The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-24
Britstown Occupied by n Commando
of Burghers and the Railway South
of De Aar Junction Cut.
FIGHT NEAR ELEPHANTS MEX
GENERAL FRENCH IN CONTACT WITH
BEYERs AND DELAREY.
Two Commanders Defeated by Gen.
CoIIviIIe-Over 100000 Mules and
Horses Sent 10 south Africa.

patches. breathing a confidence hardly JUS
titled by their contents. are almost the only
available news from the seat OF hostiiitieS
I'm South Africa, but kilograms from Cape
Town depict the situation in anything but
roseate hues.
Lord Kitchener's dispatches show he is
again attempting to drive the Beers into
net and capture or kill them His first
dispatch last night, dated Pretoria, Dec
% says:
"As far as ii is possible for me TO form
an opinion from the reports of officers on
the spot. think the Boer movement into
Cape Colony has been checked. OF the
two forces that entered the colony, the
eastern is still north of the Zoutpansberg
range, while the one that entered west
appears 90 have been turned in the direc-
tion OF Britstown and Prieska. Our troops
are getting around both bodies. and a
special column Is also being organized
which will be dispatched Immediately when
know where It's services are most wanted
1.-The Beers have not received much as
sistance i'm Cape Colony as far my in
formation goes. We have armed some or
the colonists, who are assisting our forces
Railway and telegraph communication has
been much interrupted by the very bad
weather.
.sDe Wet is in the neghborhood of Sen
ekal.
General French, in conjunction with
General Clements, attacked force under
Beyers. south of Magaliesberg. The Beers
broke away In a southwesterly direction.
toward Potchofstroom, and were followe !.
by General Gordon with a column Of
French's force. Yesterday evening about
5 o'clock Clementss force was engaged
south of Oliphant's mex. but L do not yet
know the result
A later dispatch from Lord Kitchener,
dated Pretoria, Dec. -, says:
THE western column of Beers occupied
Britstown and cut the railway south of
De Aar Junction. The enemy is being fol-
lowed up
General French has been In contact for
two days with the commanders of Beyers
and DeIarey. south of Magaliesberg He Is
pursuing them. The enemy have lost tre-
mendously, and Commandant Kreuz and
others have been captured
General Colviile engaged two separate
commanders on Dec. n. near vlakfontein.
with slight losses. the enemy retiring
Without believing the assertion Of the
Transvaal agency in Brussels that 5000
Beers have invaded Cape Colony 1t is quite
evident that the invasion was a serious
and well-planned affair In connection with
this correspondent sends an extremely
interesting letter dated Bethulie, Dec. L,
describing General De Wet and his doings.
de Wet has never been taken seriously
enough" says the correspondent. cit is OF
little use TO pursue him. as he fights rear
guard action and gains twenty miles while
he is being fought. He is born military
genius. whose wonderful powers have kept
up this phenomenal resistance. Once he
fails the whole thing could be crushed in
a fortnight. He has every single COM
mando under his supervision. All his pa
trolls and columns march and counter
march on his order. The forces under his
command have been reduced by his
strength of will to properly organized
army. moving at his word. The sooner
the British rid themselves of the idea that
De Vets forces are a mere rabblc. wander
ing aimlessly. the sooner they will grasp
the need Of the determined effort which is
necessary to capture him.
The Cape Colony Cabinet had an impor-
tant sitting yesterday (Sunday.) it appears
that the Beers have destroyed railway
bridge ninety feet long about twelve miles
south OF DE Aar, and that no Cape mails
have arrived at Bloemfontein for three
days. Further anxiety has been caused
in Cape Town by the discovery that dur
ing the last two months public bodies in out
of the way places have requisitioned sup
plies OF dynamite. The colonial government
Is now endeavoring to recover possession
OF these explosives. and is removing all
stores of arms and ammunition from the
suspected depots.
Other acvices frcm Cape Town represent
the Dutch element in Cape Colony as greatly
elated over the southwark progress OF the
Beers. and are boasting that the whole dis
trict OF Victoria West will join the raiders
II is suspected In Cape Town that the
fierce travelling from Zoutpan's drift is not
a body OF Beers but one OF CoIonials has
tening 20 join the invaders.
The Pietermaritzburg correspondent OF
the Daily Mail says: THE Beers are active
between johannesburg and Pretoria, ex-
changing shots with the British outposts:
and il Is reported that parties OF Beers are
towering around johannesburg"
e