The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 5, 1899, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5 1899, REPORT THAT METHUEN'S ARMY IS IN KIMBERLEY Simultaneously News That Comes the the = Siege Mafeking Has Been Raised Modder -Gallantry of the River. Boers at ONDON, Dec. 4.—The Evening Express says it learns that a cab to-day from an office simply, “In Kimberley,’ mean that General entered Kimberley. le dispatch was received r of the Guards saying * which it is added may Methuen’s vanguard has CAPE TOWN, Thursday, Nov. 30.—The Cape Times has the following dispatch King: General Cronje with 100 wagons and a large body of Boers has left his laager, prac- tically raising the siege, although desultory firing can be heard. ONDON, Dec. w —Slowly are begin- degrees we ning to understand the character of the Modder River I in many senses the the present been one of sources may be rcumstantial ilthough defi- e details which ess and color to to justify judgment uen him- engage the one of the hardest and in British military 1e on it seemed to and purposes a drawn In 1trenchments, e reality, how- ter the crossing of the the British troops, had able. Under cover mnte t the enemy evacuated abandoning them to Me- n’s forces in t he morning. It division their disad ery was 1 . ges point of ground and the intervening river, the British ¢ s nevertheless drove a § e of 10,000 or 11,000 Boers here are reports that General n is already in Kimberley, re probably prema- of his e me scouts may at place, it being ir miles distant River. Important to-morrow, as 1s ¢ there rery that the British lvance has been resumed. reason to think It is now certain that the Boers are in great force on the farther side of the Tugela River. The to- tal of the arn eral Buller may be from 15,000 to 20,000 men. As for its artillery, at Far- quhars Farm, according to ac- counts in Natal papers, the Boer confronting Gen- guns overpowered the British, | who have thirty-six field weap- But now this artillery will be divided, and there is not likely to be more than thirty or forty Boer guns, if so many, on the Tu- ons yut an infantry bat- | be expected to-day ori had been allowed to make longer stay. een commandeered 1 I a I'wo rem ing squadrons of the Household Cavalry leit Ion- don yesterday for the front. This occasion since the Egyptian . war when the Life Guards have taken the field. The should prove a very valuable re- inforcement, as the British are still weak in cavalry. BOER SHELLS DEALING DEATH AT LADYSMITH the first 18 LONDON, Dec. 4—Th from Ladysmith, dated Saturday, vember say the shelling of that place appears that General mm g the Boers, message suggesting that all the e sent to a 1 camp. 1 ral White peremptorily refused dded, the Boers deliberately agree that the Boer shells more damaging than pre- viously. A number of civillans and po- lice were killed or wounded, while the Liverpe elever The Ing strong numbs of the Brit n 1s good. PRESS STILL PRATES OF YANKEE SYMPATHY Dec. 4.—The afternoon papers ppointment of Adelbert ed States Consul at Pretoria. Jumes says: “Tt nd ¢ Jucester battallc vember 24 were estimat 00. The health t the real depth of sentiment n be gauged as between the two great countries, who pre- fer making their sympathy plain to one varading it b # the world The appo! ment of small but ¥ which the im; Mr. 1s one of those sl is speaking turn to Mr. ing proof t not make such deduction. It suffices to say ant to think that our inte sented by one who hardly fail to be tion by the Tra: to-day Hay's # it is pleas- sts are repre- resentations can with considera- - HOSPITAL SHIP'S PARTY GREETED BY THE QUEEN LONDON, Dec. 4.—The American doc- tors and nurses who are golng to South Africa on the hospital ship Maine visited Windsor Castle this afternoon, under the guldance of Major Cobell, a landau and nibus from the royal stable having take the party from the been station. ham Clinten, sent 1o master of the Queen's household. The visitors were escorted through the state and private apartments. The party went to Cumberland lodge for tea at the invitation of Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, daughter of Queen Victoria. The Maine party later were presented | to Queen Victorla. Each was presented singly and the Queen said: “I am 80 glad to see It is so good of you to come over to help my men.” Lady Randolph Churchill has been sum- moned to Windsor Castle, where she will dine and spend the night to-mofrow. It is said that the object of the visit is that | she may discuss privately with the Queen the plans in regard to the Maine and of from Mafe- the F. | tions other than by | They were received by Lord Pet- | | Major General Thomas Kelly-Ken a photograph taken at Aldershot a y Ps general R O S S o S Boer Fire and 4. — The miles along the | fought desperate! | “Qur force cons Firs the the of irst Yorkshi the Lo Light Infantry (the Suth and Highlanders replied with artii hours. eral immediately took advantage. “Th The g sharpshoote wh tever, and were simply mowed down. terrible fire, but the brave fellows did not retreat an inch. [ e e e e e e e e e e e e s ] WILL COMMAND THE SIXTH DIVISION. The severest engagement our column has yet had severest of the whole campalgn, the Modder River. The battie was waged flercely for nearly fourteen hours. The enemy occupled a strongly intrenched position, their front extending five ank of the stream. They were well supplied with artillery and sted of the Second Battalion of the Coldstream Guards, Battalion of the Scots Guards, the Third Battalion of the Grenadier Guards, Battalion of the Northumberland Fusiliers, infantry advanced across the plain toward ards on the right were met by an awful hatl of bullets from the enemy’s posted close to the river on the opposite side. and two members of his staff.—From ¢ ar ago. The figure on the right is the ¢ * @t irsieieteieteieieieibeieieitbebeie@ MODDER RIVER BATTLE NOT A BRITISH VICTORY Methuen’s Soldiers Mowed Down by the Held Back the Entire Day. Daily Chronicle publishes the following dispatch, November 29, morning, from its correspondent at Mod- and probably the on the banks of was fought yesterd the the Second Battalion of King’'s Own), a part of the First Battallon North Lancashire Regiment, the Ninth Lancers, the mounted in- fantry, three batteries of fleld artillery and the First Battalion of the Argyll and (Princess Louise’s). eral Wauchope's brigade, and arrived just in time for the fight, | “The battle started at daybreak, our guns shelling the Boers' left. The enemy Hotchkiss and Maxims, and the artillery duel lasted some Then there was a brief lull in the enemy’s operations, of which our gen- The latter reinforced us from Gen- the river in two brigad Ours had no cover le to live through the The Boers' fire was It seemed impos | norribly accurate, and they must have numbered at least 10,000. The | had to throughout the day. “Th after they had suffered terribly. against a vastly superior force. fire in the an day. Our men “Among the ms Ny ber being nearly drowned in the retreat. “The British guns kept up a heav. on the Boer positions, the enemy beir cut up. occupying their positions. the Boers from battle. their and encamped on the Boer positions. the river by a milldam on ots Guards advanced 60 yards before they were fired on. ie down to escape the deadly fusillade, which lasted without Intermission The experts here are unanimous in expressing the opinion that needs must be very pressing to induce General Methuen to expose the whole of his command to the Boer marksmen, sngly sition. So deadly was the fire zone that the Scots Guards were compelled to leave thelr Maxim guns behind when they were forced to seek less exposed ground. It was only after dusk that a portion of the British troops succeeded in crossing the extreme left. Then they Highlanders made several attempts to force a passage of the river, but they were exposed to such a murderous enfilading fire that they had to retire, “Subsequently a party of the Guards got over and held their own for hours The general opinlon of the staff is that there had never been such a sustained als of the British army as that which our troops had to face yester- fell in dozens while trying to rush the bridge. heroic deeds one of the most co: Lieutenant Colonel Codrington of the Coldstream Guards, Queensland contingent and a dozen members of the Coldstream Guards, who jumped into the river and swam nearly to the other side in the face of a steady fire, but were forced to retire, and, joining hands, swam back, two of their num- lcuous was that of “aptain Sellpein of the fire all day, and fearful havoc was wrought forced to flee from their intrenchments. Night put an end to the terrible bloodshed. The infantry brigade was dreadfully “The Boers retreated at night, taking thelr guns with them, and we are now The enemy's loss was tremendous.” All the later detalls recetved from Modder River show that even the desperate courage the attacking force displayed all day long (November 28) failed to drive strong intrenchments, and night fell on an undecided But apparently during the course of the night General Cronje, com- manding the Boers, who are sald to have numbered 11,000 men, decided that the struggle was hopeless, for the British found the town and surrounding positions evacuated when daylight broke, and the whole British army crossed the river Kimberley's intrenched In a semi-circular po- ‘When night fell the Boer ar- gela. Against this General Bul-| ler has forty-two guns, bcsides; the naval weapons. He should | then have a distinct, although by other matters connected with the move- ment. The Soclety of American Women In London gave an “at home” this evening for the benefit of the Maine fund.’ All the principal members of the American colony tillery was still as vigorous as In the morning, but the Boers’ retirement in the night saved the position for the British. The exhausted condition of the British troops precluded the possibility of the pursuit of the enemy. The conclusion of the correspondents that the Boers must have suffered heavily must be confirmed from officlal sources before it is accepted as fact, In any case the Boers retired without any sign of disorder, carrying off their guns and equipment. Thus General Cronje's force Is still intact. no means too large a preponder- ance. There is good news at least from Mafeking. It is reported that General Cronje has moved his commandos south and that the siege is practically over, to the intense joy of the beleaguered garrison. Ever: the substantial accuracy of this piece of intelligence. Tales of Joubert's death are| now conclusively disproved. will undoubtedly conduct coming battle in Natal. In the meantime some news has come through from Lady- smith, showing that while the Boer bombardment was becom- ing severe, one of the navy guns had once more silenced the big Boer 40 or 100 pounder. General Gatacre has occupied Molteno and secured a large quantity He the rthing points to| of| attended, although Embassador Choate was the only member of the diplomatic corps present. An Interesting musleal | programme was carried out and a sub- stantial addition to the Maine fund ob- tained in the form of subseriptions. Mrs. Joseph Chamberlain, wife of the Secre- tary of State for the Colonles, was con- spicuous among the guests. |CAPE TOWN HEARS THAT © CRONJE IS IN RETREAT | | & o 5 | publication of this dispatch is prohibited All rights reserved in the United States and Great Britain.] LONDON, Dec. 4—This dispatch, from { 1ts special correspondent, is published oy | the Daily Telegraph: ! CAPE TOW Thursday, Nov. 30.—The | Cape Timas has just received a message | from its special correspondent in Mafe- | king conveying the welcome tidings that General Cronje, with 19 wagons and a | large body of Boers, has left his laager, | and that the slege is practicaly raised, although the enemy indulges in desultory shelliand rifle fire. Naturally Cape Town is extremely delighted with this plece of | intelligence. Al R i Report of a Conspiracy. LONDON, Dec. 4—A Dublin corre- | spondent ceclares that owing to startling | Information as to the existence of a dyna- mite conspiracy in order to quicken the flow of Boer subscriptions, the executive | has declded to double the guards at all corn, which would doubtless have. | the military barracks in the district. NEITHER BRITON NOR BOER GAVE QUARTER LONDON, Dec. 5.—The correspondent of the Associated Press with General Lord Methuen's column, telegraphing from Modder River last Thursday, says: “The Waterloo of the campaign has been fought and won. The battle was conducted with unprecedented stubborn- ness on both sides. There was one con- tinuous roar, like the explosion of count- less firecrackers. There was no flinching on either side, and not a moment's pause. “For flve hours the British batterles poured tons of shrapnel and shells into the Boer positions. Lord Methuen had twenty-two guns and each fired an aver- age of 200 rounds. The Boers had an al- most equal number of guns, which, it is reported, were mostly served by French and German artillerists. “It is belleved that the Boers had oc- cupied the position seven weeks before and had spent the interval in fortifying and rendering it, as they considered, im- pregnable. They did not seem to fear to spend their ammunition and their guns were well and smartly handled. “Owing to the bend In the river on the | sight the Boers had an opportunity of The fact that Gen- eral Methuen and Colonel Kekewich are now in communication may cause a re- consideration of the Boer commander’s plan to give battle at Spytfontein, he might be simultaneously attacked by both British forces. It is reported that Modder River bridge has been repaired and that the Brit- ish resumed their march toward Kimberley to-day. The fact that the De Beers miil and foundry is casting shells, rison seldom replies to the Boers' artillery, munition at Kimberley, partially accounting for General Methuen's haste, where while the gar- is said to point to a scarcity of am- cross-firing on the the British attack. A Boer Hotchkiss was directed with marvel- ous accuracy against a British Maxim, killing the sergeant In charge, wounding an officer and disabling the gun. This oc- curred quite at the beginning of the en- gagement. Whenever the Boer fire was sllenced in one direction it would imme- diately be reopened in another. “Owing to the terrific fire nobody on the plain was out of range. Stretcher-bearers found It impossible to go forward in the few cases they were called upon to attend, and the wounded were compelled, If pos- sible, to crawl out of the lines. “No quarter seems to have been given on either side. The British assert that amid the bullets the ambulance wagons displayed their flags promiscuously to no advantage. These were repeatedly driven back and compelled to take refuge out of sight. It is alleged that the Boers used dum- dums and made especlal targets of the | horses on the plain in the hope of hitting the riders. While tke Argyll Highlanders were pushing across the river they were fired upon from a house and several fell. Thereupon the Highlanders stormed the house, and although the Boers hoisted a white flag no attention was paid to it and the Boers were shot. “It,Is reported that General Cronje, with his contingent, retreated toward Langeberg at 4 o'clock In the afternoon. Others followed in the direction of Jacobs- | «dahl and the main body of Boers retired | with the guns about 8 in the evening. On | the following morning at daybreak the British fired a few shells into the village. Getting no response a patrol of cavalry crossed the river and found the enemy's camp deserted. Dead Boers and many who were dying were to be seen every- where in the intrenchments, as well as NUmMErous new grav Several buildings were in smoking ruins. “Some of the Boer prisoners say that General Cronje was In supreme command. He had to whip his men to prevent them deserting, and despite this many threw down their rifles and fle —_—— BRITISH INFANTRY COULD NOT ADVANCE LONDON, Dec. 5—Julian Ralph, de- | scribing in the Dally Mail this morning the battle at Modder River, says: { “I can testify that the British never once saw the enemy, yet they were not able to raise hand or foot without being riddled. “Despite all this, however, the day be- lenged to the artlllery. The infantry never advanced two paces during this day of hell. The shells of our tweniy guns were accurately planted in the enemy’s trenches and broke the hearts of the Boers, for after dark they all re- treated.” HEAVY LOSSES ON BOTH SIDES AT MODDER RIVER | [Spectal Cable to the New York Herald. Copy- | right, 153, by James Gordon Bennett. Re- | publication of this dispatch is prohibited. | All rights reserved in the United States and Great Britain.] LONDON, Dec. 5.—The subjoined dis- patch from'the Dally Telegraph's speciul | | correspondent with Methuen's column, | although it reached Orange River at noon on Thursday, did not arrive in London | until yesterday morning. Evidently it is only & portion of his message, earlier sec- tions of which were not yet at hand. | The dispatch reads: | | MODDER RIVER, Thursday, Nov. 30, (by train to Orange River).—On both| sides the losses in the engagement must have been very heavy. So I wrote last | night before any returns were available. This morning I found that the little town by the river had been evacuated, the | | Boers having moved off in the dark. Our | infantry has been marching to a position | on the left flank to repel any attack tha might be made from that direction, but | no Boers were about. The town had heen severely handled during the engagement. I have found bullet holes in the walls | | everywhere. I learn that the enemy strong, were under the command | Cronje and had many guns. The Sixt second Battery of Royal Artillery marched thirty-three miles from Belmont and went straight into action at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. My horse was shot under me during the battle. el AMERICAN GOVERNMENT | MAY DECLARE NEUTRALITY WASHINGTON, Dec. 4—President Mc- Kinley and Secretary Hay still have under consideration the advisability of issuing a proclamation declaring the neutrality of the United States in the war between the | South African Republic and the Orange | Free State and Great Britain. None of | the powers of Continental Europe have | issued such a prociamation, and until they | | do so it is doubtful if the United States | will act. The slowness of foreign Gov- | ernments in taking such action has been | a matter of some speculation in official circles, but is presumed to grow out of the fact that hitherto they have observed neutrality and they see no reason why they should formally announce their at- titude. During the American-Spanish war Ger- many did not issue a proclamation of neu- | trality, though she remained neutral, but | in diplomatic circles it is recalled that her attitude at Manila was not very friendly | and her failure to issue the proclamation left her free to act as she saw fit. These considerations may actuate other powers of Europe in failing to issue a neutrality proclamation in the case of the South African war. This Government stands ready, however, not only to strictly ob- serve the laws of neutrality but to issue | a proclamation should such a course seem advisable. Official announcement was made at the | State Department to-day of the appoint- | ment of A. S. Hay, son of the Secretary | of State, as Consul of the United States to Pretoria, to succeed Mr. Macrum, who will be rellieved upon the arrival of his successor. Mr. Hay will start for his post next week, armed with the fullest instruc- tions both as to treatment of matters de- veloping In connection with American citi- | zens as well as matters relating to British prisoners and British interests. Mr. Hay will go to Pretoria via London, but it is | not certain that he will visit the British Foreign Office. Mr. Hay's appointment is a matter of much satisfaction in British diplomatic circles here, and it is not doubted by the President that the Boer Government will express similar gratification upon Mr. Hay’'s reception by the Boer Government. Webster Davis, Assistant Secretary of the Interior, left here last night for a trip | to South Africa. He will sail from New | York on Wednesday morning and be away three months. During the trip he expects to pay a visit to Pretoria. Mr. Davis' journey is entirely unofficial and has no connection with this Government. e BRITONS APPALLED AT THEIR HEAVY LOSSES LONDON, Dec, 5.—There is a feeling of disappointment and a continuing anxiety respecting General Lord Methuen. The Times says editorially: “The battle of Modder River affords splendid proof of the unsurpassed quall- ties of the British soldier, but while vic- tories won selely by the exercise of thece qualities are indeed magnificent, they are not war. They fill us with pride, hut with pride not unmixed with regret at the persistent perversity of circumstances which, apparently, prevents us obtaining equal or greater results by processes savoring a little of that military science of which we hear so much.” e UNUSUALLY HEAVY FIRING AT LADYSMITH ew York Herald. Copy- TEPecial CARSe oy Samaee Gordon Bennett.. Ra- publication of this dispatch is prohibited. All rights reserved in the United States and Great Britain.] | LONDON, Dec. 5.—These dispatches from its special correspondents are pub- | lished by the Dally Telegraph: “ESTCOURT, Thursday, Nov. Throughout last night and for the great- er part of to-day there has been more than the usual continuous cannonading | at Ladysmith. well there. “Our troops at Frere are in splendid condition. { “Reports come in to the effect that the | Boers have posted ovér 10,00 men with | fifteen guns, several of heavy caliber, to oppose our sage.’” p’l?ha Dlllyp.idl publishes this dispatch from its special war correspondent, G. W. Steevens, who is with General White's forces: “LADYSMITH, Nov. 24.—The bombard- ment of the town continues. A locomo- tive was hit by a projectile to-day and ran off the line. There was no other dam- age done. A Boer shell last evening killed three men of the Liverpool regiment and wounded nine more, some dangerously. Yesterday one of our naval guns breached the epaulement of one of the Boers' bix were 11,000 of It is believed that all is | far been thric SUPREME COURT’S BLOW AT TRUSTS Decides Against the Constitution= ality of the Pipe Manufac- turers’ Combine. WASHINGTON, Dec. 4.—In the United | issuance of States Supreme Court to-day the Addy- stone pipe case was decided. This case involved the constitutionality of the com- | bination of pipe manufacturers which, it was charged, was a trust. The decision was handed down by Justice Peckham, ! and was adverse to the combination. was therefore in opposition to t The opinion of the Court of App the sixth circult was affirmed. In reviewing the e, Justice Peckham sald that it had been brought under the anti-trust act of 188, and that an in- Junction was asked for to enjoin the cor- porations engaged In the manufacture of water and gas pipe which composed the combination from continuing business der the agreement by which they had di- vided the territory of the United States among themselves, -and by which they had arranged to fix prices. Under this agreement the members of the combination provided for auctioning off the right to make bids for supplying with pipe cities not allotted territory, the successful bidder to meet no oppos from other members of the trust; or, other bids were made, none of them should be higher than that the com- ‘nun}' to which the award been made the combination. In cases in which bids we asked for in territory allotted to members of the territory, the agr ment w that no bids should be made except under the supervision of the pany in charge of that territory und agreement The charge was that such a combina- It e trust. Is for tion was a violation of the clause of the | constitution regulating interstate com- merce. The District Court in which the case was first heard refused to take this view of It, but it was reversed by Court of Appeals of the Sixth which held the combination to be antag- onistic to the constitution, ordering the tion | the | Cireuit, | the Injunction prayed for. This latter decision was affirmed by the action to-day of the Supreme Court, with a modification that the decision should be construed as appiying to Interstate busi- | ness only. Remarking upon the general aspect of the decision, Justice Peckham sal We have no doubt that where the direct and immediate effect of & contract ¢ among part w In & ¢ ular dealer, e ween them though contracts to b enhanced price er to render the of trade. It restricting the right to transact business well as its effect of the dealing in garded. The opinion then adds: th the v mmodity, in the e that is re- It is almost needless to add that we do not e which may means of regarded hold that every be carried on rstate sh o enterp r in part by s s golng to be i -1t int isen may be % of refined sugnr parties Th between combinations a commerce and those af only. The opinion pIying to one State attracted very great attention it is the first opinion on the subject of trusts which has been handed down since the subject of trusts | has come into great prominence. ana Hill, which has thus silenced.” This dispatch from its special corre. spondent is published by the Daily Mal “PIETERMARITZBURG, Nov. 30.— News from Lady®mith is beginning to come in more freely. The latest dispatches state that from the beginning of the in- vestment up to last Saturday (November 25) there were eighty-three killed and wounded, inciuding both military and civ- {lians. “The Boers shell the town from all sides, their favorite time for opening be- ing at midnight. The heaviest casualties occarred on November 9, when the Boers guns on Bul made a determined attack, advancing close to camp. They were routed with heavy loss, our casualties numbering twenty-one. The next day General Joubert begged medicines from the British. We lost one killed in an attack on the l4th, the Boers again losing heavily. On the 2th the bombardment, which had been more or less severe, damaged some build- ings. On the following day it was an- nounced that the Boers were going south.” VAN ALEN FAILS TO ASSIST THE BRITISH LONDON, Dec. 4—J. Van Alen, the American millionaire, has had an unsuc- cessful experience, it seems, in attempt- ing to render aid to the British wounded in South Africa. He first offered the War Office an ambulance, fully equipped, to the extent of £10,000, to be officered and manned by the English army, on condi- tion that he be allowed to accompany it to the front. The War Office replied, ask- ing in what capacity he couid go, and this produced the offer from Mr. Van Alen to go in any capacity, however mod- est. The War Office was compelled to de- cline. Mr. Van Alen then offered the ambu- lance to the Maine hospital ship commit- tee. The latter, finding the ambulance adapted to land uses only, consulted with the War Office and eventually Informed Mr. Van Alen that the committee would be glad to take him to South Africa as a guest, but that on arriving at Cape Town it would be necessary to turn him and the ambulance over to the army, in which event the two would become a hospital section, possibly having to remain in Cape Town. Mr. Van Alen refused to become a mere hospital section and withdrew his offer. His main object, it is believed, was to get to the front, and it is thought that he had no special desire to do hospital work except in that circumstance. An unconfirmed report is In circulation that he will make a similar offer to the Boers. | - Joubert Commands at Colenso. LONDON, Dec. 4—A local farmer ar- rested by the Boers and released Novem- ber 29 has arrived at Estcourt. He s General Joubert ys y commands the !( ‘olenso force. Tk r force at Colenso is estimated at men, with fifte guns. g LOSS OF THE ISMORE SERIOUS TO BRITISH LONDON, Dec. 4—It is now sald that some of the guns. swords and carbines and a portion of the ammunition have been landed from the British transport Ismore, ashore in St. Helena Bay An official dispatch from Cape Town an- nounced that the Ismore broke up yes- terday evening. Her stern is out of the water, but her bow is gone. All hands and twenty norses, out of e saved. The loss of the Ismore’s horses is quite serio t moment, when were p needed. They const of selected trained chargers and teams. It is not yet clear whether the six fleld guns on board the transport were saved. In any case, much war material and hos- pital equipment were lost. ety v |“OLD GLORY” ENTWINED { WITH 7A78RITISH FLAG LONDON, Dec. 4.—Patriotic demonatra- tions in the theaters and music hal of London continue unabated. There was a remarkable scene at the Empire last evening, when Mrs. Brown Polter recited a poem called “Ordered to the Front,” with soldiers and sailors grouped arouad her on the stage. On each side of Mrs. Potter stood a sallor, one carrying the American fiag and the other the Hritish flag. When the curtain fell and rose gain to an encore she tied the two fags together, amid loud cheering, the entire audience rising and singing d Save the Queen.” Lord Rothschild and a num- | ber of prominent men were In the house. | BATTLE VIEWED BY WOMEN BICYCLISTS LONDON, Dec. 4.—A letter from an of- ficer at Ladysmith reveals a novel featurs of a modern battle. The writer says that at the battle of Reiffontein several ladies arrived on bicycles. Of course they kept at a distance, but a shell pitched close to | them caused them to pedal off to a safer }pusnmn. —_——— | Boers in High Spirita. LONDON, Dec. 4—A press dispatch | from Durban says that persous arriving | there from Pretoria assert that the Boers | are full of confidence and are well pre- | pared for a six months' siege of Pretoria. You want an overcoat that will wear, that will look well, that will be sat- isfactory—the price mod- erate. To fill the bill com- pletely order one of our $10 tailor-made overcoats. .We will give you all the samples of them that you want. S. N. WooD & Co. 718 Market St. and Cor. Powell and Eddy.