El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-04-06
CAPTURED BY BOERS
Within Five Miles Of The
Headquarters Of The
Great Chief Of The
Brit0ns

LONDON, A pr1l O.-LOro fSoOert6 n0s
met with another reverse. Report:
are to the effect that he lost five com
panies Of troops who we're captured By
Boers within five miles of BloemfOn
tein.
A dispatch from Bloemfontein. dated
April 4, says that artillery firing was
heard south of there the day before
Tuesday, and that itis likely that the
firing was between Geo. Gatacre' g
force and the Boer command recently
reported to have marched southeast OF
Bloemfontein. 1t was said at the time
that Gatacre would attempt to drive
off this command.
General Clements column, 5000
strong, has reached Bloemfontein.
Clements has been marching north
from Norval's Pont, keeping to the
west.of the southern line OF con- muni-
cation. Apparently he encountered no
formids able Boer force along this route.
ALL KEN PRISONERS.
Lord Roberts reports to the war Of
fee under date of Bloemfontein, April
s., Q p. n, and Gays:
ssArother unfortunate occurrence,
resulting, fear, in the capture of
party of infantry, consisting of three
companies of the Royal Irish Rifles and
two companies OF the Ninth Mounted
Infantry, has occurred near Hedders-
burg, little distance east of Bethany,
q station within few miles of this
place.
"They were surrounded by strong
force of the enemy with four or Eve
guns. The detachment was engaged
from noon of April until 9 q. m. of
April 4; then they apparently sur
rendered.
sImmediately 1 heard the news on
the afternoon of the third 1 ordered
Gen. Gatacre to proceed from Spring.
fontein to Heddersburg with all speed.
I also despatched the Cameroons from
here to Bethany.
"Gatscre reached Heddersburg at
10:30 on the morning of the 4th unop-
posed. He found DO news of the mics
Ing detachments. There is no dou bt
all were taken prisoners
METaUEN' OPERATIONS.
LONDON, April 6.-Gen. Methuen
wires the war Office from Bospof.
Orange Free State, under date April
5, that he has captured General VII
Iebois's body of Beers. Villebois was
killed in the engagement.
The following from Gen. Methuen
is posted at the war Office:
"Boshof, April 5, 11:2O p. MI sur
roundeda General Villabois' body of
Beers today. No one escaped.
General Villabois and seven Beers
were. killed and about eight were
wounded. We have 81 prisoners.
Our losses were four killed and seven
wounded. Attack lasted four hours.
"My corps behaved very well. It
was composed of yeomanry, the Kim
berley mounted corps and the fourth
battery of artillery"
Boshof Ia a town of the Free State,
30 miles northeast of Kimberley and
south of Vaal river. The
General Villabois mentioned in
Methuen's d1spetch 1s probably the
French officer Villabois de Mareuil,
formerly Joubert's chief of staff and
the strategist par excellence of the
forces. A dispatch from
Lorenzo Marquee, March %, stated
that General Villabois de Mareuil had
bsed appointed to the command of
the foreign contingent operating in
the Free State.
BRAVE BOER WOMEN
NEW YORK, April A letter from
Pretoria, published by the World this
morning, gives graphic description
of the bravery of 1000 Boer amszons
who fought on the firing line and in
the trenches at Spion Kop and around
The letter is from the pen of Howard