The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-04-16
WAR; in
B0ER LAND.
Give and Take in the
Campaign.
ROBERTS LOSES, HEAVILY
Methuen Makes a Brilliant Counter
Stroke - Boer General
Killed.

LONDON, April 6.-Lord Roberts re-
ports that five companies OF British
troops have been captured by Beers
near Bethany. The following Is the
text OF his dispatch to the War ONCE
announcing the capture:
"BLOEMFONTEIN, Thursday. April
5.-Another unfortunate event has &C.
CURED, resulting, fear. In the capture
OF party of infantry, consisting OF the
Royal Irish Fusiliers and two COM
panies of the Ninth Regiment OF
Mounted Infantry, near Reddersburg, q
little eastward of Bethany railway sta
ton. within a few miles OF this place.
They were surrounded by a stronger
force of the enemy, with four or five
guns.
THE detachment held out from noon
April 3 until April 4, 9 a. m, and then
apparently surrendered. for 1t is re-
ported that the firing ceased at that
time. Immediately after / heard the
news. during the afternoon Of April 3,
I ordered Gatacre to proceed from
Springfontein, his present headquar-
tiers, to Reddersburg with all possible
speed, and l dispatched the Cameron
Highlanders hence to Bethany. Cat
acre arrived at Reddersburg at 1890 a.
m. without opposition. but could obtain
no news OF the missing detachment.
There can be no. doubt that the
whole party has been made prisoners.
The Counter-stroke.
LONDON, April 6.-The War Office
has received the following dispatch
from Lord Roberts, dated Bloemfon-
4zs~x -
"Methuen telegraphs from Boshof Tin
| the Orange Free State, little north
east of Kimberley as follows:
Surrounded General Villebois Ma
reuil and a body of Beers today, and
none escaped. Mareuil and seven
Beers killed, eight wounded and fifty
prisoners. Our losses were: Killed
Captains Boyle and Williams, both OF
many. Wounded-About seven men.
1.-THE attack lasted for hours. The
corps behaved very well. Our force was
composed of Yeomanry, the Kimberley
Mounted Corps and the Fourth Battery
OF Artillery"
General Villebois Mareuil was the
chief of staff OF the Boer army. He
was about so years old, and Is said to
have been responsible for many Boer
successes in Natal, and later in Cape
Colony and the southern part OF the
Orange Free State IL Is said that he
entered the Boer service merely be-
cause war was his trade. He went
through a number of campaigns in the
French army.
British Repulse at Mafeking.
| LONDON. April 5.-A special dis
patch from Lorenzo Marques says sharp
| fighting occurred on April in the
neighborhood OF Mafeking. The gar
rison made a sortie while Colonel
Plumer's cavalry attacked the Beers at
Ramathlabama Both attacks were re-
pulsed. Twenty of Colonel Plumer's
men were found dead on the field and
six others were made prisoners. The
Federal losses were small
Hard Road to Pretoria.
| LONDON. April Z. 80 y. m.-Not a
word regarding the disaster at Red
dersburg has been allowed TO come
| through except the dispatch of Lord
Roberts. 1t is therefore impossible 10
| form any notion as to what has hap
pened. Meanwhile the British public
1 is beginning to realize the immense
difficulties TO be overcome even before
Pretoria is reached, and is reviving
premature ideas with respect to the
| time when the war will be over. No
one believes now that il will be ended
by the beginning of June.
The latest disaster more particularly
| illustrates the heavy task involved in
| holding the railway. This body of
some 500 British troops without guns.
which disappeared so completely within
. ,f,tw - II Dit sntx
army, had for it's business to guard
section of nearly ninety miles OF rail-
way between Bloemfontein and Spring
fontein. If it could thus be spirited
away, how is Lord Roberts to insure
his continually extending communica-
tons?
Other pertinent questions are being
asked of the successive unfortunate
| occurrences" The foremost is. Why
do not the British troops entrench? 1t
is argued that IL this had been done
even 500 men might have held out until
reinforcements arrived. Ii cannot be
concealed that the utmost alarm is be-
ginning to be felt. Ii is said that the
Beers who captured the British at Red
dersburg belonged to Olivler's COM
mando. If so. he has not retired north
and hopes are expressed that he may
still be cut of.
Beers Threaten Bloemfontein.
LONDON. April SIS a. NIT looks
today as though the Beers had con-
| ceived the audacious plan OF attempt
ing to invest Lord Roberts at Bloem-
fonte.n, or at least to endsavor 10 de-
lay his northward advance by haras-
sing the british lines of communica-
ton. On his side Lord Roberts Ia con-
centrating his forces and preparing to
take every advantage Of the bold but
risky tactics OF the enemy. He IS not
likely to strike at any Of their forces
until he Is certain OF delivering a
crushing blow.
There is little doubt that Lord Rob
erts IS hampered by the necessity for
remounts and transport, and the loss
OF the convoy guns and all OF Colonel