The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-05-12
British Expect to Reach There
Monday or Tuesday.
BOERS FIGHTING HARD
FREE SKATERS WILL STRUGGLE
TO THE BITTER END.
President Steyn Submits the Question
to His Men at Great Open Air
Meeting and They Decide to Con-
tinue to Fight-Roberts Making
Quick Advance.

London, May y. 1870 a. ma British
column, 5000 strong, has arrived at
/ Vryburg, 100 miles from Mafeking. 1t
! reached there Thursday and, though
/ harassed by the Beers, is pushing
swiftly forward. Fifty miles south of
| Vryburg, at Taungs, is General
/ Hunters main body, moving slowly
and contending with considerable
forces. The pick of his mounted ,nen
are the 5000 who are going with the
wheeled transport and at a rate that
may possibly bring them to Mafeking
on Monday or Tuesday night.
Lord Roberts narrative closes with
! Thursday evening, but he continued
1 his march yesterday towards Kroon-
/ stad, twenty miles distant and by this
| time he must know whether the Beers
! attend to fight there.
| President Steyn and council of the
! leaders of several thousand Free
! Staters in the Ladybrand and Ficils-
/ burg district determined to submit to
/ the men the question Of continuing the
war or not ct a great open air meet
] ing. The fighting men decided to fight
! on
Steyn, who appears to be in active
/ command, began to advance toward
/ the British and came into contact on
| Thursday with Campbelrs brigade and
| Brabant'S Horse twenty miles north
| east of Thaba NChu. A smart en-
| gagement ensued with no success on
either side, except that the Boer ad-
vance was stopped.
General Rumble has disposed 10000
! Infantry along a twenty mile front in
| such way as to bar a BOer advance
! toward Lord Roberts communications
/ With the exception of Brabants
oOlonials, General Rumble has no
hOrsemen. The cavalry are all with
! Lord Roberts advance.
| According to a Pretoria telegram,
General Butler is moving from Glands
laagte in the direction of Helpmakaar
and the British van guard engaged a
! BOer patrol of Italians on Thursday
! Twelve Italians are reported as rout-
! ing fifty British. The dispatch also
says that British accommodating par
| ties have invaded the Transvaal near
/ Fourteen Streams and that the scouts
on both sides meet frequently with
varying results.
Roberts Nearing Kroonstad.
So quickly has Lord Roberts advanc-
| ed that his cavalry is only twenty
/ two miles from KrOOnstad, while the
main army is only eleven miles behind
/ them. Hence, in about a day, the
British will be within striking dis
/ lance of the Orange Free State head
! quarters. The critics differ widely in
opinions as to whether any determined
/ stand viii be made there by the Beers.
The presence of 10000 Beers in the
neighbOrhOOd of Thaba N'Chu is con-
frmed. They are holding a line twenty
miles north to- southeast of Thaba
/ NChu, a -BOerr patrol was sighted
/ Thursday at Thaba PatchOa. de-
: tachment of BrabanPs horse pursued
/ the burghers who retired after some
/ fighting. The BrabantS then took up
! position on a hill, which they are
now holding. There were few casual
/ ties on the British side. The Boer
/ headquarters are at Eden.
The South African Review asserts
/ that a member of the legislature of
/ Cape Colony offered money to a man
( to shoot Sir Alfred Miner, the British
! high commissioner. Affidavits on the
subject are said to be in the hands of
the attorney. general. The Review de-
/ mands the arrest of the legislator, who
! is described as a prominent bondsman
! from Piquetburg.
Drove the Enemy Back.
Lord Roberts teIegraphs to the war
I
1 May 10, evening. as follows: I'VE have
/ had a successful day and have driven
/ the enemy from point to point. French
/ with POrter's and DicksOn's brigades
! OF cavalry and HuttOn'S mounted in
I fantry, crossed the Zand at Vermen-
! tens Kraal and then worked round IN a
! northeasteTly direction to Mats
( chappy, being opposed continuously by
/ the enemy POle-CaTeW's division and
!
! by Il battery of the Royal horse ar
| tillery, and by Henry's and Ross
! mounted infantry, crossed the river by
/ drift near the railway bridge My
! quarters accompanies this force
! with the infantry portion we are
eight miles north of the river The
/ cavalry and mounted infantry are at
/ Ventersburg road station and fuckers
( division is at Deelfonteinnord. Ian
/ HamiltOn's forces and Broadwood's
! cavalry brigade were making for the
/ cross roads near Ventersburg when
/ last heard from them. HamiltOn's col
umn met with stubborn resistance, and
! Smith-Dieriens' brigade was engaged
/ for some hours in protecting the rear
and flank Of his force.
THE only casualties reported at
/ present are; Killed, rank and file, four;
/ wounded, five. No returns yet received
! from the cavalry nor Hamiton's
I force"
Good Day For British.
! A special dispatch from Rietspruit
/ dated May 10, describing more fully
/ Thursdays successful operation says:
General Hamiltons scout had on two
/ previous days ascertained the Beers
Z position and strength. On Wednesday
night the Cheshire regiment crossed
/ the river, entrenching themselves and
/ prepared to hold the passage fer the
/ regiment following.
AT daybreak on Thursday the main
/ body crossed at two or three points.
/ The mounted infantry was then in ac-
I ton driving off the advance Beers pre-
/ paratOry TO a general forward move
ment. The Boer right first gave way,
! but TwickeT and Hamilton had a
| rOugher task on the left. The Beers
| had six guns and served them well,
working with great determination but
: the British worked up closer and closer,
/ their guns meanwhile firing incessant-
! ly.
1.-THE East Lancashire and Sussex
| regiments by II o'clock had worked
well to the front The order was given
and like a flash the two regiments
sprang forward simultaneously and in
few moments had secured two COM
handing ridges.
1.-THE advanced line was now within
| 1900 Yards of the Beers main trench
and the latter were already losing
/ heart from the demonstration on their
| flank, but they kept up a rapid, though
/ wild fire.
Rout of the Beers.
AT this moment the final charge
was ordered and away went the Ian
Icashires and the Sussex regiment again
/ but the Beers could not stand, and
/ they fairly bolted and the rOut of the
] B0ars alone the whole line WAS then