Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-10
The Report That Butler
Has Failed Again.
WAS in UGLY POSITION
And He Abandoned His Advance For
tie Present and May Have Retired
to the South Hope Given up in
LadySmith. Q

London, Feb. 10, 4:2O a. m.-London ac-
cepts as true the Boer statement that
General Butler has failed again. These
statements were passed by the British
censor at Alden and are read in the light
commons that General Butler is not
pressing his advance. Mr.. Winston
Churchill wires that Vaalkrantz was inn
practicable for the gun which were need
ed to support a further advance. His ca
blegram leaves General Butler on Tues
day night sending a fresh brigade to re-
lieve the tired holders Of Vaalkrantz.
The descriptive writers with General
Butler were allowed a rather free hand
again in explaining the ugly position
which the British held and the natural OBJ
stacles which had to be overcome. So
it is easy to infer that with Boer rifle
men and artillery defending them. these
hills. ravines and jungles have not been
overcome and thus the public is prepared
in advance for bad news.
Kilograms from Ladysmith, dated
Monday, described the effect General Bull
ler's cannonade had on the worn garrison.
Hope RAJ high that the long period Of In
activity and tedium was drawing to a
close. The crash Of guns was almost con-
inuous for ten hours and at times It
seemed as if as many as twenty shells
burst in a minute. The Beers, preparing
always for the possibility of defeat, were
driving herds and sending long wagon
trains toward the Drakensberg passes. In
tense darkness and silence followed, brok-
en- only by frogs croaking and the occa-
sional blaze of star shells. surrounding
the town with a circle of light to prevent
the unobserved approach Of the enemy.
A series of British mines, laid for the
Beers. exploded accidentally, shaking and
alarming the city and camp.
General MAcDonald's retirement puzzles
the military commentators. The theory
that finds acceptance is that it was order
ed by Lord Roberts n that both General
Buffers and General MacDonald's opera
tons were by the direction of the COM
mander in chief, in order to occupy the
Roers at widely separated points SO they
would be unable to transfer any portion
of their forces to oppose the projected
central advance. ar. fft~
MI. Charles Williams, military
writer, who is understood to be in conf :
Dental relations with Lord Wolsely, says
that beyond doubt the most author.ta-
tive opinion in London regards it as pro-
oto SAAoS Ola ~ We IldOC Id
force the line of the Orange river before
Wednesday next, possibly by Monday.
MI. Henry w. Lucy says the health of
Sir Alfred Millner, governor Of Cape Col
ony, is suffering from the prolonged strain
and his friends fear he will break down.
Lord ~Salisbury's son. Lord Edward
Cecil, is responsible for Mafeking being so
we'll provisioned. At the outbreak of the
war he learned the amount of army stores
about to be sent to Mafeking and on his
own initiative pledged his private means
and had the stores auadrupled. He is
now in Mafeking and is one of it's boldest
defenders.
A dispatch to the Times from Koodoes-
burg. dated Thursday. Feb. 8. says: eft
IS reported that Boer reinforcements are
arriving from Magersfontein. Our posi.
ton is easily tenable, but the entire force
has been ordered to return to Modder riv.
er tomorrow"