The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-01-25
BOERS ARE
DISLODGED.
General Warren Surprises a
Small Garrison.
Puts 1t to Flight But Sustains
Heavy Loss.
HOLDS THE POSITION.
Subjected to a Heavy and Con-
tinuous She'll Fire.
General WoOdgate Dangerously
Wounded In the Action.

London. Jan 25.-The war Office has |
Just issued the following dispatch from |
Spearman's Camp dated January 25. !
1910 morning:
Gen. Warren's troops last night oc-
cupied Spion Kopf, surprising the small
garrison, who fed. It has been held by
us all day, though we were heavily at
tackled, especially by a very annoying
shell fire.
Il fear our casualties are consider
able and I have to inform you with
regret, that Gen. Woodgate was dan
gerously wounded.
Gen Warren is of the opinion that
he has rendered the enemy's position
untenable. The men are splendid"
A dispatch to the Times from Spear
mans Camp dated Tuesday, $3.50 p. m,
says
The Beers today had more guns and
are preparing to fight almost intermin-
ably, having entrenched their ridges.
which stretch in an almost unbroken
line from the Brakensburg, many miles
eastward.
Firing continued throughout the day.
We have not advanced any further, but
we threw up entertainments during the
night from behind which the musketry
duel continued from exactly the same
position as yesterday.
The Cape Town correspondent of the
Times. telegraphing Tuesday says:
Ihe Bond1tes are preparing to seize
the first decisive British victory or the
invasion of republican territory as the
signal for a violent peace agitation.
They will accompany their appeal by
curtly limiting that they are unable to
restrain the Dutch colonies from ris-
ing"
A correspondent of the Times at Mon
der river, telegraphing Tuesday, says:
nT-f- of q clr-fsar 41,e+
the situa tiOn of the Beers at Meyers
fontein is becoming unbearable because
the camp is unsanitary, enteric fever is
spreading and vegetables are wanting.
on the other hand, the heaTtfr- of the
British camp is satisfactory, although
the ground has been exhausted by the
long encampment and the trees have
been cut down by insect pest and dust
storms"
The morning papers went to press
with conjectures and forecasts of all
sorts, striving to guess out something
from Spionkop. Topography maps
show that Spionkop is the highest part
of a rocky plateau. Eastward of eight
miles are the Boer positions along the
Tugela. Northward from SplonkOp the
plateau runs gradually up to great
spur of the Drakensburg.
General Buffers infantry to reach the
summit of SpiOnkOp must cross a natu-
raj glacis three-quarters of a mile wide
and climb 500 feet up a steep slope
Nobody here seems to know, not even
the war office, What Lord POberts has
done with his large reinforcements
Six thousand troops awaited his ar
rival at Cape Town, and since then 5000
others have reached there. Military
critics are all hoping that good share
of these ,000 have gone to help Gen
Butler. and they argue that a few days
wait may make him strong enough to
overcome the deadlock.
There are 49, 900 troops at sea- and this
heaVy weight on the British side is eX-
pected to destroy the equilibrium now
existing on every field of operations
The British losses up to date in killed
wounded and captured, according to
Cen Buffers last, totals S,216 men.
F. w. Reilz. the Transvaal state sec
retary, has written parody on Mr.
Kipling's "RecessiOnal." It is entitled
"Mudyard Pipling." The first stanza
follows:
Gods of the jingoes. brass and gold,
Lords of the world, by right divine
Under whose baneful sway they hold
Dominion over mine and thine
Such lords as these have made them
rotten
They have forgotten. They have for
gotten.
United States Ambassador Choate
called twice on Lord Salisbury yester-
day, which was the regular diplomatic
day.
GERMAN VIEW
Berlin. Jan. 25-German press tao
ticians are almost unanimously of the
opinion that the situation of the Brit
ish troops around Ladysmith is des-
perate. The Berliner TagebIatt prints
a Brussels special, claiming that Sir
Charles Warren has been signally de-
feated. A military writer for the Kreuz
Zeitung says the movement to relieve
Ladysmith has failed. rendering the
British line of retreat endangered.
STOCKS ADVANCE.
London, Jan. 25-Kaffirs were buoy
ant on the stock exchange today nota-
bly, in the case of Rands and De Beers
Consols advanced Il.
The jubilation over Gen Warren's
achievement in capturing Spion Kopf
Wednesday night is chastened BY the
realization that his success is only pro
Vis1onal, as it appears clear from Gen
Buffers dispatch that the Beers fully
recognize the strategical Importance of
SpiOn kopf and at the same time his
message was sent off they had not
abandoned the hope of recapturing the
position. Nevertheless a heavy load of
anxiety has been removed from the ma
tiOn and there is general expectation
that as the British have succeeded in
keeping the hill all day long they will
manage TO retain it until General War
ren plants guns enough on it to dom
mate the Boer trenches right and left
There is the usual disposition here to
eXaggerate the Importance of the point
scored, but the best informed people
realize that General Butler, still has a
task ahead of him calling for the most
dogged persistence and untiring attack
and that the difficulties will increase as
the position develops
The relief of the tension on the stock
exchange was very marked. Business
began more cheerfully all around and
influence Of the news at the war office