The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-02-20
Another Incident from the War
in South Africa.
De Wet Is STILL THE FOX
After Days and Nights of shrapnel Shells
and Bullets the Burghers Live to
Tell About It-A Great Fight.

ed accounts which have just
reached here of Lord Kitchener'S
combined movement to drive out
the Beers from the Enclosure of
blookhouse lines show that the
conflict was very picturesque and
the most exciting incident of the
whole campaign. Although APP
parently surrounded by an i'm
penetrable ring of fire and steel,
the Beers dauntless bravery and
dashing charges ultimately re-
suited in the majority's escape
from Lord Kitchener's close
drawn net. The British com
mander's scheme Was the most
extensive carried out during the
present war. It consisted of
continuous line over fifty miles in
length. Lord Kitchener, who
personally directed the opera
tons, was in close touch, day and
night, with every detail of the
movement. The Beers, though
hard pressed, shrank from at
tempting to cross the railway,
which was patrolled throughout
the night by armored trains,
equipped with powerful search
lights.
The train lights were supple
mented by stationary search
lights, and the spectacular effect,
as witnessed from the trains, was
most striking. By the side of
the railroad were the dark forms
of men lying in trenches or
standing, doing sentry duty. The
gloom of the moonless night was
intermittingly relieved by the
sweep of the searchlights. The
battle of Heilbren ragged from 9
o'clock Friday night until 2
o'clock Saturday morning.
Throughout the five hours fears
full ring of fire from rifles, can
non and pompoms swept along
the British lines, holding De-
Vets Beers, who made repeated
attempts to break out of the cir
Gle of troops. From various po-
sitiops, behind rocks and dongas,
the Beers kept up a vigorou-
fusillade, hoping to find a weak
spot in the line. Simultaneous
ly others charged. but again and
again were the Beers repulsed,
leaving dead, wounded and pris-
oners in the hands of the British.
AT the outset of the prepare
tons the Beers realized that the
operations were not merely an
ordinary drive" but a move
ment threatening them with total
humiliation, and General DeWet
assembled his whole force and
discussed the situation with the
commanders, with the result that
the Beers were split up into three
forces. On Thursday night 500
Beers, headed by Van Golfers,
rushed a force of the Imperial
Light Horse, yelling. Storm,
burgers About 100 Beers got
through, but the remainder, en-
countering a tremendous fire,
were turned back. Friday nights
conflict ebbed and swelled over
an area of forty to fifty miles. in
which the long hunted, harassed
and desperate men endeavored
to find outlets. The Beers once
got within thirty yards of the
British firing line, but the barbed
wire baked the burgers and fore
ed them to retreat.
The firing never ceased. Aid
ed by the electric searchlights,
the British narrowed the sur
rounding territory with sharpnel
shell and maxim bullets. In the
northern section the Beers made
a desperate effort to break
through. Collecting a number
of cattle, the Beers drove them
down on the British lines. Bend
ing low in their saddles the
Beers rode among the cattle,
making it impossible to distin-
guish them in the darkness. The
British pickets opened terri
ole fire and the Beers were ev-
erywhere met with a relentless
hail of bullets. A long line of
flame ran up and down the firing