Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1900-01-16
IRON CLAD
CENSORSHIP
No News of Any Importance Is
Allowed to Pass King Censor
in the Natal.
DEMOLlsH FORT AT MAFEKINe
Advlces From Preronia Are to
the Effect that Ladysmlth is
In Sore Straits.

London, Jan 16.-2:50 pm.-The
complete absence of news from the
Natal, up to this hour. proves taat the
censorship win allow nothing to pass
until General Buffers plans are exc
cuted or have failed. Even General
Roberts, in his report yesterday even
ing, refrained from mentioning WORD
about the Natal or Butler. From the
other columns there is little news OF
moment. Modder River advices of
yesterdays date only report daily
long range shelling, from which the
Beers are supposed to have suffered
severely. A dispatch from Sterk-
strom, dated Jan. 18th, reports that
General Gatacre's troops made dem
onstration beyond Mo1teno in the di-
rection of Stormberg, in the belief that
the Beers intended to seize Molteno.
Burghers were not sighted, British re
mained at Molteno.
Remsberg, Cape Colony, Jan. 16.-
Beers this morning attempted to rush
the hill held by company Of York
shires and New Zealanders, but were
repulsed at the point of the bayonek
The Beers had twenty-one killed, and
about fifty wounded Arrivals from
Stormberg estimate that there are 4,
500 Beers at that place, mostly revolt
ed colonists and Free staters. Pres
ident Steyn's brother is at Landdrost.
General French continues to she'll the
Boer positions, but nothing decisive
has taken place.
Pretoria, Saturday, Jan. 13.-As a
result of the bombardment of Mafe
king, yesterday, the British fort at
eastward was demolished, and the
British retired One Boer was wound
ed. Advices from the head laager at
Ladysmith report that the attack on
that place, January 9Th, was disas-
trous to the British and Ladysmith
appears to be in sore straits.
Ladysmith Jan. Shy messenger,
Weenen, Jan. 16)-A representative
of the Associated Press visited Satur-
days battlefield this morning, and
saw large numbers of Boer dead
British guns seem to have worked
great havoc. One Boer was complete
ly disemboweled, another had his
head clean shot off, and couple of
others were killed by the same shell,
evidently while eating. Natal Dutch
men were recognized among the dead.
British, digging graves, were fred on
by Boer artillery and several were hit.
Soft nosed bullets and dumdum cart
tridges have been found on wounded
prisoners. Volunteers carried the
Boer dead off the hill, and handed the
bodies over to their comrades at the
bottom.
London, Jan. 16-Evidence accumu-
lates that General Methuen's blunder
at Magersfontein has lost him the con
fidence of his entire force to such an
extent that, it is doubtful, if the troops
will follow him to another attack on
the Beers. The war office is under.
stood to be in possession of letter
written by General '.rauc1iope, the
night before the battle, saying that ii
would be the last letter he would write
as he had been asked to perform an
impossible task and had either tc
obey or surrender his sword. An i'm
mediate change of the command Of
the force may therefore be expected
j 1t is anticipated in some quarters, that
Lieutenant General Tucker will sue
ceed Methuen.