The Dickinson press., 1902-03-15
Ml,E[1THUEN n, y, 4 i j is. TAKEN
BRITISH GENERAL CAPTURED IN
3 a FIGHT WITH THE RoERs
UNDER DELAREX.
Casualties Include Forty-one Killed

J 4, s. .. < 7 q F.. 4 t
seventy.seven Wounded and Tive
Hundred Misslng-Four Guns ana
All British Baggage In the Hands Of
the eoers-some Of the Prisoners
Released but Methuen ls Retained.
S London, March 11.-General Me
theun and four guns have been cap.
tured by the Beers under General
-Delarey. General Methuen was wound.
ed in the knee.
In the engagement British officers
and 38 men were killed, S British OH.
GERS and 72 men were wounded and 1
British officer and 200 men are Aniss.
ing.
The fight in which General Methuen
was captured occurred before dawn
March z, between Winburg and Lich.
tenburg, Orange River Colony. The
British force numbered 1900 men. The
Beers captured all the British bag
gage. General Methuen is retained as
q prisoner.
The text of Lord Kitchener's dis.
patch, dated March 8, announcing the
capture of General Methuen, is as fol.
lows:
II greatly regret to have to send you
bad news of Methuen. He was NOV
ing with 900 mounted men. under Ma
jor Paris. and 800 infantry, guns and
a pompom, from Wynburg to Lichten-
burg, and was to meet Grenfell, with
1900 mounted men, at Rovirainesfon.
tein. Friday morning he was attacked
by Delarey's force, between Twe-Bosch
and Palmieteknill. The Beers charged
on three sides.
Five hundred and fifty men have
come in at Maribogs and Kraaipan.
They were pursued by the Beers four
miles from the scene of the action.
They report that Methuen and Paris,
with the guns, baggage, ETC., were cap
tured by the Beers. Methuen, when
last seen, was a prisoner. have no
details of the casualties, and suggest
delaying publication till 1 can send
definite news. think this sudden re-
vival Of activity on the part of De-
larey is to draw of the troops pressing
Dewet."
Details Of the Battle.
In q second dispatch dated Sunday,
March 9, Lord Kitchener says:
Paris has come in at Kraaipan,
with the remainder of the men. He re-
ports that the column was moving in
two parties. One. with the OK wagons,
left Twe-Bosch at 3 q. m. The other.
with the mule wagons, started an
hour later, Just before dawn the Beers
attacked. Before reinforcements could
reach them the rear guard broke. In
the meantime q large number of
Beers galloped up on both flanks.
These, at first, were checked by the
flank parties, but the panic and STAN
pede of the mules had begun and all
the mule wagons, with terrible mix
ture of mounted men, rushed past the
OK wagons. All efforts to check them
were unavafling.
Major Paris collected 40 men and
occupied position a mile in front of
the OK wagons, which were then halt
ed. After gallant but useless de.
tense the enemy rushed into the OK
wagons and Methuen was wounded in
the thigh. Paris, being surrounded,
surrendered at 10 q. m. Methuen is
still In the Boer camp"
Then follows the numbers of the cas-
ualties, as already cabled. The killed
include Lteutenants G. r. venning and
T. P. w. Nesham of the Royal artil-
lery, who were both killed while serv-
Ing their guns with case shot.
As Lord Kitchener announced that
Major Paris had surrendered and also
telegraphed that he had reached Kraa-
ipan with the remainder of the men,
it may be inferred that the Beers sub
sequently released the major and his
companions.
Lord Kitchener's dispatch announc-
ing the disaster to General Methuen's
forces was read in both the house of
lords and the house of Commons by
Lord Roberts, the commander-in-chief,
and Mr.. BrQdrick. the war secretary,
respectively. They both paid tributes
to General Methuen, the former ex-
pressing his appreciation of MethuenSs
success through the war, declaring
that his task Of forcing the Boer posi-
tion at Magersfontein was an almost
impossible one.