The sun., 1900-04-07
GENERAL MAREUIL.

fare. As General Jouhcrt's chief of staff
his brain devised the Rocr dcfenscs
against General Buffers advance to the
relief of Ladysmith. He is supposed to
have chosen the gun positions and TO
hayc laid down the covered trenches. He
disposed the Beers mt the ccnters, from
which they were sent massed to the de-
fense of any part of wide arc. Gencr-
Al Nillebois Marcuil was the most notable
of all the soldiers of fortune serving with
The Beers. lie had written occasional in
tercs!ing letters to French correspond
entS.
As the captured British soldiers were
in Il position to defend themselves for
nearly II hours and were then forced to
surrender, the fighting must have been
severe.
A Brush With British Patrols.
The Beers Were also in force five miles
from Jagersfontein, situated 80 miles
south of Bloemfontein. They had a
brush with the British patrols.
Advices from Springfontein dated April
announce that the Beers have been
sighted west of the railroad.
The following is the text of Lord Rob
erts' dispatch to the war office announc-
ing the capture:
"Bloemfontein, April 5.-Another un-
fortunate occurrence has occurred re-
sulting, | fear, in the capture of a party
of infantry consisting of three companies
of the Royal Irish fusileers and two
companies of the Ninth regiment of
mounted infantry near Reddersberg n
little eastward of Bethany railway sta
tion, within few miles of this place.
They were surrounded by stronger
force of the enemy, with four or five
guns. The detachment held out from be-
fore noon, April 3, until 0 a. m. April A
and then apparently surrendered, for it
is reported that the firing ceased at that
time.
Immediately after | heard the news.
during the afternoon of April 3, | ordered
Gatacre to proceed from Springfontein.
his present headquarters, to Reddersberg.
with all possible speed, and dispatched
the Cameron highlanders hence to Beth
any. He arrived at Reddersberg at
1880 yesterday morning without oppos-
ton, but could get no news of the miss
ing detachment. There can be no doubt
the whole party has been made prison
crs."
The killing of MareuiI,
The war office soon after received the
following dispatch from Lord Roberts.
dated Bloemfontein, April 5:
"Alethuen telegraphs from Boshof lin
the Orange Free State, little northeast
of Kimberley as follows: Surrounded
General Villebois Mareuil and a body of
Beers today. None escaped. Villebois
and Boers killed, s wounded, so pris-
oncrs. Our losses were: Killed, Captains
Boyle and Williams. both of the yeo-
manry, and two men of the yeomanry;
wounded. about seven men.
The attack lasted four hours. The
corps behaved very we'll Our force was
composed of yeomanry, the Kimberley
Mounted corps and the Fourth battery CT
artillery"
Tho following queer telegram comes
from Kimberley:
April 5.-Since the departure of the
main body of troops Lieutenant Colonel
Chamier remains in command of the gar
rison here"
The departure of any considerable body
of troops has heretofore been unmention-
ed in the censored cables. Lord Methuen
was last reported at Kimberley ten DAYS
ago, and the supposition is that he has
advanced with his main force from Kim
herley and gone to the relief of Mafe-
king.
Some uneasiness has been caused nv
the report of a native uprising on the
west asst of Africa. 1t is feared that