The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 18, 1900, Page 13

A e R Pages 1310 L2 » - pe - s . R o T4+ - * + + + * +44+44 4 : Pages 1310 22: + + [ AR I R L S S SRS R S RS T 2 2 VOLUME LXXXVII-NO. 80. SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1900—-THIRTY-TWO PAGES. PRICE FIVE CENTS. CRONJE REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN Forces Both Britons and Burgh- rs Lost Valuable Supplies. R e S e e e i ® > 4 CORNERED BY THE BRITISH TROOPS During the Retreat of the Free State 20 MIES S A SCALE Sw—— BOER LINE YERETRERT G689 043 0600500084500 L T e S e e e T S L o o o e e o 4 O e =Y ] Kitchener Evidently Directing the Pursuit, and the Imperial Troops Are Shelling the Laager of the Commander of the Republican Forces. PRETORIA, Friday, Feb. 16.—It appe;ré from further reports of yester- day’s fighting at Jacobsdal that 2000 British troops got through the federal position at Modder River and entered Kimberley. The federals intercepted the rear guard of the British and captured great booty, many oxen and a number of prisoners. ONDON, Feb. 18—FEvents in the Orange Free State fairly tread upon each heels. More dispatches come from Roberts, one siving exciting particulars of ents following the relief of The morning pa- ‘hile expressing greater ht over what they termed * in the tide for British e Roberts and Kitch- taken things in hand, fear that Commandaht ad something in reserve, y reasoned that while n was made of the capture f stores, etc., nothing was said ut any guns. The inference that Cronje had taken alarm gone in a hurry to some new ition, where he might. offer le. But such is apparently not the case as Cronje and his force have been found. The Boer Jeader, according to the latest ac- counts, was at bay and in a very tight place. It will be remembered that westerday Lord Roberts reported that a large Boer convoy which had fled toward Bloemfontein, the Free State capital, was being pursued by one of Kelly-Kenny’s brigades. It would seem that to save themselves the Boers aban- doned all their impediments in eir flight, for Lord Roberts says that Kelly-Kenny made a great haul, capturing seventy- 1t wagons laden with stores, cight boxes full of shells and ten barrels full of explosives, all be- to Cronje’s laager. regard to Cronje himself it seems that he was forced to ers ave ENTRY OF ROBERTS | INTO JACOBSDAL | day, Feb. 15.—Lord entered this town, | e possession of the | erday. The utmost or- | ry police the streets, | of furniture—not even an | e trees—has been taken. A 1 placed before each store | - allowed to enter and s require. Everything | t the inhabitants ex- nos rprise, as it had been eported that the British occu- n nt instant looting. Judging the conversation of the inhabitants | Free Staters are very weary of the r. It is openly stated that President betrayed the people. When the lat- became satisfied there was no truth the stories of the looting proclivities of the British the townspeople welcomed as friends. Bince the battle of | er the town has not been gar- | »ut has been merely used as a | depot. When the Boérs fired on Wednesday the townspeople . Although the British shelling | considerably frightened the women, the shells were only directed at a ridge beyond the town which was en- trer "he German hospital remains in beauti- It is clean and sanitary and t wounded of both sides are equally well attended. A correspondent talked with a number of the Boer wounded and thev all acknowledged that the British as be Showing How the British Are Trying to Head Off Boers Under Cronje. stop in his flight by his oxen becoming exhausted. Thus brought to bay, he formed a laager with uncaptured wagons and the British pursuers prompt- ly began shelling. Ever since Lord Roberts be- gan sending dispatches detailing the various movements for,the relief of Kimberley the people here have been wondering where Kitchener was and what he was doing. Roberts clears away the mystery by his dispatch, which says that Cronje's laager was be- ing shelled by British artillery “when Kitchener sent away the messenger.” From this it is evi- dent that the hero of the Soudan campaign is directing operations with Kelly-Kenny. A rumor was started on the Stock Exchange to-day that Cronje had been captured, but like many other ’Change rumors it was but a case of the wish be- ing father to the thought. Again to-night a story flew about the clubs that Cronje had surrendered and there was a hur- ried rush to the War Office when it was found that nothing to that effect had been received. It was evidently one of those mysterious supposed “private telegrams” which have from time to time got into circulation building up the people’s hopes without founda- tion. Seemingly everybody here ex- pects that the next news will be the defeat and capture, if not sur- render, of the Boer general, and are waiting anxiously for it. All the news, however, is not in favor of the British. While one of Kelly-Kenny's brigades movements. had nonplused the burgher commanders. Even now, it is added, they are under the impression that the sole object was the capture of Jacobsdal. When informed of the relief of Kimber- ley they were at first incredulous and then astounded. The Landbrost remains in the town. F News has reached here that the Boers are leaving Magersfontein and are return- ing In disorganized masses to their farms. The invasion of the Free State has un- doubtedly struck a hard blow, which may result in the defection of large numbers of Free Staters. - P BATTLE OF BRABANT’S HORSE AND THE BOERS LONDON, Feb. 18.—A special dispatch from Birds River reports a drawn fignt between Brabant's horse and the Boers at Dordrecht on February 16. The engage- ment lasted eight hours, until darkness set in. The British loss was eight kiiled and four wounded. The Boer casualties are unknown. The latter had burned the grass around the position, so that the British brown kahk! uniforms showed up distinctly egainst the black background. After the fight, the dispatch says, the British entered Dordrecht, but left later. — - AZIZ BEY TO WATCH THE WAR CONSTANTINOPLE, Feb. 17.—Aziz Bey, military attache to the Turkish Le- gation in Washington, has been appointed e L o S S I o o has captured a Boer convoy the Boers, on the other hand, have captured a large British convoy, all through a mistake or rather through an order from Roberts going astray in some unex- plained way. .It was during Thursday’s fighting on Riet River that this happened. Noth-| ing is said about how large an; amount of stores and ammuni- tion was captured, but as the convoy was a large one the loss| would seem to be considerable. Roberts had sent instructions to the convoy not to proceed, but| the order never reached its des-| tination. Then reinforcements | were dispatched, but the Boers| succeeded in capturing the con-| voy before these could arrive. In the central field of war Gen- eral Gatacre is also active and ex- changing shots with the enemy. Nothing very = important has come to hand from him yet. | General Buller also seems de-| termined to make another at- tempt to relieve Ladysmith. Late at night news was received that he was again attacking the Boers. While no details of the fighting have arrived it looks very much as if he was trying Fort Wylie and Inhlawe Moun- tain, by capturing which he might be able to meve along the right bank of the river nearly as far as Pieters and thence work his way to Ladysmith by a route which, speaking topographically, is comparatively easy. But we must wait for something more definite before being sure of what | he is doing. That will not come until after the attempt has proved successful or failed. ROBERTS FAILED TO CUT OFF CRONJE’S FORCE LONDON, Feb. 17.—Spencer Wilkinson, the military expert, reviewing the situa- tion in South Africa for the Associated Press at midnight, says: *“‘Lord Roberts has begun his campaign by =triking at the principal Boer forces in the western theater of war—that of Commandant Cronje, covering the slege of Kimberley. “In a little over a week Lord Roberts had completed the organization of his force. He then quletly massed some 50,- 000 men, four Infantry divisions and a cavalry division, near the selected point, reaching Modder River station on Friday, February 8. He must have put his troops in motion with the least possible delay, for on Monday the action began. It was an attempt to turn the Boer position by a march around its left or eastern flank. “On Monday General French's cavalry seized the passages of the Riet River, southeast of Jacobsdal, and were at once followed up by two infantry divistons. On Tuesday the cavalry moved north and seized the crossings of the Modder River, the infantry following at thefr heels. Opn Thursday, when one division of Infantry was on the Modder River and the other close behind it, between the two rivers, the cavalry moved forward toward Kim. berley, dispersed the besiegers from . the southeastern front and opened connection with the town. “The same day the troops from the old by his Government to follow the opera- tions of the British forces in South Africa. camp at Modder River station opened communication with Jacobsdal, which had General French’s Artillery in Pursuit of the Retreating Boers. FROM THE GRAPHIC. General French’s artillery ¢rossing the Modder River on the Boer left flank in his flying movement toward Kimberley. - In this movee ment the column avoided the main road for obvious reasons and crossed the rivers at points unused before by four-wheeled conveyances. RENEWED FIGHTING ON THE TUGELA General Buller Appears to Be Making Another Desperate Effort to Relieve Ladysmith. ONDON, Feb. 18, 3:50 A. M.—The War Office made the usuai statement at midnight that it had no news, but at about the same time came dispatches from Durban, dated late Sat- urday evening, giving reports of the renewed fighting on the Tugela, where the censor stopped all telegrams. Arrivals at Durban from the Tu- gela say that important operations are progress- ing and that fighting has occurred. daily since the commencement of the week. In these en- gagements the British casualties bave been comparatively light. @According to these unconfirmed reports, General Buller had reoccupied Vaal Krantz and the Boers had retreated in the direction of the Free State. In the meantime wounded officers and men are \arriving daily at Durban and are placed aboard the four hospital ships now there. Dispatches from Zululand, received at Dur- ban, say the country is quieting down, thanks to the appearance of a flying column. The Boers seem nervous and uncertain, and have " stayed their advance. already been taken. Thus Lord Roberts had a semi-circle around the Boer posi- tion of Magersfontein, from Kimberley on the north to Modder River station on the south, and possibly the line was prolonged from Modder River station to the north- west, so that General French might hope, by passing through Kimberley, complete the entire circle and to enable Lord Rob- erts to envelop and capture Cronje's ‘whole force. . “This was the result hoped for. The plan was brilllantly conceived and vigor- ously executed, but Cronje has been alle to evade the blow. When General French reached Kimberley it was found that Cronje, with the bulk of his force, had moved off toward Bloemfontein, apparent- ly by the Boshof road, or by a shorter route along the north bank of the Mod- der. The laagers and stores abandoned and the convoy captured prove that Cronje left in haste and one of General Kelly-Kenny’s brigades was last reported as, pursulng and engaging the Boer rear guard. General Kitchener Is superintend- ing the pursuit, which may be effective. *Of the First and Ninth divisions no mention has been made in the telegrams, | be reopened. This s a successs, but the and the inference is that a part of the de- | more valuable result—the destruction of a sign is as yet undisclosed. Possibly their | part of the Boer army—has not been Se- function is to complete the circle in the | cured. It cannot be said in this circum- west. Perhaps, too, a force is making to | stance that this is attributable to weak- the eastward, south of the Modder River, | ness in the British generalship, which to intercept Cronje, though, as the mount- | seems to have been excellent. ed Boers cover thirty miles a day, no in-| “There are disquieting features In the fantry can catch them. A part of the | news. The capture by the Boers, sald to Boer force may have retreated to the have come from Colesberg. of a large northwest, toward Barkley, and will no | British convoy may diminish the mobflity doubt be pursued. of the British force, and is proof of the “There can be no doubt that Kimberley is relieved ‘and that the rallway will scon Continued on Fourteenth Page.