The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-02-02

the war ofnce-Storie~ OF Spion hop
Battles ~ People OF Ladysmith Not
Discouraged-Long Lists OF Casual
ties-LittIe Confidence Among Mem
bers of House OF Commons I'm the
War Ofice.
Cape Town, January 30.-General
Butler still holds the TugeIa drifts and
will possibly renew his attempt to
force his way through the Boer de-
fenses before long. In any case. Lady
smith is capable of holding out for a
considerable time.
Pretoria, Monday, January 29.-It is
officially announced that the Boer cas-
ualties at Spion kop were fifty three
men killed and 120 wounded.
Webster Davis, assistant secretary Of
the interior at Washington, accompan-
led by United States Consul Hollis and
the state attorney, started today for
the Boer head laager at Ladysmith. in
the presidents saloon carriage.
London, January 31.-The war office
has issued an additional casualty list
which shows the total loss since the be-
ginning of the war to be 9,65S men.
BULLER TO MAKE ANOTHER
ATTACK.
w men the nation naQ almost resign
ed itself to the fall of Ladysmith there
comes from all quarters today an indi-
cation that General Butler will make
another attempt to relieve the besieged
place.
If The Daily Mails report of General
Buffers statement that he hoped to
be in Ladysmith within a weeks coukf
be implicitly relied on, news of further
serious fighting would be expected
shortly, but the papers are loath to be-
lieve what The st. James Gazette
characteriZeS as ''unwarrantable boast
ing" if true. Moreover, the war office
| throws cold water on the dispatch this
afternoon by issuing a statement that
| it has no news conficmatOry of such
move as General Buffers reported
| speech indicates. Yet, today's dis
! patches from Ladysmith and > Cape
Town give a strong impression that
| there is something more than a rumor
| in all these reports. So, while all def
mite opinion must await further news,
it does not seem at all unlikely that an
| other desperate effort will be made to
! succor General White.
The possibility of General Butler
| making another dash appears to de-
pend directly on the exact position of
| General Lyttleton's brigade. Beyond
! the understanding that ii is on the
north side of the Tugela river, every
thing is a matter Of supposition. 1t
| Will easily be seen that if General Lyt-
| tletC\ still holds the drifts on the
north side General Butler retains the
| openings and might attempt another
! advance by way of Potgieters or some
| neighboring drift. But the vagueness
| regarding the position of General Lyt-
. tleton resolves all this into the purest
| surmise.
| From the other columns there is not
| much news of any kind, and it would
| require something of overwhelming i'm
| portance to distract from the absorb
| ing interest in/ Ladysmith's dilemma.
THE STORY OF SPION KOP.
| However, there are interesting cable
| dispatches telling the story of Spion
| kop. Winston Churchill says that Cap
tain Thorneycroft, who replaced the
! wounded General Woodgate, is the
| hitherto unnamed officer who gave the
! order to retire and fully justifies him
| in - doing. Churchill says the Boer
| losses were greater than those of the
| British.
A dispatch from the Associated Press
| representative at Spearsman's farm,
| dated Thursday, January 25th, describ-
| ing the fight and retirement from Spion
kop, says:
1--WE filed down sadly, but in perfect
order. The Kings Royal Rifles colonel
was struck down at the moment a hell
| ograph message ordering the retire
ment was handed to him. The enemy
| is holding Thanksgiving services to-
| night. The surgeons who aScended the
| hill were allowed to remove our wound
| ed. The scene at the top was fearful
! and it was terrible to witness the de-
structiveness Of the artillery. All day
! our stretcher bearers were busy car
| rying down men,"
London, January 31.-Orders were re-
| ceived at Aldershot this afternoon for
1 ha
| Fourth cavalry brigade for the cape.
Spencer Wilkinson, in The Morning
Post today, discussing THE military Sit
| uation, takes 1t for granted that Cen
eral Butler intends 10 make another at
| tempt to relieve Ladysmith. He s-izes
! the occasion TO express The greatest
| admiration for the dauntiess spiri. of
the British army and regrets that the
main thing is lacking, namely, proper
| leadership. He says: THE whole man
| hood of the nation is moved by the
| same spirit as stirs the troops on The
| Tugela- Can not the government .plucl,
up heart to lead like men a nation of
men, to drop the past and TO plan on a
proper scale, arming the empire for
| whatever struggle may be in store?'
Cape Town, January 1.-Field Mar
shall Lord Roberts authorizes the rep
resentative Of the Associated Press to
say that, as result Of his inspection
Of the hospital service here, he Is per-
fectly satisned that everything medi-
cal skill suggests for the benefit and
| comfort Of the sick and wounded has
been done. He is satisfied the home
| authorities are sending out all the
nurses who will possibly be required.
LADYSMITH NOT DISCOURAGED.
Ladysmith. Sunday, January Is
| photographed to Swartz kop, north OF
the Tugela Hver)-The news of the pro-
longation Of the siege, resulting from
General Buffers failure, is received
with fortitude. We can hold on The
/ garrison IL healthier, CHEEKY and con-
| hdent. Disease is disappearing and
| there is no horse sickness. The rains
| give plenty Of grass. We can hear
| General Buffers guns still working
! and It is rumoreu in camp that he Is
| advancing along another line. The
! Boer laagers around are again full OF