The National tribune., 1900-06-14
BOER CAPITAL TAKEN.
Believed That the Boer Spirit is Not Broken
and That Guerrilla Warfare Will Follow.

Pretoria has been captured. The Beers
say the war will continue a long time.
The British say all will soon be over.
The fighting will be in the nature of guer-
rilla warfare, and the Beers hope for Eu-
roI!ean interference while they carry it on.
From Johannesburg Roberts continued
his march to Pretoria, expecting to en-
counter the Roers in almost full force out
side the city Lord Roberts dispatches to
the War Office show that the BOer resist
ance to the occupation of Pretoria, though
maintained all day Monday, June 4, was
not of a formidable character, and the
casualties appear to have been few in
numbers The days being now short in
the Transvaal. Roberts had to wait for
another day to enter Pretoria, after driy-
ing all the B0ers from front to flank.
The official entry of Pretoria was at
Roberts dispatch of June describes
the situation thus:
Just before dark yesterday the enemy
were beaten back from nearly all the po-
sitions they had been holding, and Ian
Hamilton's mounted infantry followed
them to within 1000 yards of Pretoria,
through which they retreated hastily.
DE Lisle then sent an officer with
| flag of truce into the town, demanding its
surrender in my name. Shortly before
midnight | was awakened by two officials
of the South African Republic, Sandberg,
! Aillfs suEy -ESbCIeldIS " OS1.
Botha, and a general officer of the Boer
army, who brought me a letter from
| BOtha proposing an armistice for the pur-
pose of settling the terms of surrender.
Il replied that l would gladly meet the
Colnmandant General the next morning,
but that / was not prepared to discuss
any terms, as the surrender of the town
must be unconditional. l asked for re-
ply by daybreak, as l had ordered the
| troops to march on the town as soon as
| it was light.
'.In his reply Botha told me that he
had decided not to defend Pretoria, and
that he trusted women, children, and prop
erty wou be protected.
''At 1 a. M. today, while on the line Of
march, l was met by three of the princi-
pal officials with flag of truce, stating
their wish to surrender the town."
Gen. Botha and most Of his men got
away from the town. His wife and Mrs.
Kruger were left to the care Of Roberts.
Botha retreated along the line Of the De-
lagoa Bay road, after stripping Pretoria
Of supplies.
There were the usual jollifcation scenes
in London and elsewhere in England at
the receipt of the news of the surrender
of Pretoria. but they were not of the yio-
lent character that has marked some of
the other demonstrations, though in the
latter part OF the night in the great cities
rowdyism held sway.
British public interest centers largely in
the fate of the British prisoners, but it
seems probable that about $500 have
been recovered, including 129 officers. The
Federals, therefore, have removed about
thousand as hostages.
The executive Offices of the Transvaal
Government are i'll n railway car, which
is shuDted on a switch at Machadorf Sta
ton President Kruger caused the inte-
rior OF the coach to be reconstructed some
time ago. with Il view to contingencies
that have now arrived. Kruger, in an in
teryiew with London newspaper corre-
spondent. said. among other things:
1.-The BurcherS are fully determined to
der so long as SOC armed men remain in
the country. What is a capital? 1t does
not consist ot any particular collection OF
bricks and mortar. The capital of the re-
public, the seat "f the Government, is here
in this car. There is 10 magic about any
special site. Our country is invaded, it
is true, but it is not conquered. The Cow
ernmcut Is still effective"
State Secretary Reitz remarked:
'You may depend upon 1t that the wa.
is not yet over. Guerrilla warfare will
continue over au enormous area. We in
tend to fight to the bitter end, and shall
probably retire upon Lydenberg. where We
can hold out for many months
yes" observed Mr.. Kruger, ''it is only
now that the real struggle has begun. I
fear that there will still be much blood
shed, bur the fault is that of the British
oyernment.'
Then raising his voice to an almost pas
sionate hight, MI. Kruger exclaimed:
The time has passed for us to talk.
We have done plenty of that, but it has
done us nc good. There is nothing left for
US to do but to kce1' on fighting, to keep
on fighting"
No news of Importance comes from
other parts of the seat of war. except
from ForesterW Walker, at Cape Town, on
June s, the dispatch reading:
"Roodeval is fairly strong position,
81 miles north of kroonstad, capable OF
giving Gen. Kclly-Kenny trouble should
the Fcderals elect to dispute its posses
sion. as Gen. KellyIIenny cannot be
ovcrburdened with cavalry, with which to
threaten the Burgher line of retreat"