The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1900-05-11
Tommy Atkins" Is Doing Some
Hard Marching Just Now.
ROBERTS TAKES FRANKFORT.
The Irish-American Brigade Is
Discovered Fighting Under
Kruger's COlOrs.


cd the followed "war" news:
The mounted infantry with Lord
Roberts, among which are the Cana
dams, have pickoted their horses on
the south bank Of the Vet river 18
miles north Of Brandfort The head
of Lord Roberts columns has thus
advanced thirty-two miles north of
Blo6mfontein.
Little powder was spent. The Brit
ish work was hard marching, the
Beers retiring out of the reach of Brit
ish shells. The correspondents supple
ment Lord Roberts plain statements
with few details. AS General Hut
ton, with the First mounted infantry
brigade, drew near Brandfort, he saw a
khaki-clad body of troops ahead of
him. He was surprised, but thought
they must be British. Soon, however,
they opened fire upon the men, who
replied heavily. They were the Irish
American brigade from Lourenzo
Marques, and it is reported that the
Irish lost heavily.
The Boer flag was flying over Brand
fort as the British entered the town.
Several British wounded were found
in the hospital The Boer postmaster
gave up the keys of the public build
ings to Captain Ross.
Lord Kitchener arrived ut Brandfort
at noon and Lord Roberts at dusk.
General French's cavalry is sweeping
the country northward. The expecta-
ton is that the infantry advance will
be continued toward Kroonstad imme-
diately. Although no prisoners were
taken and although no hot pursuit was
attempted, the news greatly cheers
London. Nevertheless, it has not been
received with the fine rapture that at
tended the first successes of Lord
Roberts,
Brabants division now occupies a
strong position on a range of hills on
the Ladybrand road, about twenty
miles from Wepener. The troops are
confronted by large force of Beers
who recently occupied Wepener and
who have now been located in the
mountain known in the Free State as
Zwartlapherg. Friday morning the
Borderers Horse, under Colonel Max
we'll, came in contact with the Boer
outposts, but returned to camp after
having located the enemy. Later
group of 500 Beers was discovered
marching past the Boer position, but
the British were unable to tell whether
they were friend or enemy until they
had disappeared in a hollow a few
miles away, when they proved to be
Boer command.
General Hunters crossing the VaNl
at Win lsorton brings the relief of Ma.
feking, 1875 miles beyond, almost
within calculated interval. 1t is
now regarded as quite possible that
Mafeking may be succored before the
queens birthday.
The debate in parliament on the
Spion kop dispatches proved disap-
pointment to the supporters of the gov
eminent. The ministerialist papers
confess to a certain amount of incon-
sistency and weakness in the state
menfs of the spokesman of the govern
ment. On the other hand, as The
Standard points out, the opposition
processes to be we'll satisfied with the
debate, as they believe it has injured
the government and has rendered Lord
Lansdowne's continuance at the war
Office difficult.
Wepener is to be garrisoned with
strong force from General Chermside'S
division, commanded by Lord Castle
town.
Henry F. Lucy, writing in The
Daily News, says he has ascertained
that Sir Alfred Miners letter against
ladies visiting South Africa was writ
ten as the result of an intimation from
Queen Victoria.