The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-04
LADYSMITn'S VAIN HOPE.
FxPECrED BULLBH TO BIZ
FRI ar COLENS0.

20 az. n.fent Was P~osted-PlaEue OF
rli.s Adds to tho Discomfort OF tho
s,ese Letters From hsthusn's camp
Throw Now Light on the Free state Beers
-gsnsrsi of "Ics and Iron" Needed
Ioxnos. Jan. 2A.-The letters from Lady
.mith in the last mail to reach England show
that Il 10 easier 10 imagine than describe the
dI.may and disappointment In tho beleagusred
town when Butler failed to cross the Tusala
when he made his first disastrous attempt at
tho battle OF Colenso. On Dec. ID the Tunes
correspondent writes;
All hal made up their minds that the period
OF enforced inactivity WA at an end. We were
proud 10 think that We should DO able TO meet
the relieving troops with the little histories OF
our own regarding ths Gun and Surprise Hill
batteries. No one for q moment imagined
that the southern force would be anything
but successful. On Dec. IL a heavy firing had
been heard in tho direction Of Colenso. while
on the following day the pickets on CAESARS
Camp and Wagon Hill had seen the smoke
made by the bursting shrapnel. Then We
waited for news waited bresthlessly for or.
ders TO be given to the Flying Column. com
posed OF the Devonshire and Manchester reg
iments and the Gordon Hshlanders. 10 leave
camp to complete the devastation which the
BOuInGTn urN u pNSuhs nhch ohN Ob''N
congratulated themselves In the streets when
they heard that one OF our heavy guns had
been sent to Wagon Hill to cover the move
mont OF the Flying Column.
Day dawned. and with the advent OF the
sun the big gun on Bulwana opened 4 s~piteiul
fire. Twenty. one rounds were fred into the
town. The Beers had rem IN bered the salute
which we had fired on tho Prince OF Wales's
birthday. Grimly. on DIn9aan's Day. they
returned the salute. And with effect, for there
were three fatal casualties from the fire.
Still the garrison congratulated ITSELF. This
salute was but the song OF the dying swan. In
At bravado the enemy had fred into us be.
fore removing the gun 10 escape the advance
from the south. A story came in from In.
tomb Camp tina, the Beers had sent q mum ber
OF wounded Dutch for treatment. Excitement
ran high. and a speculative photographer cir
cula:ed a notice to the effect that now the Siege
was practically at an end he would be happy
to take a mass group OF the civilians who had
survived. But on Saturday night q sinister
order appeared. The batteries attached to
the Flying Column were sent back TO their
positions on the line OF defcnces.
"On the morrow the following general order
was published to the garrison:
"The General Officer Commanding the Natal
Fled Force regrets TO have, to announce that
Gen. Sir Redvers Butler failed To make good
his first attack on Colenso: esnforcements
will not, therefore, arrive here. az early as was
expected. Sir, GEORGE white T. confident that
the garrison In the same spirited manner a. 1t
has hitherto been conducted until ne General
Officer Commanding In Chief in South Africa
does relieve II.
The news was received with blank dismay.
The disappointment was Overwhelming"
Tho Ladysmith letters chiefly tell OF events
that have been well covered by cable. Here
are a few Incidents OF the night attack on Sur
prise Hill. when a party from Ladysmith, at
the cost OF htty.nine killed. wounded and
missing. destroyed a howitzer belonging to
the Beers:
1T Is believed that the force sent to repel
tho attack was composed mainly OF the
Foreign Legion. An American lying wounded
on the hillside waved a sheet OF paper and ex-
claimed: DO not touch this paper. Let me
die In peace An Irishman flung himself
madly upon the hayonets. with a shout that
he would strike one more blow against
England.
"A Boer rineman. who appeared to share the
belief common among his countrymen that a
flag OF truce and q CRY o. surrender cover flight
NV lA6uAO nv 'hNJ 'h'S iAVh tiiV
last shot and are in imminent danger OF death.
emptied his magazine at a range OF ten Yards.
and then calmly observed to his chosen victim.
y surrender He will have no further oppor-
tunity OF putting into practice these peculiar
views as to the liabilities OF Il com blatant.
"A more pleasant incident Is told by Cant.
Paley. who was wounded AMI lying helpless on
tho slope. A young Boer came up. and was
about to give him the coup de grhcs when a
burgher interiered TO prevent an act OF cold
blooded murder"
On Dec. IL the Standards correspondent
writes from Ladysmith: Our horses and oxen
have suffered. the supply OF fodder being ex-
hausted. and the limited area Of grazing
ground having been cropped to the last blade.
Groceries have run out; pure water Is scarce
whiskey sells at 35s. a bottle. and mich COWS
are Communicated for beef. These are real
and trying ~discomforts. but more oppressive
than all the hardsnips we endure Ia the dread
full monotony OF the siege, We have ceased
to take any interest In shells. and even the
most timid no longer walk up the street
to see the damage done by one OF Long
Toms best efforts. The opportunities for
active exercise are restricted. and q
sallop on horseback Is possible only under
shrapnel or common shell, There might ap-
pear to be one resource left, and that ia to sleep
the time peacefully away. Even this %consola-
ton 10 denied. for Iadysmith IS afflicted with a
plague OF files more terrible that any that OPP
pressed the Egyptians They descend upon US
in clouds-noisy. voracious. singing pests. at
lacking every exposed part Of the body with
roaseless energy. boldness and unainching de-
b mination. Every dish on the table Is black
with these torments. 90 that It Is often literally
impossible TO see the food or TO carry 1t to the
mouth without the risk OF swallowing scores Of
the poisonous insects"
The letters from Modder River are moro
numerous than those from any other part Of
South Africa. One point noticed In nearly all
OF them hardly needs further comment This
is the want OF "a lightly horsed. lightly armed
brigade Of mounted men" coupled with some
such remarks as the ~following: The great
strength OF the Beer ornaments must be
astonishing every one. Here at Magersfonteln
their guns rival our naval ~ In range and
accuracy ~ fire. and but for our naval guns
and howitzers our artillery would be out
classed."
Tho Times correspondent sends some inter-
esting extracts from the diary OF a Boer
prisoner. The writer. a man OF some promi-
hence. had been Communicated In October.
and Immediately Sent his wife to Cape Town
fnr aafAtu navin1 TnhannAak,-, 80. a. n