Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-01
.MAJUBA'S REVENGE.
Kitchener Sends Word Of Sew
eraI Important Victories.
600 Beers Killed or Captured and
$4,000 Head Of Cattle.
DeWet's Son, Two Commandments and
Others Taken.

London, Feb. 28.-FOllowing the prece-
dent of Lord Roberts, who announced
Gen. CrOnje's surrender at Paardeberg,
lon the anniversary of battle of Majuba
Hill (Feb. q, lSS1)1 Lord Kitchener APP
parently selected the Same anniversary
to achieve a big success, by combined
movement lasting two days, against
the Boer forces within the Harrismith
and Vanreenen line of block houses.
The Boer losses aggregate 600 killed
or captured and 1000 horses and $4,000
head of cattle fell into the hands of
the British troops.
This news was so welcome to the
British that it was read out in the
House of Commons, today, by the war
lsecretary, Mr.. BrOderick, from a dis
lpatch OF Loru Kitchener, as follows:
"Harrismith (Crange River Colony
Feb. 2S-Yesterday the combined
operations of the columns terminated in
driving the Beers against the 'Harri-
smith and Van Keenan, blockhouse line.
The river Wilge was held by the LENS
ter Regiment and Elliott's Mounted In
fantry from Harrismith, while the col
umns formed on the Frankfort and
Bothas pass blockhouse line and ad-
vanced south, holding the entire coun-
| try between the Wilge and the Natal
frontier Or the first night a very
severe attempt to break through was
made at a point between Rimmingtons
and Byng's columns and the New Zea
landers behaved with gallantry.
The fighting was at close quarters, and
| the Beers, as usual, drove large herd
of cattle in front of them. Mamie Botha.
| the Boer leader was killed and 35 dead
Beers were found on the ground. Over
| 100 horses were killed and 600O head Of
| cattle were left in our hands. Other
small attempts to break out were made
| and in two cases succeeded.
On the last day $50 Beers, with rifles
and horses, were captured. All the col
| umns have not yet reported and the op-
| erations have been very wide. But over
| GOO Beers have either been killed are
| prisoners in our hands, also 1000 horses,
| ZOO head of cattle, 100 wagons, G00oO
sheep, GOO rifles and $1,000 rounds of am
munition.
The prisoners include Gen. DeWets
| son and his secretary, Commandments
| Never and Truther and several field cor
| nets.
These satisfactory results are very APP
propriate on the anniversary of Majuba.
London, Feb. 2S.-In response to an
inquiry by the government as TO the
fate of an escort of a convoy of empty
wagons (Which Lord Kitchener cabled
was attacked and captured by the
Beers southwest of Klocksdorf, the
Transvaal colony, on Feb. 24, Lord
Kitchener has cabled the following mes
sage: "a report has just been received
that 16 officers and 451 men were taken
prisoners. OF these one officer and 1915
men have been released. Col. Ander-
lson of the Imperial Yeomanry, who
commanded. is still a prisoner. Major
Enderby, who commanded the infantry,
was wounded. Hence the delay in OBJ
tanning definite information
Lord Kitchener says nothing in his
response about the two guns that the
Beers captured with the convoy, and
Mr.. Brodrick. secretary of war, an
nounced in the House, today, that the
government had no further information
beyond that contained in Lord Kitch-
ener's dispatch.
The censorship in South Africa has
been excessively strict for some time
past and consequently dispatches have
suffered serious delay. dispatch re-
ceived. tonight. from Harrismith shows
that Gen. DeWet and Mr.. Steyn were
both within the net described by Lord
Kitchener lin his dispatch from Harri-
smith concerning the killing or captur-
ing of 600 Beers during the last two
days. but escaped before the line was
completed.
Tonight's dispatch from Harrismoth
says also that Col. Rawlinson scored
the biggest success of the drive. He
succeeded in completely surrounding a
lager of 400 Beers and gave them one
hour in which to decide whether they
would surrender or fight. The Beers
finding escape impossible. surrendered
at discretion and not a shot was fired