The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-04
81 TO 6.
Vote of Beers on Peace Was
Nearly Unanimous.
Preparations in Progress For
the Formal Surrender
ON THE RACE COURSE.
They Are Allowed to Come and
Go at Will.
Thanksgiving Service on Church
Square Next Sunday.
ON THE RACE COURSE.

Pretoria. Transvaal, June 4.-The bal
lot of the Beers at Vereeniging re-
suited in 81 votes in favor of the sur
render and six against it.
Preparations are being made here @or
the surrender Of the BOer commandos
which VIII sake place on the race course
All the Beers are allowed perfect free
dom.
There win be a Thanksgiving service
Sunday, June s, on the church square,
in which it is hoped the Beers will par
ticipate.
The " omen in the concentration camps
are anxious to return to their homes
immediately, but this viii be impossible
until a system Of supply depots for the
outlying districts is established.
General Baden-PoweI is arranging for
the distribution of mounted constabuI-
airy IN various districts The police,
railroads and telegraphs viii be handed
over to the civil authorities as soon as
possible, and the restrictions of martial
law viii be gradually relaxed.
The Boer delegates, who, during the
peace negotiations, We're stiff, formal
and unfriendly, are now extremely cor
dial. All the commandants are return
ing to their commandos in order to
explain the situation.
General Lewis Botha, the Boer com
mandant-ge general has written an open
letter to the burghers, thanking them
for their obedience in the past and ex
horting them to be equally loyal in
Lord Kitchener's address to the Boer
delegates at Vereeniging, in which the
British commander-in-chie said that if
he had been one of them he would have
been proud to have done SO well in the
Held as they had done, made the best
possible impression and drew forth q
hearty response from General Beyers,
the chairman Of the Boer conference,
who expressed the pleasure the Beers
experienced at meeting Lord Kitchener
as friend, adding that they had fought
so long against him that they had
acquired full appreciation of his
The departure of the Boer command
ers from Nereenigning for their various
districts was marked by remarka bic
scenes of determination. The trains con-
Ney1ng the Beers started late and, the
night being extremely cold, the sen
tries along the railroad track lighted
huge bOnfires, round which groups OF
Beers and British gathered, forming a
highly picturesque scene. The late op-
pOnents Joined in such songs as Hard
Times Come Again No More" ana "Old
Folks at Home" the British soldiers and
burghers out-Vieing one another in dem
onstratlOnS of JOY. In brief the scenes
at the departure of the trains resembled
nothing SO much as the starting of huge
picnic parties.
The same signs of rejoicing were Wit
messed throughout the rand. Flags were
displayed everywhere and thanksgiving
services were held in all the towns.
KITCHENER'S REWARD.
London, June An the house of com
mons today the government leader, A.
]. Balfour, presented a message from
King Edward as follows:
His majesty, the king, in considera-
tiOn of the eminent services rendered by
Lord Kitchener and being desirous, in
! recognition of such services, to confer
on him some signal mark of his favor
recommends that he the king should
be enabled to grant Lord Kitchener
e50.0o0."
KITCHENER SAILS FOR HOME
Durham, Natal, June 4.-The Times OF
Natal states that Lord Kitchener has
! left for England and that General
| Lyttleton is acting COMMUNICATIVE chief
of the British forces in South Africa