The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-04-08
ROBERTS CHECKED.
BY MILTON Y. SNYDER.

ROBERTS CHECKED.
BY MILTON Y. SNYDER.
| SPECIAL RY CABLE.
| london sunday. April S.-(CopyriEht 100
hy the New York Herald Companyl-Ii is
apparent that the progress of Lord Rob
crts has been checkcd-to what extent only
time VIII determine.
| \ dispatch from the Commander int Chief,
! published yesterday. gives some further de-
! tails of The British disaster near Eedders-
| berg on Tuesday and Wednesday last Lord
| Roberts explains that he derived his tnfoc-
| nation from Lieutenant Temple Smith of
! the Cape medical staff who sent it from
! Bethany. whittier he had conveyed the
! wounded.
| In the battle. which extended over ,wer-
ty-tour hours, two officers Of the North
| umberland lusiers We're killed. No officer
| of The Royal Irish Rifles was killed. but
i've We're wounded, one dangerously. OF the
rank and file. eight were killed and thirty
| three wounded.
| These casualties make total Of forty
| five. which, deducted from the total strength
| of the five companies. namely. o9i men,
| means that the Beers captured $40 prisoners.
The Bcer strength in this engagement is
| placed at 3,2d0 men and five guns.
Evidently The Beers are active ali around
Bfoeufontein. The present movement is
described as sort of raid, but IL is very
troublesome raid nevertheless.
il appears that MetnUen's recent success
was marked by another abuse OF the white
flag. Al! accounts received here agree that
the Beers. after hoistiug the white flag.
fired a volley into the Kimberley Light
Horse, killing Colonel Porter and several
men.
Quantities of soft split-tip bullets We're
found an the prisoners. The Boer force cap
tured by Methuen contained Frenchmcr.
Germans and Hclanders
CAPE COLONISTS CAPTURED.
Carnavon. Cape Colony. April cit is re-
ported that 200 insurgents. who We're not
aware that Sir Charles Parsons had occu
| pied kenhardt fioGa. and who were their
way to that place have been captured ty
the British troops. The Canadian Artillery
has returned here from Van Wyck's Wei.
THE REDDERSBERG DEFEAT.
London. April Lord Roberts reports 10
the War Office as follows:
Blpemfont.in, Friday, April s-The cas-
ualties at Reddersberg were: officers killed.
Captain i. G.. Casson and Lieutenant c. L.
Barclay. both of the Northumberlards:
wounded. two: captured. eight. Noucom-
r..ssioned officers and killed. eight:
wounded. thrty-three: the rest We're cap
tureG Our strength was 167 mounted m
fantry and l24 infantry. The enemy was
said 10 be 2.Io9 strong with five guns
BRITISH FALLING BACK.
Aliwal North. Cape Colony. Friday. April
6.-The Colonial Division az Wepener has
captured five prisoners and 100 rifles.
The Royal Irish Rifles are falling back
on Beestekraal from RouSville.
The Beers are reported to he moving
east and west of Rouxyille and a number
Of them are reported sixteen miles down
the Orange River.
a town guard is being formed here
LONG WAR Expected.
London. April 7.-one effect Of the check
TO Roberts at Bloemfontein is to modify
the criticisms so freely passed earlier IN tie
campaign upon Butler and Methuen. 1t Is
now clear that al Paardeberg. Kitchener
was deliberately repeating the old mistakes
Of impetuons frontal attack and unncras-
sary loss Of life when :he Commander
Chief came M. called off the troops and
changed the whole plan of campaign. Il Is
clear also that even Lord Roberts himself
finds the country. the character of tn,
pert AT present almost insuperabe ohsticl $
to his progress. one hears no more in Lon
don the boast that the British flag will ae
hoised over Pretoria by May Is. and young
Churchill's promise to a Pretoria newspa-
per again In March looks foolish In the.
light OF recent developments. In min;stc-
fial circles also the idea of 'soin- to .l:e
country in July l. no longer discussed,
all plans for the general election being
placed forward to next spring summer.
WlLkINSON'S ANALYSIS.
London. April '.-Spcnser Wilkinson. re- |
viewing the military situation in South Af-
fica for the Associated Press, at midnight |
says:
The position In the Free State seems to |
De that the British cavalry and mount ai |
infantry have used up the horses in the !
heavy marches from Modder River station |
to kimberley and from Kimberley To |
E!oenfcntein; that tn. lack of renGunts |
coupled with The exhaustion of the trans !
port service. has compelled Lord Roberts !
To withhold his advance and that during |
the halt the Beers have recovered from
their depression and have resumed the Of
fensive.
The action al karee Siding followed ty
the move of General French to Sannas
Post, has no doubt given extra strain TO
the mounted troops.
4 ne Dctu tI ftfnouT.tS has become
gent Dispatches however, that have been
received lately indicate that a fresh supply
of horses is beginning to arrive at Cape
Town.
Lord Roberts seems anxious so far as
he can. TO avoid partial movements. and
he will await quietly whatever the enemy
may do until he is again ready for Il con-
tinuuus movement and decisive action.
Meantime, the Beers are making the
best of this period of inaction. With
force of 1o.IS i2,o1 men. they are said
to be moving south from Thaha N'Chu.
and other forces have shown themselves
along the Basuto border. where General
Brabants division of colonials Is said to
be confronted by a strong Boer force near
Wepener. Brabant's force. however, proba-
bly, is able To take care Of itself
The surprise and destruction of I; Brit
isli detachment near RedGersberg suggest |
that the Boer plan may be TO break up the
railway between Norvars Pont and BIoen- |
fontein by means of which Lord Roberts |
secures his supplies and rc-enforcements.
Such a move, If successful. would cause
Lord Roberts some embarrassment, and |
might draw him into making strong
toward the South. 1t proves
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