Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-01-11
HIS MIND
AFFECT
British General Methuen is
Said to be Mentally
Unbalanced.
HE WILL BE RELIEVED
Magersfontein Said to Have Been the
Attack OF Observation-Disclosures
WILL Take Hold OF Meth.
uen's Work.

Attack OF madman-Eitchener
Will Take Hold OF Meth.
uen's Work.
Chicago, Jan. 11.-(By Associated
Press. The Tribune's London special
quotes an official Of the war Office as
authority for the statement that
Lieutenant General Lord Methuen,
commanding the column advancing to
relieve Kimberley, will be relieved of
his command within two weeks, sent
to Cape Town, and eventually ordered
home and retired. The dispatch con-
tinues.
This news is not published in Lon
don, altho it is known to the editors
of the leading papers. The facts have
been confirmed by an official of the war
Office.
Lord Methuen's case is sad one
Always a man of rather frail physique
altho clever boxer and an ALL
around sportsman his constitution be-
gan to show signs of breaking down
almost Immediately after he took COM
mand of his division.
Three days after the battle of Bel,
mont, General Wolseley suggested to
the officials of the war office that
Methuen be relieved. His advice was
not needed. The wisdom of the aged
but keen ommander-in-chief of the
British army is now realized to the
fullest extent by the war officials, who
scoffed at his SUGGESTION.
Friends say Health il Broken.
Friends of Lord Methuen insist he is
only broken in health; that the
strain OF many campaigns has shat
tered his naturally nervous system.
Those who know the circumstances
and the situation on Modder river
equally well, and who are willing to-
state facts plainly, say that Methuen's.
mind is unbalanced.
Sends Queer kilograms.
+
Constant proof of this has been
coming to the notice of the officials
of the war office for two weeks past.
forces has bombarded the govern
ment with some of the most remark
able messages ever received from a gen
days ago., is fair sample of the rest.
OnY ,Sos,
ness after dawn
Kitchener to Take Hold.
ut is stated by those acquainted
with the inner workings and plan of
campaign adopted by the war office,
that Lord Kitchener, the hero of Om-
durman, who with Lord Roberts arriv-.
ed at Cape Town yesterday, will pro-
ceed Immediately to Modder river He
may not take active field command of
the troops, but will put the column in
working order again and then assign
some on else, probably General Col
vile, to take Methuen's S place.
Lord Methuen, in addition to his
other eccentricities, has quarreled with
a number of officers under him. Three
of them, Colonel Arthur Paget, Colonel
Cough and Captain Campbell, he or
dered home. They arrived in London
today. Colonel Cough is seeking a
vindication by court-martial, When
Cough attempted to discuss the plan
Of the Magersfontein attack Methuen
ordered him under arrest.
"Attack Of a Madman.,,
3'The London press is considerably
suppressing the true state of affairs
so far as Methuen's ailment is con-
eerned, but the papers do not hesitate
to print the hard facts about the bat
tie of Magersfontein, which are just
reaching London thru the mails, all
of which go to show, in the language
of an officer, that "the attack was
that of madman."
sThe death of Lord Wauchope, COM
mander of the Black Watch, was one
of the many sad results of that en-
gagement. Lord Wauchope, it is now
well known, realized the futility of the
assault as planned by Methuen. He
argued strongly and expostulated bit
terly against it. Methuen, however,
persisted, and the two quarreled over
the matter the night before the battle
which proved so disastrous to the
British forces.
Mad Charge of Death.
"a member of the Black Watch, in
q letter just received gives the details
of the charge which led Wauchope to
his death. He quotes the generals dy-
ing words words showing how fully
he realized the situation even in the
hour OF his death. The letter reads:
Tt was one of the darkest nights
we ever saw. The rain fell in tor
rents and we went on and forward,
falling, stumbling, and slipping over
rocks and ant-hills. 1t was impossi-
BILE to see where we were going.
After we had been taken by sur
prise our right half battalion charged,
but the men We're mown down like
grain before reaper. General WAUGH
was shot at the beginning Of the