Missouri Valley times., 1900-04-05
B0ERy STILL HOLD. i.
THE WATERWORkS
British Fail to Retrieve the Humiiat-
ing Reverse Suffered at
Bushman's Kop.
GUNS HAVE NOT BEEN RE1AKEN
Further Dispatches From General
Roberts Fail To Confirm Rumors
That They Had Been Recap
turcd by tho isri,ish.

turcd by the Eritish.
London. April s.. No news has vel
been received of the expected battle
between General French and the
Beers. There is now but Il remote
prospect of the rccap,urc of the guns.
This. however, is regarded as quite
tritling. compared with the political
effects of the disaster. AS the Blocm-
fontein correspondent of the Times
remarks, Commandant OliNicr's STRAIT
egy in recaptnring LndNNrand and
Thabu Nchu was holdj and even brill
liant Most of his force is composed
of Free Staters, and the advantage
gained by them will have a most dis
turbing effect on the mind of the Free
State population.
The impossibilitv of eifecting com
plete protection. for the moment, to
all farmers in the south and south
east sections of the Free State is rec
ognized at Bloemfontcin. Men who
surrendered under the proclamation
of Lord Roberts are now being pun
jSHSNI lol inC ItIIttllCc tI!N1 PlsttNN III
the ability of the British to- protect
them. AS the correspondent further
rcmarked: "'rhis is Il hard fate and
every possible effort will be made to
help them. but consideration of the
sutferings of rcpcntant be!ligerents
at the hands of their fellow country
men cannot be Suffered to prejudice
the military plans OF Lord Roberts,
The Daily Telegraph, which takes Il
more humane view, says:
"lt is Just as important to protect
these burghers who have trusted in
our power and surrendered all means
of defending themselves. as il is to
win victories against ahose who are
still i'm arms
The Daily Chronicle. whose Cape
Town correspondent ioNfnlly predict.
ed that the war would be over i'm three
months, says.
'In order to rc-cstablsh our posi-
tion i'm the Free State, we need Il brill
liant success on the scene of our latest
it is announced frorA springfontcin
that the censorship has again cur
tailed the dispatches. Therefore mn
portant developments must be inn
pending.
The British public is reluctant to
believe that an American led thc-Roer
forces which attacked the convoy.
There is little news from other
points. Mafeking was still besicgcd on
March 2n.-and there are rumors that
General Butler is preparing TO adj
Busllman's kop, April T. ,f.hc Beers
are stlll occupying the watcrworks,
which the British sllellcd yesterday
afternoon, the Eoers replying.
London, April ). Fuller news of the
disaster TO The British army i'm the
neighborhood of Sannak post does no,
tend to Improve matters from il Brit
lsh point of view, but, with the dis
patches so mystifNing, il is Impossible
to accurately portray the present aiI-
uatlon or foretcll the ultimate issue
OF Roberts attempt to retrieve the
defeat
The war office has received the fol-
lowing from Roberts:
"l'locmfontein, April .. lO:30 p M
Continuation of my telegram of March
31.-Thcre has been considerable de-
lay in getting accurate returns of
casualties, as the action took place
twenty-five miles hence. Telegraph
cable has been interrupted several
times, cloudy weather has intcrfcrcd
with signalling, and although there
has been no engagement since the
force is continually i'm touch with the
enemy.
There were many acts of conspicn-
ous gallantry displayed during he
day.
Our force remained in action under
a cross fire at l.20o yards for some
hours, officers serving the gums as
casualties reduced the detachmcnts.
Several gallant attempts were made
to bring in two guns. the teams of
which had been killed. but at each at
tempt the horses were shot.
The Essen. Munster. Shropshirc
and Northumbcrland mounted in
1antry and Roberts horse covered the
retirement of the guns from that po-
sltion to crossing OF the drift found
by the cavalry two miles further
south and withstood determined at
tacks of the enemy. who i'm some
places advanced within 100 yards.
~ battery of the Royal horse artil-
lery was suddenly surrounded i'm "A
drift, and officers and men Mere all
made prisoners wiihou, Il shot being
fired. Major Taylor and Il sergeant
major succeeded i'm escaping i'm the
confusion.
give guns We're captured at the
same time. Further details tomor-
row."
Guns Not Recovered