The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-03-21
To LEAD INTO PRETORIA
Promise Made by Lord Robsrts in
an Address to His Troops.
STEYN IS DENOUNCED.
Condemned for His Undiguified EIigh t
from the Capitalize Case
of johannesburg.

London, March 16.--Lord Roberts sue
cess in handling the civil problems at
Bloemfontein and the manifest equanimi-
ty with which the residents Of the capital
of the Orange Free State accept the
British occupation momentarily eclipse
iii interest the military situation. 1t is
believed there that the COMMANDMENTS
chief OF the British forces in South Afri-
ca will soon push on to Pretoria, but
Great Britain is quite content to listen
for Il few days to the acclamationS of the
people of Bloemfontein and permit the
troops to enjoy Il few days rest before
expecting further success. Lord Roberts
made quaint speech to the guards at
Bloemfontein today when, IN his first
congratulatory words, he expressed pride
in their splendid march of thirty-cight
miles in tWenty-cight hours and gave am
pie assurance Of his ultimate design.
Through a small mistake said Lord
Roberts, Il have not been able to march
into RloemfOntein at the head of the
brigade as | intended. | promise you,
however, that | will lead you into Pre-
toria.'
CAT acre Holds Bethuiie.
Gen. Gatacre is holding Bethulie and
the whole line of the railroad south OF
Bloemfontein is DOW in the hands OF the
bIItlSl. anu 0SE. bidDdAl CotUllIil
having crossed the Orange river after a
forced march, at Aliwal North on Sun
day, and Gen. Clements column being
across at Van Zyl, the three columns
will torn an army Of 12,OOO to 10000
men. which is expected to replace the
forces of Lord Roberts at BlOemfontein
as he pushes northward. Just where
the Beers will attempt TO oppose that
march IS an important question. but it
cannot be easily answered until Gen.
.1oubert is more definitely located. Fur
Their news has reached the outside world
from Mafeking, dated Friday, March 8,
showing that though the garrison WAS in
hard straits they We're buoyed up by the
knowledge that their plucky fight was
appreciated at home.
A Daring Exploit.
The courageous exploits of Capt. Grant
and Lieut.. Popham, which saved the
Bethulie bridge, enabling Gen. Gatacrc
to cross the river, conceded, fortunate
ly for the British. with an equally daring
feat nOrthward of Rloemfontein. There
Maj. Weston of the engineers attached
to Gen. French's brigade, passed the Boer
lines on the evening Of March - with
ten men, who cut the telegraph and blew
up the railway, thereby preventing the
removal of the engines and cars in Bloem-
fontein. Gen. Roberts was thus enabled
promptly to dispatch a force TO intercept
the Beers whom Gen. Gatacre holds in
front. That this force in a day
reached Bethany, thirty-fye miles dis
tant. is regarded here as smart work. in
view Of the necessity for constant recon
ncissance of the track and the positions
from which il could be commanded.
Boxes or Dynamite Seized.
A correspondent telegraphing from Be
thule on March IA describes some eXcit-
tpCi6nntc in ~
ing Of the wagon bridge which the Beers
continued to mine under an artillery fire.
Later on Lieut.. Popham of the Derby
shire regiment tthe Sherwood Fores-
ters'') crossed unobserved during storm
of shot and shell and cut the connecting
wires. He discovered several boxes OF
dynamite and returned and took party
of his regiment who crossed and carried
off the dynamite. AT night Capt Grant
removed the charges from the borings
and threw them into the river He also
disconnected the remaining wires.