The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 28, 1900, Page 1

VOLUME LXXXVII-NO. 90. SAN FRANCISCO, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1900. PRICE FIVE CENTS. WITH GALLANT GENERAL CRONJE FOUR THOUSAND BOERS SURRENDERED Having Disposed of His Prisoners of War, Lord Roberts Is Ready to Continue His Advance—Buller Doing Some Desperate Fighting Before Ladysmith, and Has Recently Sustained Heavy Losses. : D N e ey e Y ) 3 ; 2 : : : : e R S rIELD MAKSHAL RUBER1S, the Victor of Paardeberg. s e e b e PPN L B A PP P SN D S D e e ] ONDON, Feb. 27.—The SR War Office has received the following dis- 2 m Lord Roberts: “PAARDEBERG, Feb. 27 (11 o’clock, Tuesday morning).— ed to me daily by the intelligence department General Cronje's foree was becoming more de- scontent of the troops and the discord among the ncreasing. This feeling was doubtless accentuatsd caused when the Boer reinforcements which tried vere defeated by our troops on February 23. ng pressure to bear upon the enemy. Each were pushed forward toward the enemy’s laager so as on and at the same time I bombarded it vhich was yesterday materially aided by the ar- howitzers which I ordered up from De Aar. In neasures a captive balloon gave great assistance by d of the disposition and movements of the enemy. | ¥ ashing advance was made by the Cana- nd some engineers, supported by the Gordon Highland- roy . resulting in our gaining a point some 600 nd within about eighty yards of his trenches, iched themselves and maintained their positions ant deed worthy of our colonial comrades, and which, was attended by comparatively slight loss. linched matters, for at daylight to-day a letter ich he stated that he surrendered uncondition- our outposts under a flag of trucs. 7 I told General Cronje he must present himself at my es must come out of their laager after laying 7 a. m. I received General Cronje and dispatched ncing the fact. In the course of conversation he t our hands, and also that his wife, grand- adjutant and servants might accompany him sent. I reassured him and told him that his request d him thet a general officer would be re his being treated with proper re- start this afternoon under charge of Major Gen- d him over to the general commanding at [,_4 ners, who humber about 3000, will be formed into r our own officers. They will also leave here to-day, ver, to- ow, when they will be railed to Cape tch weas read in both the House of Lords and the The reference to the Canadians evoked im- above disy House of Comu mense and prolonged cheers A. J. Balfour, the Government leader in the House of Commons, had no inforn relative to the Boer guns. sa INSURGENTS CLAIM TO HAVE WON A BATTLE Report the Defeat of am Ameri- cam Column and the Taking of Forty Prisoners. Special Dispatch to The Call 27.—Senor Agoncillo, the F y all the French papers to-d been pinos’ foreign representative, had 1 “official telegram” announcing n column h completely routed near Santo Tomas, ipino column under General Malvar. The Filiptnos had soners, including the American commander and several offi- ng 100 horses, many guns and all the Americans’ provisions to say that the army of the Filipinos is “more and more the spirit of independence and by the resolution to continue jtter end. It may be said the war is only begun, since Agu- ip bis army to wage guerrilla warfare—a course which al- d most favorable results.” when questioned as to the source of his information, said: e out a plece of news that has not been exact or that has not since rmed. This information comes from a reliable source, which it is pos- r known nor suspected. 1 cannot tell when it came or whence it 2 tire trustworthiness, for it has been thoroughly Ag 205 mever have been conquered, and never will be. They have 60,- ammunition is not wanting and guerrilla wafare, if things tae t 2 be continued for centuries. The advantages.are on our side. he temporary lull in activity is only for the purpose of gaining time, and 1t in afresh and the United States will find it more impos- ission than has England to beat the Boers. It cannot be 8 € » obtain subn pcom{ ONDON, Feb. 28 —General Cronje’s unconditional surrender yesterday with 4000 men, in- cluding nearly fifty officers of important rank and four big guns, is the triumphant result of Lord Roberts’ strategy. It was a piece of beilliant soldiership, strongly conceived and per- fectly executed. Quickly massing together two weeks ago a flying force of cavalry and mounted infantry 10,000 strong, with field guns, he brought up behind Modder River his infantry division. Then he sent French with clouds of cavalry uider orders to sweep over the drifts to Kimberley, reliev- ing that place. Cronje found himself otitflanked. If he retreated north Methuen and French would have enveloped him. He was obliged to give up Kimberley and tlee to the eastward. On the night of the 15th he started on a forced march toward Paardeberg. Accomplishing thirty-tfree miles in one desperate march, he was discerned on the morning of the 16th and followed up sharply by the cavalry. Lord Kitchener and General Kelly-Kenny caught up with his rear guard, driving it in upon the main body, which was outspanned with cattle, weary and tired men in the bed of the river. There he was penned in on the 18th. Roberts, at the head of the infantry division, sealed him up between Koodoosberg and Paardeberg in a trap. For a whole week the Boer commandos were shut up between the river banks and stormed at day and night with artillery and rifle fire. Roberts held off the scattered reinforcements and maintained the close, unsparing fire, which rendered Cronje's position untenable. Finally a dashing advance was made early yester- DOt 00000000000t 400000000090 00 000040000000 2040 4000409 . 1 @ it 1 ! 0T | R | (1 ! ® A\ l R !hhp ® ‘ i} j fil ¢ & L & . ) 3 ® S ? b4 ® ® ? * | # el . + . : * > - s ¢+ ® ® + |+ 13 : |2 b ® + & 4 : 3 3 P + ® P { * * b4 3 . @ | ¢+ i | © B . . 7 . | & % L4 / /// I hé Wl n 7 4 + - GREAT REJOICING IN LONDON. be There was a big crowd in front of the Mansion House cheering wildly as the Lord Mayor approached with the 4 4 Lady Mayoress on the balcony. Shouts of “Cronje surrendered!’ “Majuba avenged!” “Hurrah for Bobs!” and “Eng- and for ever!"” rang often and loud. Qo B e 600000000000 edeieieiesdedsdesderdesd s eiedededrdedeiede day morning by the Canadians to within eighty yards of the Boer trenches, and the enemy was compelled to surrender. All-important questions this morning are: “What effect will the capitulation have upon the Boers?” and “What will be Roberts’ next move?” This British victory does not mean a collapse on the part of the Boers. It means the freeing of the Free State forces by the removal of one of the most skillful commanders and the return to their farms of the weak-kneed among the Free Staters, but in the Free State one other series of actions at least will have to be fought, while the march into the Transvaal means very hard fighting and the loss of many lives. That the British Government appreciates this is shown by the announcement that the Eighth Division will be sent out so soon as transports are available. The consensus of military opinion here is that Roberts will move on Bloemfontein (French is reported to be already on the way), perhaps sending a strong mounted force to re- lieve Mafeking. It is not thought that the Boers will make a stand at the Free State capital, as it is not easily defended, but strong positions are to be found on the border of the two republics. Buller is finding Boer resistance to his advance on Ladysmith increasing rather than diminishing, and as yet White has not been able to assist in the movemem. In fact the Boers are trying to outflank the British, which attempt, if it succeeds, will to a great extent justify the result of the week’s fighting. : RSO OO RO OSONOS O R IO OO ORIRISRIRAS HRI SR HOSIOION DRORINNON 0@ BOER PRISONERS NUMBER FOUR THOUSAND. ORORORORORORIRONG ONDON, Feb. 2.—Lord Roberts reported to the War Office that the number of Boer prisoners approximates 4000, of which about 1150 are citizens of the Orange Free State. The remainder are citizens of the Transvaal. The officers captured by General Roberts, besides Generdl Piet Cronje, include the following well-known com- manders: Chief Commandant M. J. Wolverans, a member of the Volksraad; Field Cornet Frus, a Scandinavian; Major Albrecht, the famous German artilleryman; Major von Dewitz, the distinguished German officer, respon- sible for most of the splendid engineering works of the Boers since the commencement of the war. Twenty-nine Transvaal officers were captured and eighteen Free State officers were made prisoners. The guns |§ captured from the Transvaal forces were three 75-centimeter Krupps, one nine-pounder and one Maxim gun. From %& the Free Staters the British captured onc 75-centimeter Krupp and one Maxim gun. - % _ , ‘With the capture of General Cronje’s 4000 men, the number of prisoners taken by the British since the war began % exceeds by some hundreds the number captured by the Boers, as nearly as can be estimated from the meager and | §¢ desultory returns. Paardeberg at one stroke more than offsets Dundee, Nicholsons Nek and Stormberg. The append- g ed table shows the number of prisoners taken on both sides: s & Reported missing, British side, up to Dec. 80—Officers. 158 | Boer prisoners taken previous to January 20. 340 4 2,812 | Taken at Spion Kop... X & Since December 0—Officers . D0 | At other places since & 1,066 | Surrendered by General Cronfe .. g Total L4126 | TOLAL ieicseiaunaneiuenmsnessisissisens srssossensoasasencosese 4584 b ounoson | | | | | Q} R O R R R e L R R e O O i o b oy ey gei £ o [ B e L S S S S St S 2 S S S GENERAL CRONJE, the Vanquished Boer Commander. B e e S ONDON, Feb. 28, 5 a. m.—Sir Redvers Buller is having a hard time in Natal. It is evident that he was misled when he wired that there was only a weak rear guard between him and Lady- smith. Apparently some of the hardest fighting of the war took place at the end of last week, as an armistice was agreed upon to allow attend- ance upon the wounded and burial of the dead. Both sides must have lost heavily. At any moment, however, news may come of General Buller's suc- cess. Friday will begin the fourth month of the siege of the garrison which is seemingly in a position where it is unable to do anything to help General Buller. A special dispatch from Colenso dated Tuesday, February 27, says: “The Boers are endeavoring to outflank us and severe fighting contin- ues.” PIETERMARITZBURG, Feb. 27.—An armistice was arranged on Sunday to allow for burial of dead. At its conclusion the Boers made a determined night attack on Fort Wylie. Heavy fire was prolonged for hours. Our position was maintained. The Boers when questioned dur- ing the armistice scorned the idea of the abandonment of the invest- ment of Ladysmith. Owing to the enemy’s splendid positions the Brit- ish difficulties are stupendous and progress will be necessarily slow. ENORMOUS DIFFICULTIES OF BULLER'S TASK. LONDON, Feb. 28.—A dispatch to the Daily Mail from Pietermaritzberg, dated Monday, describes at considerable length the “enormous difficulties of General Buller’s task,” and says: “The real advance began last Wednesday. The stu- pendous nature of the task was onl lerstood when, being on the spot, one was able to realize what it means to hurl infantry at positions aligned in every direction with -carefully - prepared treaches and wi breastworks defended by practically invisible riflemen, armed’ with the most deadly ra and aided by quick-firing guns which put all but our cannon o ibre into the shade.” 9 Commenting upon Friday's fighting. the Dally firing weapons f the lightest cal- Mail's correspondent says: “As it would have been madness to seek an outlet from the amphitheater of hills by way of Groblers Kloof, on the feft, a route had to be found on the right, «nd at 2 p. m. on Friday, amid the incessunt crackling of rifle fire and the roar of cannon, the Irish brigade was distributed along the river to take Raflway Hill on the other side of Ploters Stati This hill is commanding enough to ensure our final advance, providing we could hold it securely and could mount canven on it. From Onderbrook Spruit railway bridge the track runs along the Tugeia, and it was perflously open to the T marksmen dispe on the kopjes back from the river, and, after passing Pi-ters Station many men would be b be hit. Beyond the station the line pz over another small bridge cros: deep denga, and'it was in the approach to this bridge and onward to t of Ratiway Hill that the greatest danger from enforced exposure was necessary to cross by the bridge at the mouth of the donga. which. besides being difficult of aces ran into the Tugela. The path between the raillway and the river was almost always in fu' view of the enemy. Every man of the Irish brigade had, therefore, to run the ga'mntlet of Boer marksmen, and numbers dropped on_the bridge where the Boers' bullets fell dangerously thick, until the bridge was sandbagged and only one m:n allowed on it at a time. Very soon fifty men .were put out of action in the race from the bridge to the rendezvous, ani several members of the volunteer ambulance corps were wounded in following the troops.’ The Daily Mail has the following fiom Ladysmith, dated Ladysmith, Feb. 2¢: “Yesterday the Boer retreat continued. A party of about seventy, en route from the north, drew rein for Limit Hill. A battery. of fifteen pounders, placed not far off, suddenly opened fire and practically annihilated the party. A Boer sm- bulance was later on seen collecting the dead and wounded. The Boers are ry- ing to form a bridge or drift across Kiip River, south of Umbulwana, evidently for the purpose of permitting the passage of wagons and artillery in their re- tirement from Colenso. Our guns are preventing this work being carried on.” DISASTROUS ATTEMPT TO CARRY RAILWAY HILL. LONDON, Feb. 28.—The Dailly Malil publishes this dispatech from its special correspondent, Richard Harding Davis: PIETERS, Feb. 2{.—Last night the Inniskilling Fusiliers, mixed h some of the Dublin Fus rs and Connaught Rangers, attempted to carry Railway Hill from Pleters. They were under a continuous fire, through which they passed up heavy, broken ground to the first Boer trench. Half way up the hill the Boers retreated to the crest and then came back on either flank of the Irish troops, enfillading the captured trench with a savage cross as well as a direct fire. All night until 9 o’clock in the morning the British held the position un- der a ceaseless fire and at terrible cost. At roll call only five officers and one hundred men answered to their names. Colonel Thackery and Major Sanders of the Inniskillings, Colonel Sitwell of the Dublin Fusiliers, Captain Maitland of the Second Gordons and Colonel Thorold of the Welch Fusiliers were killed. Two hundred and fifty-two of the rank and file were killed or wounded. General Lytteiton’s brigade relieved them at 10 o'clock this morning, when the Boer artil- lery pounded the troops holding the center kopjes without pause, but with lit- tle effect. CORRESPONDENT MURDERED BY AN OFFICER: LONDON, Feb. 28.—Mr. Parslow, the correspondent of the Daily Chronicle at Mafeking, who had previously been reported as accidentally shot and killled on November 2, was, it appears from the diary of a Morning Post correspondent and from a letter received by the Daily Chronicle, murdeced by Lieutenant Murchison of the British artillery, reputed to be a man of fine professional abil ities. It seems that Mr. Parslow and Lieutenmant Murchison had dined together and that, when they were strolling across the square, Murchison was seen to draw a revolver and to kill his companion. An inquiry was held and a finding of willful murder was returned. Lieutenant Murchison was tried by court-martial. HEAVY LOSSES AMONG ROBERTS’ MEN. LONDON, Feb. 27.—The War Office has issued a list of 721 non-commissioned officers and men wounded in the fighting at Paardebers Sunday, February 1S, in- cluding 63 Canadians and 213 Highlanders. GENERAL CRONJE ATTEMPTED TO ESCAPE. LONDON, Feb. 28.—A special dispatch from Cape Town, dated Monday, says: “General Cronje last night attempted to escape with a party of Boers, but he ‘was driven back.”