Arizona republican., 1903-04-24

London, April 23.-The war office to- Manning, in command of the British forces in Somaliland, a dispatch dated twenty miles westward of Galadi. Somaliland, April Is, as follows:
 '-I regret to report that flying col umn under the command of Colonel Cobbe, which left Galadi April 10 to reconnoiter the road to Walwal, had T most serious check April IT, On the morning of April r, Colonel Cobbe was at Gumberru, forty miles westward or Galadi. and had decided to return to Galadi, owing to the serious difficulty in finding the road to Walwal and to the shortness of water. He was about to leave his zareba (protected camp) when firing was heard in the direction of small party, under the command of Captain Olivey, which had been sent in a westerly direction to reconnoiter.
 At 9:15 in the morning Colonel Cobbe
 dispatched Colonel Plunkett with 160 men of the Second battalion of the
 Kings African rifles, IS of the Second
 Sikhs and two Maxim guns for the ex- Ol SdpldlI OllNeS II ueCSS- sary. As a matter of fact, Captain OIivey had not been engaged. Colonel Plunkett, on joining the detachment. continued to push on. At :45 Colonel Cobbe heard a heavy fire in the direc-
 tion taken by Colonel Plunkett and at about 1 in the afternoon a few fugi- tives reported that Colonel Plunkett had been defeated with loss.
 The news has been fully corrobol at l ed since, and I have to report the | total loss of Colonel Plunkett's party, | with the exception of thirty-seven
 Yaos, who have arrived here.
 The latest information extracted | from the fugitiyes is to the effect that Colonel Plunkett pushed on after the
 enemy's force to the open country seven
 miles westward of Gumberru, where he was attacked by a very strong force of
 mounted troops and the enemys infan- | try, who attacked at close quarters. | He kept back the enemy until he had
 no more ammunitio', when he formed a square and charged with bayonets in | the direction of Colonel Cobbe's zarebs.. | He moved some distance in this man.
 ner, but great many men, including Colonel Plunkett himself, were killed
 or wounded by the pursuing enemy.
 At last the enemy's infantry over
 whelmed the square and annihilated them all with the exception of the thirty-seven fugitives above men toned"
 The dispatch closes with the list of the officers and men missing and no
 doubt killed in action," namely, Colonel l A w. V. Plunkett, Captains Johnston, Stewart, Olivey, Norris and McKinnon, and Lieutenants Gaynor and Bell. all of
 the Kings African rifles: Captain Vfzey of the Second Sikhs; Captain Smith of the Indian medical staff; two
 white privates, forty-eight men of the
 Second Sikhs and PA men of the Afri- can rifles.
 The two Maxim guns were also lost.
 Another dispatch from General Man ming who. on hearing of the death of Colonel Plunkett, started for Gumberru with 450 men, says that further in formation reached him from Colonel CObbe to the effect that the latter, with 20 troops, was encamping with plenty of food and supplies and four days water. He has about a thousand cam els and does not think he can withdraw from his position without assistance, because the scrub is thick and the en-