The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1900-06-08
MYSTERY ABOUT FRENCH.
Whereabouts Of the British General
Not Made Clear by Roberts
#S.1s@ - t|.&9 81: so -73:5s r -. .;sa =
h =s:s4z>. 81 iE *.. Dispatches. Z
ne; NAY NOW Be BEFORE PRETORIA,
Reports from South Africa Show Adj
! vance OF Different Divisions Of
British Army II stubbornly OPP
y Posed-slixht Losses Reported By
+. Gems. Colvtlle, Rumble and French.

London, June 4.-Lord Roberts re-
ports to the secretary of state for
war, the marquis of Lansdowne, as fol-
lows: ~
Johannesburg, May 21.-French's report
+ OF his operations during May % and 20
reached me at three a. m. to-day. He was
| opposed throughout his march, but man.
aged to drive off the enemy from the
strong positions they successfully held with
very little loss. and is now holding the
place which I directed him to do, north
ot.Johannesburg. Two officers were wound
ed and two men were killed and q
| wounded
Hard Fighting by Colville.
The war Office has received the fol-
lowing dispatch from Lord Roberts:
johannesburg. June 1.-sir Henry COL
! Vile, In reporting the arrival of the High
land brigade at Heilbrun. May %. states
That ne was opposed more or less the
! whole Of the way from Ventersburg. Eight
| men were killed and four officers and 81 men
were wounded. Colville says the Lam
cashire battery OF field artillery did excel
lent work. Grants naval guns were most
valuable and the troops behaved in most
soldierly manner throughout the trying
: march,.
Rumble. telegraphs that his casualties
Brabant Surround. Beers.
'Maseru, Basutoland, May 31.-Gen.
Brabant has practically surrounded
the Beers five miles outside of Ficks-
burg. The only side open for the
Beers retreat is the Basutoland bor-
der, where thousands of Basutos, un-
der Chief Jonathan, are awaiting
events.
The Grenadier guards were the
heaviest sufferers during Gen. Run
dies fighting. They lost 80 men killed
and SO men wounded.
British Commun ica ton Cut.
New York, June "A dispatch to
the Tribune from London says: A
telegram from Lorenzo Marques says
that communications of the main
British army have been cut near the
Naal, and it is possible that the alb
tence of news is due to interference
with the telegraph wire south of
Cermiston.
Gen. Hunter is making good prog
ress. The Express dispatch says his
main body has reached Barberspan,
20 miles ahead from the point 81 de-
parture, and his advance parties are
ut Blejesvlej. % miles further on and
just 20 miles from Lichtcnburg, where
junction will lie effected with Gen.
Baden-Powell.
Will Surrender.
Cape Town, June "A dispatch to
the Argus of this city from Delagoa'
Bay says: Pretoria will surrender.
President Kruger, according to this
correspondent, is said to be at Mid
dlcburg, and, he adds, it is expected
that the last stand of the Beers will
be made at Machadodorp.
Whereabouts of kruger.
Lorenzo Marques, June 4.-Presi-
dent Kruger Friday was still at Ma
chadodorp (about half way between
Pretoria and the Portuguese frontier,
on the railroad between the Transvaal
capital and Delagoa bay). Boer COM
mands, totaling about 10000 men. held
Thursday all the positions and hills
around Pretoria. Another large COM
mand was at Bronkhurst's spruit
| L
railroad leading to Delagoa bay).
Telegraphic communication with
the Transvaal is closed to the public.
Feverish excitement prevails here ow-.
ing to the almost total absence of
news from either side.
The object of the trip here of
Frichie Eloff, President Kruger's SON.
in-law, and Dir. Heyman, the presi-
dents physician, appears to have been
to place large amount of gold in
safety.
Rather Mysterious.
London, June 4.-Lord Roberts last
report of the movement of the British
troops in the Transvaal is somewhat
mysterious. From the fact that Gen.
French's report took two days to reach
the commanderin-chie at Johannes
burg it. is believed that either French
must be many miles north of that city
or that he is having trouble with his
communications. The former is gener-
ally accepted as the most proba BILE, and
it is surmised that Lord Roberts
vague phrasessetting forth that French
sis now holding the place which d.
rected him to do, north of Johannes
burg" means that his position is quite
close to Pretoria. The additional fact
that Lord Roberts dispatch published
Saturday is dated four hours earlier
than the one given out Friday and that
it takes the proceedings no further
than May 81, leads to the conclusion
that some important movement is on
foot or that Lord Roberts himself has
not been able to keep his lines clear be-
hind him. Possibly the next place Lord
Roberts. will be heard from will be
Pretoria. 1t seems that French should
certainly be within striking distance
of the capital Saturday.
Gen. Rumble appears to have returned
to Senekal after fighting eastward and
contemplates an early forward' move
mcnt. Boer prisoners say that 50 men
were ki1led"and many wounded in the
recent fight.
Letter from Reits.
=, The Cologne Gazette publishes a let
ter from State Secretary Reitz dated
April 26. saying: =.
1.-The British government promised the
British nation that the cost of the war
will be betrayed by the Beers. But as
the latter will not be in a position to pay,
Great Britain must obtain money from
the gold mines which Will thereby be
mulcted of half the net profits, whereas the
Transvaal never levied specialtax on gold.
The instigators Of the war, Rhodes, Wern-
her, Belt and others, will suffer most In adj
dftion, the British will have to maintain a
garrison of $1,000 men, the cost of which
the mines will also have to nav As soon