Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1900-03-02
BOERS ARE MASSlNG.
ASSEMBLING A NEW ARMY
NEAR BLOEMFONTEIN.
$4,000 Men May he ENTHUSIASTICALLY
Desperate Resistanoe Giving Thorn
Time to Gather-Bulier's Fight for
Ladysmith-Ths Latest War Newa

London. The Beers are assembling
an army near Bloemfontein. with
which to dispute the invasion of Lord
Roberts. This intelligence comes
from Pretoria by way of Lorenzo Mar
quez The commanders are described
as ''hastening from all quarters OF
the two republics"
No estimate is made of their num-
bers, but the withdrawal of the Beers
from most Of the places where they
have been in contact with the Brit
ish, except the district near Lady
smith, may raise the resisting force
to 80, 600 men. This figure assumes
that the Beers have between $1,000
and 70, 000 men in the field.
The gathering Of this army across
the path OF Lord Roberts gives sig
nificrnce to General Cronje's steadfast
defense. lie has engaged the corps OF
Lord Roberts for ten days now, and,
whether he is relieved or not, he has
given time for the dispersed Boer
fractions to get together and to pre-
pare positions to receive the British
advance when Cronje is overcome and
Lord Roberts moves forward.
General Butler on Saturday faced
the last and strongest positions of the
Beers who bar his way to Ladysmith.
The strenuous fighting indicates a
battle between armies, rather than
rear guard actions protecting re-
treat.
On Thursday and Friday he lost 43
officers killed and wounded, repre-
sentihg probably total loss of from
400 to 500
London. The Times publishes the
following from Paardeb erg, dated
February 2l:
General Cron je's forces have good
cover from the British artillery fire
and have considerable stores of pro-
visions"
Spencer Wilkinson, reviewing the
military situation in the Morning
Post, says:
1.-THE probabilities are that the
Beers have not been able to collect a
large force to attack Lord Roberts.
General Cronje's surrender may occur
at any momeat, but the Boer COM
mander knows what he is doing. He
is not sacrificing lives for nothing.
Every day he can hold out means the
delay of day in Lord Roberts ad-
vance, and the gain of day for the
besiegers of Ladysmith.
| ~,.1 D@l 80
rightly in tightening his grip in or
der to hasten the removal of General
Cron jos force, and General Buffers
steady advance is the best help that
can be given Lord Roberts"
The Times publishes the following
dispatch from Colenso, dated Satur-
day:
1.-The British are now within two
miles of being in touch with Lady
smith, but the ground still to be COW
cred is the hardest part, and very Sc
we're fighting must be expected.
Lord Roberts has already captured
over 500 Beers, and at this rate he
will soon have quite respectable ar
ray of prisoners to hold as hosta ges
for the 5000 British already in Pre-
toria
General Cronje's refusal to accept
the offer Of Lord Roberts regarding
the women and children indicates
either that the position is less des-
perate than has been supposed, or
that he has been able to dig an abso-
utely safe place for them.
Everything goes to show that Gem
eral Buffers advance is most stub
bornly contested and most cautiously
carried out.
1t is hoped that he will soon be in
position where General White will
be able to assist him materially.
Captain Raymond Harvey De Mont
morency, who was killed in General
Gatacre's reconnaissance Saturday,
was the heir of Viscount Frankfort
De Montmorency, and was the fourth
heir to a peerage who has fallen in
the course Of the campaign.