Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-06-07
ROBERTS OCCUPIES PRETORIA
He Entered the Transvaal Cap
ital Tuesday Afternoon.
GREAT REJOICING IN LONDON
Crowds at Mansion House and
War Office.


London, Eng, June s. AT Q O'Clock
tSouth African time) this afternoon,
almost eight months after the deolara-
tion of war, Lord Roberts entered
Pretoria.
While the commander in chief of the
greatest army Great Britain ever Iut
in the field was fulfilling the promise
he made 10 the guards at Bloemfontein
to lead them into the capital of the
TruDsvaal, Epgland was celebrating
the event with wild enthusiasm,
Through the length and breadth of
the country, the news spread like Wild
fire. Based on the recollection Of recent
European waIs, when the occupation
of the enemy's capital signified the ends
of hostilities, Lord Roberts terHe tele-
gram was universally taken to mean theI
practical finish of the war which has
tried Great Britain's military resources
as they were never tried before. %
In London, the Mansion House and
the War Office almost instantsneouslyf
became the scenes for jubilant throngs.
Flags again appeared as if by magic,
and traffic had to be diverted through
other streets. Hatless and coatless men
and boys ran through the city alleys,
to see for themselves the bulletins an
nouncing the good news, and staying
to join in the thunder Of cheers, or add
their voices to the joyful throngs 3ing-
ing God Save the Queen. Hats
hoisted from thousands of heads were
waved in exultant hands. and shim-
mered like coal bed in the sun. Old
men on top of the omnibuses and alder
men from the windows OF the Mansion.
House encouraged crowds to still fur-i
ther efforts. The premature report Of
the fall of the Boer's stronghold did
not seem to have taken the edge off to-
days celebration. Lord Roberts Six
Miles Spruit dispatch was hardly
printed Ey the extras before the
hauled up the flagstaff, and the brief
message was passed from mouth:
Pretoria is occupied"
Those who had chance to read Lord
Robei ts' account of the resistance en-
countered yesterday we're at that
moment commer ting ON the probability
OF fierce fight before the city was oc-
cupied, and were wondering at the
Beers capabilities to make such de-
termined stand when Pretoria was
hemmed in on all sides. The pressure.
of Gen. French north of the Boer oapi-.
tai came as surprise, and explained the
COMMUNICATIVE chiefs retriever anent'
the position of the energetic cavalry,
leader. 1t was evident that Lord
Roberts delayed attacking until all his
columns were ready to cooperate, buf
even when Lord Roberts wired last
night that this was accomplished there
seemed possibility of some fighting;
go, when the next momentous dispatch
was given out, it came as n surprise.
Judging from Lurd Roberts phrase
ology, the occupation Of Pretoria was
not accompanied by any loss sof life.
What has happened to the Beers
forces which SO insistently opposed the
British advance at Six Miles Sprait,
can only be surmised; but, presumably
they have gotten away for the present
at any rate.
The latest press dispatches from
representative CT The Associated Press
at Pretoria dated June 3d, quote Gen.
Botha as saying: $50 long as we can
still count on our thousands Of willing
men, we must not dream of retreat, or
throwing away our Independence, :"
Gen. Botha, it is added, annulled the
regulations appointing special COM
mittee to preserve order, substituting
military control for that OF the oom.
mittee. Gen. Lucas Never, addressing
the burgheis on the church square,
urged them all to stand fast. Thus,
though their efforts were pitifully
futile, it is evident that few faithful
goer generals worked desperately to
resist ihe overwhelming force of Lord
Roberts army.
The War Office has information that
one of tine first things done by Lord
Roberts after the occupation of Pre-
toria was 10 direct Gen. French to
relieve the British prisoners confined
at Waterfall. VI