The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 24, 1900, Page 1

" VOLUME L\\\VII—I\O ‘ 86. SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1900. PRICE FIVE CENTS. CRONUJE YET HOLDS OUT AGAINST THE FEARFUL FUSILLADE OF BRITISH CANNON Although Urged by His Wife the Gallant to Surrender, Commander of the State Forces Continues to Battle Against Most Desper- ate Odds. With Nearly Five-Score Guns, Many of Large Caliber, Lord Roberts’ At- tacking Forces Continue to Bombard the Boer Position, Causing Terrible Carnage. Crowds throng the streets singing and cheering because of the supposed victories. Free GENERAL P. A. CRONJE. OWWWWW. DURBAN, Feb. 23, evening.—The rumor gains credence that Ladysmith has been relieved. has surrendered 8000 men and that General Kitchener has been slightly wounded in the left arm. wounded, the latter, it is reported, including General Cronje @GR ORTIRIIRGIRTIR DRORGORORIONC WO WORTORIOR ORION, by the New Copyrighted, 1900, by the New York is dispatch is prohibited. All rights nd Great Britain.] Cable to Com reserved in rk nw xhe‘( nited suu» MODDER RIVER, Feb 22.—Generai Cron- je’s wife, so prisoners say, is urging him to surrender to save the lives of bis men. Prisoners also assert that a death blow bhas been struck to the resistance in the Free State. RO DEFOLIORIOSIO DECIOOROND OO LIUICRION OOtIOLIORIOH L().\ DON, Feb. 24.—Persistent rumors were current in .O}SO?SO.‘SO?ROSSO.‘SO'EOSO'&O’SO = 2 o = b 2 % & o0 London throughout yesterday that General Cronje had surrendered with 7000 men, but up to this moment no official news of any such event had been received by the War Office. If Cronje was on Tuesdayin the position described under the heavy fire of six field batteries, a howitzer battery and five naval Lru.ns. his condition must have been desperate. He then s to stand up to the projectiles thrown by forty-seven guns, many of them of large caliber. This tetal of guns was probably largely increased on Wednesday, as even without the horse artillery Lord Roberts should have ninety or a hundred guns available. New batter- ies are now arriving at the Cape, and one may presume they are being sent up to him, though as yet the horses cannot be fit for hard work. Unless, therefore, very powerful Boer remforcements ar- rive on the scene in a body, Cronje’s fate must be regarded as sealed. All the newspapers this morning join with one accord in an expression of admiration fof the amazing pluck of Cronje and his men, who, after being cornered by Lord Roberts’ strateg'y, are making such a splendid fight. : = front is conflicting. “It is a symptom of the present trend of events that storekeepers in the Free State have wired here, I learn that the Transvaal Government has £5 ,000,000 in bullion at Pre- stopping the forwarding of goods. toria and is coining 35,000 sovereigns a month.” LOURENZO MARQUES, Feb. 23.—Fighting continues around Petrusburg and Kimberley. The gen- eral result is yet undecisive. CHIEVELEY, Feb. 22.—The main body of the Boers has fled, evidently with the object of stemming the advance of Lord Roberts. ONDON, Feb. 24.—The Lourenzo Marques correspondent of the Daily News, telegraphing Tuesday, says: “We are in a state of doubt and anxiety regarding events in the Free State. We hear that the telegraph wires between General Cronje and Bloemfontein have been severed and the news from the Able o) X That el To the west of them are their lost possessions, a compar- atively safe refuge of greac hills. To the east of them they can hear the fateful thunder of General French’s field guns, keeping all aid away. Yet they fight stubbornly against the “Red Necks.” Their dead and wounded are lumbering every post. Their store wagons are flaming around them. Their oxen, which should be with their transports, are slain by artillery or mad with fright and thirst. They themselves seem to be fighting for nothing better than to justify their President’s menace that he would stagger humanity by the lives the war would cost. On other fields of warfare the news which has reached London favors the British campaign. It is true that the Boers claim a success Tuesday on the Tugela, and assert that they drove back a body of British troops who were trying to cross the river, but from information of a later date we know that the passage was successfully accomplished. It is still quite uncer- tain whether General Buller has a large Boer force before him or only a small rear guard. The latter seems probable. On Wednesday the British troops appear to have advanced very slowly. It was then thought the Boers would take up a position on the slopes of Mount Bulwana and enfilade the lines of the main British advance. The British moved in extremely open order, and were greeted with heavy shrapnel fire from Grobler’s Klooff, which did littie damage, however. The impression is gaining ground in Sir Redver’s head- quarters that the Boers are merely covering the retirement of their entire force. White’s guns at Ladysmith have been turned on the Boer positions along the Klip River to prepare the way for the advance of the relieving forces. At Colenso it is reported that General White has made a sortie and has captured some wagons of the retreating Boers. In the north of Cape Colony a fresh British advance seems to have been begun, the Boers giving way in front of Arundel - and. at Stormberg. Naturally| both from Natal and from Coles- berg the invaders of the British colonies are streaming back to| licans their own country to help their hard-pressed comrades on the| Modder. From all accounts, | however, it will be impossible for them to give material assistance, | for Lord Roberts, with the aid of French’s cavalry, seems easily able to both hold Cronje| closely invested and drive off in detail such reinforcements as ap- pear Paardeberg. —_— NATIVES REPORT THE RELIEF OF MAFEKING NEW YORK, ‘Feb. 24.—A Sun special from London siys: The Standard’s cor- respondent at Kimberley reports that General French, when he left to co-oper- ate in the pursuit of Commandant Cronje, encountered a body of the enemy at Droonfleld. He led them, by clever tac- tics, on to an open plain and then loosed the lancers on them. Forty . .Boers were killed. The dispatch adds that a farmer at Barkley West quotes the natives as re- porting that Colonel Plummer has relleved Mafeking and is now south of Marsbogo advancing to Vryburg. The farmer, whose name is Kelly, does not profess to vouch for the truth of the reports, ——— REPORTED RAISING OF THE LADYSMITH SIEGE | NEW YQRK. Feb. 2.—A soecial to the i : to be‘g L in the neighborhood of | World from London dated Saturdsy, 6 a. am., says: They were received by wire too late to be printed in the regular editions of the newspapers, and cannot be confirmed at present. has the following dispatch from Chieveley, dated Wednesday, February 21: tled from Ladysmith yesterday and cap- tured a number of Boer wagons. There is heavy firlng in the direction of Lady- smith, ‘White or of the Boers.” Pletermaritzburg, dated Thursday, says: of Pleters this morning. General Buller's advance is being opposed by both big guns and rifle fire.” dispatch from Ladysmith, dated Saturday, February 17: and try to see General Buller’s shellsburst- Fighting Stubbornly, the Bur- ghers Seem Determined to Justify Their Threat He Would Stagger Humanity With the Lives the War Would Cost. President's Knowing Reinforcements May Not Be to Reach Them, the Repub- Make a Splendid Defense Wins the Admiration of the W orld. It is also reported that General Cronje Seventeen hundred Boers have been killed or GOROROROLO LORIULR VRIRIR FRORNORIRING RORORININT RONCRD LONDON, Feb. 23.—The official gives 146 men Kiilled at Paardeberg Drift on ~ report g Sunday, February 18, including sixty-three§ Highlanders and elgbteen Canadians. ORSOBSORFORIC OBIOTRORE VOO VEIVWOROLION NOWORINONT * ing in the distanece. inexpressibly tedious for night. The Boer camps hav is- appeared from the old positions within the last few days, and large parties with wagons are trekking westward. It is as- sumed that the Free Staters are going to resist the advance of Lord Roberts. “We estimate that about 6000 have gone. Near the foot of Buluwana the Boers have been constructing a work near the river, | possibly a dam. We can see a figure like a noted lady in a red petticoat directing operations.” There are strong rumors that the slege of Ladysmith has been raised. HEAVY FIGHTING YET ON AT LADYSMITH LONDON, Feb. 24.—The Dally Telegraph P e Sl D DELAY IN UTILIZING WIRELESS TELEGRAPH Special Cable to The Call and New York Her- ald. Copyrighted, 1900, by the New York Herald Company. LONDON, Feb. 23.—At a meeting of the Wireless Telegraph Company to-day the chairman, Major Flood Page, mentioned the fact that a vessel, which got in the Goodwin sands, was saved by means of the Marconi system. He said the an- nouncement that the American navy had founded another system was untrue. The chairman dilated on what might have hap- pened at Kimberley and Ladysmith had the War Office let the company’'s assist- ants go out earlier. “It is reported that General White sor- either on the part of Sir George A dispatch to the Dalily Telegraph from “Fighting is proceeding in the vielnity The Daily Chronicle has the following “All day men gather on the convent hill