %against tho British nositions. chief
lily at Caesars Camp and Wagon Hill,
and ago;n to tho attack with ;ndom;tohlc
bravery. Tyhrcc times tho Rocrs contnr-
ed the British c~ntrcnchnnents Mt Wagon
Hill and ms often tbay were driven ont NJ
tho mint Of tho havnnot. Ono n%oSifion
they occunied nil day until late in the
afternoon. when amid n heavy storm thcy
were driven o,,t nv tho havonet
Whether Rnllc,. can rel;cye I%,odvsm;tb
may VOL hc do,,bted Sinca HE defeat
nj Colanso mr. +ho ,r,,.olo r;vor a faw
weeks opo he bos not soN rar ne Known
taken n singlo ston tn retr;eye bis d;sos.
fer. Even when Con White signalisd
him SATURDAY thai hc WINS hard messed
the most Butler conld do TO helm him was
to order n demonstration Mt Colcnso,
which n london noner remarted had 90
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