The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1901-01-05
coLylLLE STRIKES BACK.
British General Refuses to ResiEh-Ds
mands Trial by Court Martial.

british General Refuses to Resigh-De-
hands Trial by Court Martial.
London, Jan. 1.-Major General Sir
Henry Colville. whose resignation has
been demanded by the war office, but
who refuses to resign and who came
to England from Gibraltar to demand
Q trial by court-martial to establish
the responsibility for the yeomanry
disaster at Lindley last May, has made
g counter strike at the war office in a
300-word statement. which he has given
to the press. He says he has come home
to demand a free Inquiry and does not
Intend to be made a scapegoat for the
sake Of the staff. He AYERS that the
Lindley disaster could never nave hap
pened had the been informed Of Lord
Roberts Intentions. The primary cause
of the surrender, he says, was the In.
sufficient information given by tho
headquarters staff to Colonel Spragge
n himself, n he declines to accept
the blame. He lays out the facts and
blames others. General Colville and his
influential friends in and out Of the
army are thus beginning a campaign
against h new secretary OF war, Will
lam st. John Broderick, Lord Roberts
and General Kitchener. 1t is expected
to be fought out with some ferocity in
parliament.
When he returned from South Africa
General Colville says he fully acquant.
ed the war office with the acts. After
some time he was informed by General
Sir Evelyn Wood, the aujutun. gem
eral. that Lord I4ansdowne, then sec
rotary of state for war, had directed
him to say that General Lord Wlesley,
the conmander-ln-chief, approved of
General Colville's resuming his Gibral-
tar command. He learned unofficially
that IN army board OF live OF thu. high
est officers of the war office q cen-
sidered his statements and Lord Rob
erts' dispatches on the subject. HIS re-
appointment was the result " the In
auiry. To his intense surprise Adult
ant General Wood, on December Il,
notified him that William st. John
Broderick, the newly appointed secre-
tary of state for war, hold him respuns-
ible for the loss Of the yeonunry and
ordered him to quit his command i'm
mediately and hand over his ,esigra-
ton.
General Colville. going into official
details. ays he was ordered to con-
centrate his division at Hebron on
May 20 and names the various disposi-
lions of the other divisions, which ex-
tended across the Orange Free State,
lie assumed that Lord Roberts intend
ed to advance, sweeping all before him.
Ibis orders We're absolute, and he had
10 carry them out. Hence he could not
go to the relief of the 500
without risking the success of the
grand operation. Under any circum-
stances, he says. he considered 1t his
duty to push on If he We're sure it
would entail the loss of the s,eomanry.
Besides he had only foo enough for
two days. He pushed on and the yeo-
many surrendered. Lord Roberts
broke up General Colville's division and
expressed his dissatisfaction.
Q my pointing out that I had
obeyed his orders to the letter." de-
clares General Colville, "he said his or
ders were only intended as a guide
General Colville alludes to some of
the yeomanry being millionaires and
quotes Lord Roberts as saying 1t was
his duty to sacrifice his force for the
%yeonanry. 1T will be remembered"
General Colville says, that the force
of the elite numbered 500 and my force
nearly eight times that number"
General Colville cites two examples
of what he considers Lord kitchener's
defective staff work.