The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1900-06-15
THINKS HE CAN RENDER LAINGs
MEX uNTENABI.E.
By Maneuverins He Has Taken .
strong Position Which He Be
lieves Makes Him Master Of the
situation-Will Immediately Fol-
low Up His Success = Nothins-
From Lord Roberts for Three
Days-Boers Deceive British Pris-
oners Complaint About the
Treatment Given to Wounded
Canadians.

LOnOon, June 1O.-Gen. Butler has
at length taken the offensive, and, by
maneuvering, he has secured a posi-
ton west of Laing's Mex, by which he
believes he can make the ,Boer posi-
ton untenable. Presumably he will
Immediately follow up his success.
Lord Roberts has communicated moth
ing for three days nor permitted the
correspondents to wire what is going
on. London's inference is that he is
resting, although he is possibly dispos-
ing his army for a rush after Com
mandant General Botha. A blockade
of the wires,
Owing to the Crush
of official correspondence may account
for the scanty press dispatches. Some
kilograms filed a week ago are only
just now arriving. Among those are
spirited descriptions Of the fighting at
Elandsfontein. According to one of
them the streets were filled with wo-
men and children. Rifle shots could
be heard everywhere. The British
soldiers would stop firing and jain in
the chase after chickens. The burgh-
ers surrendered to any one. Kaffirs
went about looting the Jewish stores
and the mounted infantry galloped
hither and thither.
British Prisoners Deceived.
The Daily Express has the follow
ing from Pretoria, dated Wednesdays:
THE 1000 prisoners who were de-
ported from Waterfall were told that
they were about to be given up to
Lord Roberts. They entrained cheer
fully and were conveyed to Nooit
Gedache, instead of Pretoria during
the night. The British advance guard
on entering was upon the very heels of
the retiring Beers. Botha has sworn
to carry on the war in the mountains"
Waited in Vain for Kruger.
At I.ourenzo Marques station a
crowd waited all Thursday night to
see President Kruger, as it was re-
ported he would arrive by a special
train to gain an asylum on board the
Netherlands cruiser Friesland. Mid
dleburg is said to be full of Boer
refugees and wounded. The railway
still delivers goods at Brookhorst
Spruit, forty miles east of Pretoria. A
British column is at Bremersdorp,
Swaziland. Eleven British prisoners
have been taken to Middleburg The
British at Beira are
Moving Into the Interior
in detachmerts of 200 daily. Mr.. G.
v. Fi1des. imperial secretary to the
high commissioner. with part Of Sir
Alfred Miners staff. left Cape Town
Friday evening for Pretoria, possibly,
as the Cape Town correspondent of
the Daily News thinks. to arrange the
annexation details. The Beers in the
western part of the T1ansvaal are CIV
ing up their rifles to Gen. Hunter. Mr..
Harold G. Parsons, federation dele
gate from Western Australia, writes
to the morning papers to protest
against the treatment given to the
wounded Canadians. He says: '"The
wounded Canadians at Shorncliffe
camp returning from the front COM
plain that they
Are Badly Fed,
unhealthy clothed and refused a sur
geon. This seems curious return
t04tiake for their conspicuous services
voluntarily rendered. I have it on In.
dispctable authority that 1t is the prac-s
tice CT the war office to administer the.
British volunteer, and, for all I know
the regular army by means Of regula.
tions drafted and issued in great part
onDo better authority than it's force
Of second-class clerks. a body of gen
tlemen no doubt Of irreproachable
character, but by no means adapted
by their intelligence or education to be
intrusted with SO great responsible
ity. Such a rclegation of authority
which is unconstitutional as well as
unbusinesslike. is in itself enough to
show that the whole war office, from