The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-01-16
BOER LINES CLOSING IN.
Creeping Closer to Ladysmith. Inter-
view With Kruger.

London, Jan. 16.-(Tuesday. )--General
Buffers latest authentic word as to
what he and his thirty thousand men
are doing, was wired from Springfield af-
ter his first forward step. Striving to
think out the unknown, London is com
fused by surmise and rImor and dis
quieted by suspense. Spencer Wilkin-
son, the lucid military expert of the
Morning Post, asserts that the Boer
force I'M Northern Natal is larger than
General Buffers and Sir George Whites
together, so that the Beers are able to
leave "a force around Ladysmith larger
than that within the town and yet to OPP
pose General Butler with a force SUI
policr to his own.
Reports from the Boer camps affirm
that the circle of investment of some
drawn closer by the occupation of some
hills near the town. thus liberating re-
Inducements to oppose General Butler
Although the war pages of the great
dailies today are almost barren. the tele-
graph Instruments click ceaselessly.
Yeomanry recruits are getting only
one and a half companies out of up
wards of 1000 applicants III the metro
politan districts. the others failing to
meet requirements, and although the
provinces are doing better, the raising
of 10000 yecmen is far from easy.
J. B. Robinson. the South African
millionaire, in a signed article in the
Daily News this morning relates conver-
sations he has had with President Kru-
ger. On one occasion President Kruger
! said:
DO you mean TO tell me that YOU
do not know that the men who organized
and engineered the Jameison raid organ
lied it for their own benefit? They had
decided how they would divide the Trans
vaal and how each of the parties was To
| have certain interests in this country.
''Many reformers who were put i'll Jail
were perfectly innocehf. They were
! ignorant of the schemes of the men in the
inner circle. There We're only twelve
| men i'm that inner circle and they were
TO divide the Transvaal among them
selves.
''They and their companies found the
money for the raid Do you think we
are so innocent as not to know that
Rhodes, metaplorically speaking, held
a pistol at the heads of certain men i'm
England and said to them: If you do
not support me i shall denomce you and
your completely in the raid.
AT this stage. according to Mr.. Robin
son, President Kruger became more 'ex-
I cited and shouted SO loudly that people
in the street stopped to listen to the con-
| versation.
| Mr.. Kruger then said:
"And now you are demonstrating with
| me about arming. 1t is true that | am
| arming, and it is because | see clearly
! that / must defend my country
! To this Mr.. Robinson replied
| 'The British public is aroused Ii
! any attempt were made again TO enter
E, this country there would be great out
cry in england and the imperial authors
! ties would take steps to punish the organ
! izers and to prevent such freebooting ex-
; petitions"
President Kruger approached Mr.. Rob
inson placed a hand on his shoulder.
made violent effort to suppress his
excitement, and said:
''You mean well, but j have lost all
confidence What has happened would
i take place again, and | am determined
to guard against it.
Later Mr.. Kruger said:
"What is to prevent Rhodes and his
! coadjutors against engineering some dla-
bolical attempt against the Independence
of my country"
The birmingham Mail, the organ OF
Joseph Chamberlain, says:
I'VE understand, ON the highest au-
thority that if the Government rs de-
feated in Parliament on the question Of
+, war the Cabinet will immediately APP
| peal to the country, all the Ministers
having decided to stand together and
not to permit any individual Minister TO