The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-25
THE WAR IN
BOER LAND
Mafeking Safe at Last
Accounts.
GENERAL BR|T |SH ADVANCE
Butler Moving and Hunter in Christi
ana--Boers Abandon Biggars
berg White Flag Abused.

LONDON. May II, 800 a. m.-The Brit
ish relief column fought the Beers at
kraal Pan, thirtytwo miles south of Ma
feking, on Tuesday, according to a teIe-
gram received Wednesday at Iourenzo
Marquee from Molopo, 100 miles .lort,, of
Mafeking. This intelligence is accepted
here with some reserve, because it IS diff
hcult to understand how the news could
have been so quickly put an the wire
from place 1872 miles from the scene of
the gagement
A correspondent of the Morning Post.
presumably John Stuart, is reported cap
tured by the Beers at kraal Pan
Persons acquainted with Colonel Baden
Powelfs scheme of defan at Mafehinp
assert that the occupation of :he ksfir
location by the Beers would not cnGan-
ger the garrison provided RELIEF came
quickly.
The British public is kept expectant of
the announcement that Maieking has
been relieved. In army circles the opIn-
ion seems to prevail that this has already
been accomplished, although two hours
after midnight the War Office asserted
that news of the relief had not been re-
celVed. The steadfast courage Of the
hunger-bitten garrison has produced a
deep impression, and the news of succor
IS awaited with more anxiety than has
the war.
Douglass Storey, the Mails correspond
ent at Pretoria, wires: THE Boer Gov
eminent is holding back some big news
Fever prevails here. President Kruger
is working day and night. The latest
Boer official bulletin is that the relief
column has been defeated with big los"
Lord Roberts continues passive At
kroonstadt. His cavalry are sire. M.
IKE semfcircular screen many miles IN
length, without tapping tanks. The rail-
way VIII probably be completed today.
* n nor v,,if ~
sage of long dispatches dealing with Incl
dents prior to the occupation. 1t seems
that General Frenchs cavalry had one
lively fight after crossing the Zand river.
mixed squadron, composed of the Scots
Grays, the 1nniskillings, Carbineers and
Australian Horse, took kopje and dis
mounted. The Beers suddenly fired from
concealed position killing many horses
and stampeding the rest. The Beers then
advanced in overwhelming numbers and
drove the squadron, capturing some The
Beers robbed the dead and looted the
saddles. A small brigade of cavalry drove
them off.
Further north the Hussars charged the
Beers. killing and wounding many stray
glers with sabers and pistols. Lord Rob-
ertS infantry marched 120 miles in seven
days. General French marched thirty
miles in one day. The Beers when retir-
ing, dragged thrty-two guns through
Kroonstadt.
General Butler is moving toward New
castle. He appears to be using 900 men
against 5000 or G,0O0 His operations will
almost certainly result in his forcing his
way into the Transvaal, possibly in time
to cooperate with Lord Roberts ad-
vance, although General Butler is now
20 miles from Johannesburg, or twenty
FIVE days march,
Dane, who was captured by the South
African Horse, says that there are 500
Frenchmen with the Beers who are CD
posing General Butler, together with
many Germans and other foreigners.
The Ladysmith correspondent of the
Daily Telegraph says that only one Boer
was shot in the movement when result
ed in the taking Helpmaakar.
General Rumble is sweeping through tie
northeast of the Free State. The Beers
are dissolving before him and some are
sLrrendering. Their main force is as
scnibled between Ficksburg and Winburg
but 1t is without close organization.
Today'S installment of the war story
from every part of the war field is, there
lore, seemingly a narrative of British
successes, but with the Beers preparing
for last desperate fling farther in the
interior and with Boer guerrilla parties
looting houses and stores in the north
west section of Cape Colony, it is not all
roses for the British The Upngton dis
trict is the locality where the guerrilla
tactics of the Beers are just now most in
evidence.
The postponed congress of the Afrikan-
der Bund has been called to meet at
Paarle, June 18th.
Canadian battery of 15-pounders ar
rived at Reira, Portuguese East africa,