The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-11
Roberts. with $4,000 Men and 40
Guns, Pressing Botha and His
Army Of About 10000.
sTEYN EAST OF THABA N'CHU
GIVING BATTLE TO TROOPS UNDER
RUMBLE AND BRABANT.
Dispatch to the War ONCE Telling Of
the Retreat of the Enemy
from Zand River.

LONDON, May H., 800 d m.-uehDeis
of the House of Commons were freely
betting In the Hobbies last evening that
Lord Roberts would be in Pretoria In two
months. The Ministerialists are building
confident hopes on the comprehensive
plans he had communicated to the War
ONCE Predictions are definitely made
that he will be in Kroonstad next Mon
day, and il is believed that his advance
is already reconnoitering in the vicinity of
venters. where the hilly country begins
again. Beyond Kroonstad is an intricate
and difficult country, and II the Beers
should elect to fight, IT is possible they
could check the progress or the British
until Lord Robertss numerous cavalry
had had time to ride around their flank
and threaten their rear.
From 5000 to 20.O9o is the highest esti-
mate of the Beers under the post command
of General Botha. who is said to have
forty-six guns. General Botha and Gen.
Dewet are reported to have quarreled.
Lord Roberts is pressing hard after this
force with 5000 men and 14O guns and 2O.-
900 more men are easily available.
Lord Robertss concise summaries Of re-
suits are not supplemented by any up-to-
date press kilograms. The correspondents
are confined in their narratives to events
two or three days old. so far as Lord
Roberts Is concerned.
President Steyn, with 10000 men. is re-
ported to have been east of Thaba NChu
yesterday Thursday noon. and a battle
was then imminent. The advance troops
sof General Rumble and General Brabant
were being fired on.
According TO a dispatch from Durham.
dated Thursday. General Buffers army
is showing activity" but a complete
news embargo is imposed on the corre-
spondents with him.
Parties of Beers are still holding the
mountains adjacent to Springfield. New
Zealand scouts burned the homestead Of
. farmer named Greyling. in whose house
arms were found. at Deering. During a
concert for the relief of the suffers from
the Begbie works explosion. given Satur-
day evening at Pretoria in the Gaiety
Theater. the doors were suddenly closed
and every man In the audience was COM
wandered. All the horses were taken from
the conveyances outside.
President Kruger has released the Daily
Mall correspondents. Messrs. HalloweIl
and Hofmeier.
Half the foreign merchants at Lourenzo
Marques held an indignation meeting to
protest against the new regulations,
whereby blankets. clothing and bully
beef are declared contraband. Twelve
thousand cases Of supplies are IN bond
there. and as much more Is expected. Two
French vessels carrying goods consigned
20 Lyndenburg have been stopped.
The alarmist tone OF Lord Salisbury's
Primrose League speech Wednesday has
been much discussed in the Hobbies of Par
lament. and the impression is that the
epprehensions OF the premier are even
more serious than he expressed His Mt
terances are ascribed TO the recent sue
cesses OF the Nationalists I'm France.
hatred of England being one of the
weapons Of the campaign. The revival
OF military glory. one OF the ideals set up
in France. is regarded as dangerous to
England.
The Times publishes letter from
Bloemfontein. describing the Koornspruit
disaster The writer says that this was
due to criminal neglect of the most
primitive precautions in war. and he as
serts that an advance guard of a single
troop would have averted the mishap
Spencer Wilkinson, reviewing the milf
tary situation In the Morning Post, SAYS:
The Beers are now approaching their
hnal agony. Lord Roberts has 900 men
beyond the Zand river. With General Bull
er there are $4,000 and with General Hunter
io.oo- Against the pressure of these
various columns the Beers can make no
effective resistance. collapse must fol-
low the first battle in which the Beers
make determined stand and are well
beaten. The interesting question is whether
the Transvaal government will submit or
viii encourage the burghers to continue a
hopeless struggle to the point of their gen.
eral ruin The latter alternative is by no
means improbable"