Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-06-04
PRETORIA DISMAYED.
British Expected Hourly ard
a State of Confusion Exists.
Foreign Attaches Asking Permission to
Leave the Transvaai.
Beers Reported to Be Deserving and Going 70
Their Homes.

London. June A A. M.-There is
10 direct news from Pretoria of later
date than Thursday evening. Gen.
Frcnchs cavalry was then at Irene, 8
miles south Of Pretoria and firing was
heard there. Lord Roberts messages
about secondary operations elsewhere
and the situation at Johannesburg. da
tod at Orange Grove. a farm miles
northeast Of Johannesburg, show that,
Saturday, at $40 +. M, he was % miles
from Pretoria.
The correspondents with Lord Rob
erts have not got through a line about
the operations after the occupation of
Johannesburg Official messages con-
tinuc to come through, but press tele-
grams are held up, probably to avoid
their giving even a hint as to what
may De the pending operations. From
the other side there filters through
Lourenzo Marques a mass Of state
ments, some contradictory. others OBJ
viously improbable. but the following
purporting to be facts.
Passengers arriving at Lourenzo
Marques. Saturday. direct from Pre-
tOria. say that the capital was pre-
pairing to surrender when they left,
Thursday. The forts We're dismantled.
The Bner guard al Komati POOrt
searched all trains and turned back
most of the fugitives, among them de-
sorting foreigners who We're striving
To reach neutral soil.
Immense Beer conveys of provisions
are between Pretoria and Middleburg.
Fifteen trains are sent, daily, to
Machadsdoran with supplies for Ly-
denburg. Pretoria is pictured by the
refugees as in state of indescribable
c Infusion and chaos. The populace are
dismayed and the British are hourly
expected.
Some foreign attaches have arraiVed
At LOurcnZo Marques to communicate
with their governments for orders to
leave. as they consider that organized
war. on the Transvaal side. is at an
cnl. Flying among the Beers are re-
ports that the British have been beaten
back at Lindley. With heavy loss: that
the main attack on Elandsfontein fail
"a and Lord Roberts was forced to re-
tire 70 Klips river berg; that the rail
way has been cut behind him south Of
Nereeniging and that a provision train
has been captured.
v ltAA'uA Nl''iIiIiiS ally u lIltSt IDDti
bulletins. everything from the field of
war behind Lord Roberts points to a
great effort. last week to paralyze his
advance by a bold stroke from the
eastward at the railway north of
umns We're in a movement seemingly
with this objective. there was Il COM
mando in front of Gen. Brabant. near
Ficksburg: another faced Gen. Rumble
near Scnakal; n third occupied Lind
ley and pressed toward the railway
and a fourth seized Hebron and push
ed toward Kroonstad. These occupa-
tions. assuming them To have been in
dependent. appear to have failed. The
revival of the Boer fighting power east
Of Lord Roberts advance, although
fruitless. is a symptom that the Beers
are not Yet crushed. In General Run
dies attack on the entrenched Beers. Z
miles east Of Senakal. Nay %. the Brit
ish lid not see Boer all day. so com
plrtely Were they screened. The British
infantry did not glt within 1000 yards
Of their riflemen. Then 1S2 losses wired
by Lord Roberts We're suffered by the
Grcnadicrs ana Scots Guards while adj
NanrinE over a level from which the
grass had been burned. The Britishers
N khakhi We're 4 conspicuous target
against the black background
Gen. Rumble withdrew his whole force
at shutdown tn Senekal. having succeeded
in drawing the Beers from LindIey. al
lowing tn" threatened force to get away
safely. The Beers sent to the British for
medical help saying that Commandant
Jewellers was seriously wounded. Gen.
Rudle sent doctor with bottle of
champagne ana his compliments, a. well
As mesSag" that he would release all
the BOcr prisoners at Senekal
The LGurrnZO Marques correspondent
of the Times, teleGraphing. June . says:
An Austrian who has seven months ac-
tive service in the TransVaal declares
that large proportion of the burghers
are deserving to their homes. The ar
whereby the British prisoners
at Pretoria have been placed under an
armed guard with British officers pending
the formal occupation of the town. is
ascrih"d to the good sense and humane
disposition of Gen. Louis Botha and the
Transvaal war secretary. both of whom
have earned the profound respect of all
classes
1T is interesting to note that Lord Rob
crtS' SOidicrly qualities are greatly adj
mired BY both Beers ana foreigners. 1t
CONTINUED on page %