Evening star., 1900-10-16
B0ERS RENEW FIGHT
British Meet Severe Loss in Engage
ment October l3.
THEIR CASUALTIES THIRTY NINE
Three Officers and Eight Men Killed
-Twenty-Eight Wounded.
LORD ROBERTS DETAINED

LONDON. October 1s-Lord Roberts re-
ports from Pretoria, under date OF October
15. as follows:
French started from Machadodorp to-
ward Heidelberg to clear a part of the
county not yet visited by our troops.
"Manon, commanding the mounted troops,
successfully engaged the enemy on October
13, but our losses were severe three officers
and eight men being killed and three officers
and twenty-five men wounded
French occupied Carolina yesterday, cap
turing convoy during his march,
Lord Roberts also reports a number Of
minor affairs, showing that the Beers are
still active over wide field.
Beers Break Communications.
The Durham correspondent of the Stand
ard. wiring yesterday, says:
Railway communication north of Stand
erton has been suspended since Thursday.
There are persistent rumors of Boer at
tacks on the railway Considerable uneasi-
ness has been caused by the postponement
of Lord Roberts departure.
The mayor of Liverpool has received
dispatch from Lord Roberts, saying that he
will be unable to attend to receive the free
dom of the city before January.
Lord Roberts has ordered that the return
of refugees to the Transvaal colony be
postponed for the present.
Commenting upon the activity Of the
Beers and the statement from Cape Town
that Lord Roberts has postponed his home
coming, the Standard says:
There are certain indications pointing to
the conclusion that unexpected difficulties
have arisen which Lord Roberts deems
grave enough to demand his presence for
some time to come. All the facts suggest
that 1t is impossible yet to denude South
Africa of any substantial portion Of the
large army engaged in dominating
l1ifv r1,fs ~
Severe Measures Urged.
The editorial finally calls for the severest
measures against irreconcilable Beers
prompt and ruthless punishment for every
insurgent burgher caught In delicto."
The editorial concludes with the state
ment that ''the imperial government has the
to act vigorously"
The Transyaal concessions commission is
in session at Pretoria. Lord Roberts proc
lamatien. granting the commission power to
compel the attendance Of witnesses, was
read.
The first witness was Herr Kretschmar.
managing director Of the Netherlands rail-
way, who had tried to evade attending He
gave a startling account Of the doings Of
the company before and during the war,
especially in the matter of blowing up
bridges in order to stop the British ad-
vance, and in assisting the Transvaal gov
ernment in other ways.
American Ship Searched.
A dispatch to the Daily Mail from Lou
renco Marquee, dated yesterday, says that
the American bark. Fred p. Litchfield,
went ashore there from her moorings dur
ing Sunday nights gale. and was searched
yesterday for gold, in consequence of a
suspicion that she was carrying Mr.. Kru-
gers gold to the amount of Il, 100000.
According to the Daily Telegraph's cor
respondent at Lourenco MARQUEE, the Por.
tuguese found nothing on board the vessel
A dispatch from Berlin says: The Berliner
Tageblatt publishes letter from Machado-
dorp, which concludes thus: Not superior
numbers nor the greater military capacity
of the British, but treason, folly and puffed-
up impotency among our leaders caused
our ruin.