The Topeka state journal., 1900-01-22
FORCED BACK.
Beers Retire After Hours Of
Hard Fighting.
Butler Makes a Slight Advance
Toward Ladysmith.
FACING HEAVY FIRE.
Stubborn Resistance EncOunt-
cred at Every Point.
New Guns introduced Including
Quick Firer.

London. Jan. 22-The Daily Telegraph
has the following dispatch, dated Sat
urday, from Spearman's Camp:
General Warren's forces have fought
q deliberately planned and successful
battle. This important engagement oc-
Cured to the west of Spion kop and
practically resulted in our securing the
rough table land which constituted the
key of the Boer position.
After a fierce cannonade had been
directed against the enemy's lines for
some time the British troops assembled
near an eminence known as Three Tree
hill, which forms the center of a semi
circle of crests crowned with the en-
emy's works and some six miles long
Steadily and with great dash the Brit
ish infantry went forward in the face
of a heavy fusillade from Mauser rifles.
Our troops We're disposed as follows:
Major General WOodgate's brigade on
the right; Major General Hart's brigade
in the center, and Major General Hid
yards brigade on the left.
Soon after midday the battle on the
hill became furious, and from 3 in the
afternoon until the fire from both
cannon and rifles was extremely heavy
Point after point of the enemy's posi-
tions were seized by the British troops,
and eventually the Boer right broke and
was forced back toward SpiOn kop.
Our force is bivouacking upon the
ground it captured so gallantly. Dur
ing the action today the enemy brought
into play new guns, one of which was
a quick hrer. Tomorrow ought to set
tie the matter. In today's fighting our
losses were trifling, but the Beers suf-
fered heavily.
While General Warren was fighting
nffaoTlTp1 acsfr rat f01
ceedtng at POtgieterS drift, the enemyS
positions near there being vigorously
shelled by the British batteries"
A dispatch to the Daily News from
Potgieter's drift, dated Friday, January
19, says
THE spirits Of the troops are greatly
raised by the conviction that General
Butler now has thorough grasp of the
situation. AS the force has left the
railway, transport difficulties are being
experienced The rivers are often flood
ed, and what were a short time ago
trickling streams are now deep torrents.
THE scenes at the drifts can not
easily be forgotten. One sees a perfect
pandemOnium of ox-WagOns. Some
times thirty oxen are yoked to a single
wagon and the drivers make a Veritable
babel of noise, shouting in Dutch, Eng
lish and Zulu. They brandish their long
whips and occasionally upset whole
train.
AT another point. or time. half
regiment will drag a cart and its mules
up the river Dank by main force. Inc
traction engines looked promising at
first, but since Chievely 1 have seen
nothing of them
The Durham correspondent of the
Standard says:
1T is reported that ten volunteer
.stretcher-bearers, on their arrival at
the front, walked deliberately across
into the BOer lines The same thing
happened at the battle of CoIenso. 1t is
presumed they were spies who had sue
ceeded in enrolling themselves in the
ambulance corps.
1t is asserted that the Beers desc
Grated the convent church a t Newcastle
in an indescribable manner
BOER FIRE SILENCED.
Durham, Jan. 22.-The Natal Adver-
tiser has the following from Spear
mans Camp, dated yesterday:
General Warren,s column attacked
a lengthy BOer position on the north
ern ridge of Spionkop. A heavy bonn
bardment by a field battery preceded
the advance. The Beers eventually re-
piled with two guns, several machine
guns and rifles. The British responded
similarly, and long range firing became
general, lasting until dark.
General Hildyard drew the Beers
from splendid position simultaneously
by demonstration on their frontal
position, drawing a feeble fire from their
Nordenfeldts and rifles The British
naval guns and howitzers shelled the
trenches with excellent effect,and many
Beers were observed boiling. The Brit
IN aIllnSfy completely SlleQCeu the
Boer fire, and at nightfall the British
infantry occupied an excellent advanced
position"
BRITISH FEAR ANOTHER TRAP.
London, Jan. 22-2:3O D. m.-Nothing
has been received thus far to-day to in
dfcate that any conclusive result has
been reached by the British forces in
that region of the Upper Tugela. and
the lack of information regarding what
men and munitions the Beers have in
reserve prevents accurate determina-
tiOn Of the measure of real success at
tending the two days hard fighting.
All that can be said is that the British
seem to be doggedly advancing in the
face of an equally stubborn resistance
At the close of yesterdays fighting
the republicans had merely evacuated
their first line of defense to take up an
other senni-circular position a short dis
tance in the rear, recalling the old
burgher ruse by which the Beers have
previously managed to entice the Brit
ish into fatal traps.
Dispatches from elsewhere in South
Africa this morning give trivial details
OF minor happenings and do not illu-
inmate the situation
The widow of Gen. Wauchope in an
open letter, hotly denies the stories that
the general in any way criticized Gen
Methuen. She says Gen. Wauchope's
last mention of Gen. Methuen to her
was contained in a letter from the Or
ange river, dated November %, as fol-
lows:
7 expect Methuen will halt at the
Modder river for some days before
pushing forward. He has had a hard
time of it and must be a real gallant
soul to shove along as he does.'
Lord Wolseley has issued a denial of
the report that the war office is in pos
session of a letter from Gen yVauchoDa
written the night before the battle at
Magersfontein, saying it would be the
last letter he would write. as he had