The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 13, 1899, Page 1

VOLUME LXKXVII INSURGENTS WHO BECOME 30L0 BANDIT Party of Guerrillas Captured by a Detachment of the 17th Infantry. — e NEW PROBLEM IN THE | D e e Y R R A R A A S S T T er e b et pobeBOL e @resereieie f/ \’/ the ¥ —=NO. 1 Tall S s ababetindd f SAN FRANCISCO, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1899, h PRICE FIVE CENTS. PILIPPINES, of Desparate Natives Who veto Be Dealt With by s protection to B rey the AR e et S R S S S | CAPTAIN J. B. COGHLAN, The for ander of the Ralelgh says that the charge that he prom- ey ds in Sublg Bay, and theh left them unarmed at gents, 1s ridiculous. a and that the Spaniards were fully protected by insu rican Authorities. FTEEL L2044 4444004444400 444444 7 B e e e R e e e e e e e ] CAPTURE A GUN, BUT LOSE THREE SCORE MEN. British Troops Make a Brilliant Sortie From Ladysmith and Destroy a Howitzer--Retreat Cut Off by the Boers and Desperate Fighting | "Ensues. ONDON this morr 13.—~From Ladysmith aguered garrison not satisfied with own and awaiting the | rriva ief column. The gallant roops a brillant f irprise upon the which a 4.7-inch mounted w howitze its On that heavy . o0 b0 R R . R @+ D T = = SO ] * & * . | & ) 35 = > @ COVERING THE RETREAT OF THE INFANTRY. From a sketch by a special artist of the Graphic. cident of the battle of Pepworth Hill, This i= an {llustration of an near . across a st he Imperfal Light Horse were ordered up 3 have ¢ uth rican fielde, and they demonstrate tn Qeieioie minently su the heavy besieged city at yund be great Yoy n wanting signs that t adysmith as a very har crack—perhaps hard for m n General Buller's concentra- caused e draw f the beseiging blows dealt by n is still no news of General Bul- , but thune’'s Horse so railway bridge 1s Col feiebeseg B SR SRR kY . ° + L 4 & He says he did not go ashore at the Ralelgh's PN have | > . B t writers. The peculiar spi M o o S SR S RS S N DAY |now completely destroyed, road bridge is still standing. | Although there is the Cape Town rumor that fighting was proceeding all day Mon- day In the direction of Modder River we are still without further definite news of | Lord Methuer tvance. . He is con- fronted with a very powerful Boer force, | the defeat of which must tax the energles | of his column to the utmost. He is also in some dar from Boer attacks upon the right flank and his line of communic tion now certain that the forces which he dislodged from their p s at | Belmont and Modder River no means shattered in moral The PBritish defeat at Stormberg has increased the risk of operations against his rear, since it would be perfectly po: but the ) | sible for the Boers to di h men by rall from Stormberg and Fauresmith, which are only about sixty miles from Gras Pan and Belmont. Besides, it is | more than probable that a considerable | body of men has been moved from Lady- | | smith across the Free State to Jacobs- | | dahl. | The Boers will make most desperate ef- | forts to crush the Kimberiey rellef force. | In military circles, however, there exists a firm belief that the skill, general dis cipline and bravery of the troc ps wil! ex- tricate them from their difficult position and Inflict a crushing defeat upon the Boers. While the firing heard on Monday might | be from a great battle, It is mo: ikely to | be an artillery reconnofssanc doubt | | the enemy’s trenhces will be th »ughly bombarded before they are attacked General Methuen Is likely to ciear his flank and rear before he commits himself | to-a pitched battle with Cronje’'s com- | mandos. Gatacre's detalled explanation of his reverse, as given out by the War Office, | last evening, has caused considerable | tonishment and evoked .chary criticism. | He sald that the operation, which ended | in lamentable failure, seemed to promise | | certain success, but the distance was un- | derestimated by both himself and the io- | cal guldes. It scems incomprehensible | hat a general should not be supplied with | | ®ood maps, and yei there is hardly an- other explanation. That the palpable moral of the Franc tman war in this respect should h been overlooked comes with a shock. In that death strug- | gle the French officers could not obtain maps of their frontier provinces. while | the Germans knew ad and, | lane between the Rhine una & It {s lamentable that this diszster shou'd have occurred on British sofl because the Eritish command underestimated. the | distance between his camp and that of | the Boers. The fact that General Gatacre himself had not reconnoitered the Boers' | position was evidently due to his weak- ness in cavalry, which prevented a recon- nolssance in any force, such as would compel the Boers to unmask their artil- lery. One result of the reverse is the growing conviction that the strength of the Boers | | has been underestimated; that in all di- | | rections the British are confronted by su- perior numbers, and that it is the duty of the nation and the Government to rush out more reinforcements. | The last units of the Sixth Divison em- bark within a day or so, and 1t i3 now urged that the Seventh Division should be mobilized at once and sent to the front. Mafeking 1s on reduced rations and Is being heavily bombarded, but Colonel Baden-Powell will give the Boers a great deal more trouble. Hia rellef from Rho- desia reached Gaberones on December 2, 200 miles to the north, from which place the Boers had retired. 3 It s not impossible that the Boers are trylng & flank movement against General t. for that country ral formation of the smoke ® * o . 4 + ¢ + * + & . ® . 3 + L 4 . @ . @ + ® * DS . ® . L4 * & . 4 . Ladysmith. October 2. During the retreat of the Sixtieth Rifles and the to cover their rear, which they gallantly and successfull lished. Like at least, the use of cavalry In a batt from a bursting sheli {s an ‘inter ing of the ng feature of the drawing. TEPD 0D 0090966000900 000 0005020000000 LONDON, Dec. 12,—The War Office publishes the following dispatch from General Buller: *“A dispatch from General White dated De- cember Il says: *“‘Last night Colonel Metcalf and 500 of the Second Rifle Brigade sortied to capture a Boer howitzer on a hil. They reached the crest with- out being discovered, drove off the enemy and then destroyed the howitzer with guncotton. “ ‘When returning Metcalf found his retreat barred by the Boers, but he forced his way through, using the bayonet freely. Boer losses were considerable. The British losses were as fol- lows: Lieutenant Ferguson and eleven men Killed; Captain Paley, Second Lieutenant Davenport, Second Lieutenant Bond and forty-one men wounded; six men captured who had remained behind in charge of the wounded.’” THE STORMBERG DISASTER Perhaps the Fact That “a Policeman Took Us Round Some Miles”” Had Something to Do With the Crushing Defeat. . Dec. 12-The War Office has: recefved the following from General Forestier-Walker: “CAPE TOWN, Monday, Dec. 11.—Gatacre reports as follows: **“The idea to attack Stormberg seemed to promise certain success, but the distance was underestimated by myself and the local guides. A policeman took us round some miles. and consequently we were marching from 9:30 P. m. until 4 a. m. and were landed in an impaseable position. I do not consider the error intentional. The Boers commenced tiring from the top of an unscalable hill and wounded a good many of our men while in the open place. The Second North- umberlands tried to turn out the enemy, but falled. The Second Irish Fusileers seized a Kopje near by.and held on, supported by the mounted infantry and Cape pollce. The guns under Jeffreys could not have been better handled. But I ra- gret to say that one gun was overturned in a deep nullah and another sank in quicksand. Neither could be extricated in the time available, * ‘Seeing the situation, a dispatch rider was sent to Molteno with the news. 1 collected and withdrew our forces from ridge to ridge for about nine miles. The Boer guns were remarkably well served. They carried accurately 5 yards. 1 am holding Bushmans Hoek and Cyphergat. I am sending the Irish Rifles and Northumberlands to Sterksstrom to recuperate. The wounded pro- ceeded to Queenstown. The missing Northumberlands number 36, not 306, as previonsly reported.’ " PRETORIA, Sunday, Dec. 10.—Presldent Steyn has sent the following detafls of the fight at Stormberg Junction: “The British. with six cannon, attacked the Boers under Swanepoel Oliver and stormed the Boers' Intrenched positions on the kopjes. After a se- vere fight they were compelled to surrender. THe prisoners are Major Sturges, six officers and 230 non-commissioned officers and men of the Northumberlands and two officers and about 250 non-commissioned officers and men of the Irish Fusileers. It is impossible to state the number of dead or wounded of the British. The Boers captured three cannon and two ammunition wagon and Buller, as they have been seen moving in | board, is ashore outside the harbor and considerable numbers down by Weenan to | making water. :;mmgx'm:m. in the direction of tne STRENGTH—O?BO_ERS NOT FULLY ESTIMATED BRITISH TRANSPORT ASHORE. LONDON, Dec. 12—A message from LAS PALMAS, Canary Islands, Dec. 12. —The British transport Dentongrange, with war munitions for South Africa on | Naauwpoort, dated Monday, December u, e o (T | vising valuable property to a child nam: MYSTERY NO CLOUDS LONGER REED'S WILL “Alvira Alice Reed,” the Child Heiress, Was His Daughter. spring for Seven 'He Supported the Mother and His Off- Years and at His Death Made Amends. L e . R S L S S o o MRS. GARCIA, THE STORY OF*WHOSE LI I OME TO LI M{YSTE PITALIST RE AT s FE HAS JUST HERE is no further mystery in con- the late John J. Reed, the Marin County capitalist and pieneer, who surprised his relatives and friends by de. in his will as “Elvira Cora de Garcia. The real name of the little heiress, who is now 7 years of age, Is *“Alvira Allce Reed,” and that of the mother, Frances Cora Wood. It is the old story of the wiles of the man of wealth and of his success with women: ‘a plain tale of be- trayal, the stated facts of which make it extremely culpable. Frances Cora Wood was an orphan, who was reared by Mre, Carmelita Boyle of Mill Valley, a sister of Mr. Reed. The de- ceased had known his victim from childhood and watched grow into a handsome. attractive woman. He was in fact a foster uncle to her. Through his influence with young woman succeeded In accomplishing her ruin. This occurred about eight years ago, but after the woman's downfall their intimate re- lations ceased. The man was honorable enough. however, to provide a comfort- able living for the woman and his off- spring. It is stated that the family of Mr. Reed did not know of his deviation from the path of rectitude that gatned thelr knowledge through the reading of the will. It is further asserted that owing to the circumstances under which the capitalist disposed of his estate there will be no contest. He deeded the bulk of his property to his immediate heirs 21st of November last, and on the the same month wrote the which amends were made to his natural child. Five days later Mr. Reed died, and if the will is attacked on the ground of un- capitalist her the and they 2%th of will in alleged he | soundness of mind of the testator the va- | that | tul there. | lidity of the deeds by which the greater part of the dead man's property was dis- | shows that General French has apparent- ly no inclination to withdraw his ad- vanced troops at Arundel, as it was fear- ed might be the result of General Gat- acre's defeat. General French reports that his artillery December 11 forced an advance post of the Boers south of Eole: burg to evacuate its position and seck refuge behind Vaalkop. There s great indignation in Great Britain at the ignorance the British in- telligence department {s displaying In estimating the Boer strength in Cape Colony. Experts aver that 15000 Boers will have to be driven out of the colony before the passage of the Orange River can be commenced. The Rhodesian force advancing to the relief of Mafeking r hed Gaberones Fort December 2 and found the Boers had evacuated the place. The Rhodesians are repairing the raliroad as they advance The latest news from Mafeking shows Colonel Baden-Powell has been forced to raduce the rations of the garri- sen and {nhabitants, but water is plenti- URGING MENELIK TO SEIZE THE SOUDAN NEW YORK, Dec. 12—A Journal cable from Lendon says: Dispatches from Cairo and Rome well fllustrate the anti- British machinations of cértain European powers, who seek to take every advan- tage of England's trouble in South Af- rica in order to embarrass her and there- by reap gain for themselves. The Cairo dispatch says: “Emperor Menelik of Abyssinia with a great force is moving menacingly toward the British possessions of the White Nile, His camp IS now near Adis Abeba. French and Russian envoys with him are endeavoring to rouse him to an energetic campaign against British Interests, urg- Ing him to assert his rights over the Sou- dan, which the envoys declare rightfully belongs to his domain. Menelik's prog- ress Is slow. The latest advices say he is hesitating over any aggressive move. The Emperor's court moves with him in nection with the last testament of | on the | PO 0PI eI 0300000 030l eteteititsdededeivivsisivsioeieiobeies@ ? % L 2 + y ? et 4 / |e . % & L e T S STy THIS LITTLE GIRL, THE DAUGHTER OF CAPITALIST REED, IS THE CHT LE 7 R HIS WILL. SOMETHI LIKE $1#0,000 WAS BE- QUEATHED HER. pos d of will be placed under a cloud rthermore, a family scandal would be aired in court, with all the disagreeable features attached to such cases. Mrs. Frances Cora Wood is a woman about 30 years of age, attractive In per- son and wrapped wholly in the destiny of her unfortunate child. The young heiress Is nearly 7 years old, is as bright as the proverbial cricket L Strong ree semblance to the man who is claimed to her father. About years after her downfall the mother married J. C Wood, an Englishman, and lived happlily for ort time. Her husband then went to England to look after his share of a large estate, but died before he couldl es- is and bears be three tablish his claim and return home to hie wife. Whether his widow will succeed 10 a portion of his estate re s o be de- termined Mrs. Wood resides with her sister in a very modest flat In the Western Addition and is in bad health. The property de- vised to the child includes El Campo and valuable adjoining lands. !m‘ml-hnrhnrh‘ splendor and the army ac- companies.” The dispatch from Rome says: “Cap- | tain Ciccodicola, Itallan ‘envoy to Abys- sinia, reports the Intrigues of other pow- ers to get Menellk roused against the British in the Soudan. Clccodicola says he fears trouble. It s reported from Brussels that Russia is In negotiation with Spain for the ces- sion of Ceuta, opposite Gibraltar. Tt is declared in Madrid that Ceuta is not to be sold to any power. What is likely s that in the event of a European war some power would be sure to help Spain to prevent England seizing Ceuta. St. Petersburg reports Russian troops on the Persian and Turkish frontlers are to be Increased on account of German commercial actlvity in Asia Minor. many already has secured a raflway ¢ cession there. e Russian Black Sea fleet will also be strengthened. The Daily Mail says significantly: “Our readers will do well to watch the move- ments of Russia, France and possibly an- other power in the event of any further reverses to our troops in South Africa | Our correspondence gives evidence of Russian activity at Ceuta and Tangier and In Central A and Abyssinia. — - Wood a Major General. | WASHINGTON, Dec. 12—The Senate | In executive session to-day confirmed the romination of LeonardsWood to be major | gemeral of volunteers, 3 |LOSS OF THE BRITISH | STEAMER ST. HELENS LONDON, Dec. 12.—A dispatch from | Saigon, capital of French Cochin China, | says the British steamer St. Helens, Cap- | tain Luckham, last reported from Shang- | hat, September , for Singapore, has been | lost on the Paracots, a group of islets and | reefs In the China Sea, and that five of | her crew were drowned The St. Helens was a steel and iron ves. sel of 2588 tons register net. She wa: buflt in 1892 and halled from London. Sh was at Philadeiphia when her last sur Vvey was made in