The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-17
ROBERTS HAS DRACNET
OUT FOR ELUSIVE Beers
Operations of TranSVaaerS About BlOcmfOntein Are
Pulling to the British.
Investment of Wepener is Abandoned-An London AK
iOuSly Hoping for Good News

London, April IT, Ais a. m.-Lord
Roberts has spread his net far and
wide to catch the adventurous com
mandoes that have been making mis-
chief in the southeastern part of the
state. The net has not yet been drawn
in, but at the headquarters of Lord
Roberts the impression exists that the
power Of the Beers is decreasing.
The Daily News correspondent has
them fleeing to the southeast: a Stand
ard correspondent reports them fleeing
northward; a Daily Telegraph CORES
pondent says that some are going north
and others south, while a Morning
Pest representative says it is not
known What the Beers are doing.
Evidently the feeling at Bloemfon-
TEN Is that the disposition of Lord
Roberts's troops are such as to enable
MN TO concentrate large force rapid
~ at any point. The Beers. being
aware of this. are presumed 10 be
thinking now chiefly Of retreat.
The investment of Wepener, accord
ing to special dispatch from Bloem-
fontejn, has absolutely been abandoned.
According to a Bethany dispatch, the
u
because the British strongly hold ali
roads.
Diverse reports come from Natal. one
asserting that the Beers have retired
beyond the Biggarsberg range and an
other saying that some of them are
close to Ladysmith.
Hoping For Favorable News.
London waits confidently for almost
l IL rea 90,
Vorable to the British. Distrust exists,
| however, as to any rapid. continuous
advance toward Pretoria, chiefly on ac-
count Of the lack of horses, many of
| which die in the course of the long
voyage. Letters from the Cape say
that the three days journey by rail is
made in open trucks. that the arrange
ments for feeding and watering are in
/ adequate and that the unfortunate ami
mails break down rapidly in eonse-
quence Of these hard6hips.
Despite the energy of its buyers
abroad, the war office fOresees much
difficulty in supplying the enormous
number Of horses required
The Daily Nail has the following
from Lady Sarah Wilson, dater Mafe-
! king, April 3: THE pinch of hunger is
beginning TO be felt, and relief seems
more distant than ever. Since March
81 there had beer no Smelling until to
day, COmmandsnt Snyman having
taken his burghers to bar Colonel
/ Plumer's road
! Yesterday, however, he returned
and the bombardment was renewed
today with splendid high velocity guns.
firing fourteen-pound shells such as had
not been used since the first days Of
the siege.
THE military authorities say the
British artillery has nothing to compare
with these guns"
Beers Venture Into Bloemfontein
The BloemfOntein correspondent of
the Morning Post, telegraphing Mon
day, says: Small bodies Of Beers are
prOWling around and are even coming
within eight or ten miles Of BIOemfOn-
teiH. Three Johannesburg Zarps' ac-
tually entered the town one night and
escaped without being discovered.
The BOer demonstration yesterday
at Karee Siding was designed to cover
the withdrawal Of an immense convoy
of provisions. There is no doubht that
the Boer incursion into the southeast
ern part of the Free State was largely
due to the need of the replenishing vic
tuals in the most fertile part of the
country. This explains why the enemy
marched south with empty wagons.
Various important movements are Oc-
curing which naturally it is not de-
Sirable to specify
A correspondent of the Daily Tel
egraph at Ladysmith,. in a dispatch
dated April Is, says: The Beers are
down again at Dewdorp, east of Lady
smith,
The BloemfOntein correspondent of
the Daily Telegraph, in a dispatch
dated yesterday. says: The Beers
have raised the siege Of Wepener and
have left Rockville. A majority Of
them have undoubtedly returned north,
with the exception Of a body of about
5000, now reported to be going toward
Bethulie."
! Are In Strong Force.
The Daily News has the following
from ReddersbUrg, dated Friday:
General Chermside saw the rear
guard of the Beers disappear south
east in full retreat The enemy appear
to be in strong force four miles east of
RedderSburg- They are falling back
before our advance guard"
The LourenZO Marquee correspondent
OF the Daily Nail, telegraphing Sun
day, April Is, says: The tone of the
Standard and Diggers News shows that
the Transvaal government is relying
strongly upon American intervention
Great results are expected from the
campaign of Webster Davis and from
the presidential contest.
While the semi blockade of Delagoa
Bay has not done the slightest harm to
the Transvaal, it has enriched foreign
firms at the expense Of ruined British
ers.''
A Ladysmith special, dated April Is.
says that natives report that the Beers
in the Alandslaagte district have re-
tired beyond Biggarsberg. This infOr-
nation tends to confirm the report that
the Beers blew up three important col
| lieries near WesseI'S Mex, completely
destroying the same.
The chief Boer delegate, Fischer, ac-
| companied by DR.. Leyds, visited the
! president Of the Dutch cabinet yester-
| day at The Hague, but the doingS of
the delegates creates little speculation
in England.
Frederick Villiers. veteran war cor
respondent who arrived at SOuthamp-
| ton today from the front. said he be-
lieved the worst of the war is over. but
that guerrilla warfare would continue
for some time.
A bulletin issued at Pretoria, April
Is, reports that the burghers captured
500 slaughter oxen at Wepener and
General Froneman that day defeated
the British. causing them to fly in the
direction Of Nrolverpoort, apparently
over the Orange river.
The Irish-American ambulance ar
rived at Pretoria April IS.
Report Was Exaggerated.
A dispatch to the Times from Mafe-
king, dated April Is. confirming earlier
reports, says: after Colonel PIumer' S
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