The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 11, 1900, Page 1

The VOLUME }AXX\\']Ira\‘(). 142, SAN FRANCISCQ, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1900. PRICE FIVE CENTS. BOER GENERAL DE WET INFLICTS THIRD DEFEAT ON THE BRITISH WITHIN A WEEK Conflicting Reports Received From the Scene of the Latest Battle South of Brandfort, in the Orange Free State, buf the Information Is Given That the Imperial Forces Lost 600 in Killed t NDON, April 11.—A dispatch to the | inflicted the third cefeat on the British within a week at Merkatsfontein, killing and wounding 600. = tured oo, with twel s, los five Boers kiiled and nine wounded. Da ic >retoria. dated Monday, by way of Delagoa Bay: ’ ec Brandfort, in which 600 British troops were killed 8 1 to be finding great difficuity owing to the scarcity of ‘water.” Agpril 10, from Lourenzo Marques: R e g I RS ot < . . ¢ B + BREAKING IN THE PAW MATERIAL FOR ROBERTS’ CAVALRY: s The above picture taken from the London Daily Graphic given a scene that is now of constant oc- . c ce in all parts of the extensive “remount” camps at Stellenbosch and Naduwpoort, Cape Colony. + There the thousands of horses from the prairies of Texas and the pampas of Argentine, intenced to re- 4 lace the fast dying animals of Lord Roberts’ army, are halted for the time to be in a measure acclimated, . d the same time trained to the rules of the British army riding school. It may be explained that ® the long sea voyage from Galveston or Buenos Ayres to Cape Town a horse that had been well ¢ brok to the Texas cowboy or the “Guacho John” way of riding must begin his schooling over again : before he will be a fit mount for the average British cavalryman. Bieieieiedehbsieiesis edededsdodedsdsdeiedsdododededededeie® BRITISH VERSIONS OF PLUMER’S DEFEAT. and Mafeking March 31 ed on both sides Plumer sted three hours and the mer engaged the Boers between Ramathlabama m Mafeking, and to prevent being outfl retiring to his base camp. The en; force first announced April 5 in a spe- c the neighhorhood of Mafeking. s ttacked the Boers at Ramathlabama. Both 1 Plumer's men were found dead on the field and six others were made Maxim sight of railroad to within he dismounted men and proceeding a ite, encountered a large body of Be and almost simultaneously the left rp fighting followed. The Boers were in crescent formation and outnumbered the h =kill and stubbornness and persistenily endeavered to encircle the British. After r Colonel Plumer retired, with the Boers slowly following him up. The fighting continued to Ramathlabama, where the British Maxim gun was brought into play. After a stiff fight p. The British casualties were: Killed, three offic wounded, three officers e Boer loss was serlous | Snyman informed Colonel Baden-Powell that he had The Boers were also busy Sunday collecting Colonel Plumer was wounded,hut wa ble to Ty out his dutles. bama, April General Snyman with 800 men and three guns arrived returned to Mafeking. It is reported here that the advance guard of some British wounded, ir dead and wounded. ng. s conducted on Colonel Plumer's side under great difficulties, be- forcements could be promptly sent to the burgher: d there was fight began, the plain being but sparsely wooded and the railroad em- high. The men behaved gallantly, however, and officers were nnex- ption of a few rounds fired by the British Maxim gun at Ramathla- n both si Half of the Britisn officers were more or less serlously wounded. r's wound wa ¥His horse was shot. Colonel Bodle and Captain Rolt were wounded. nt Major Manning of the Fifth Dragoon Guards, who took up the dutles of Crewe was shot dead while covering the retreat of others. Captain Maclaren the famous Yorkshire cricketer, fatally, -while tenaciously holding an as- ed to Ramathlabama. ish version of the defeat of Colonel Plumer. MEN BUSY DIGGING TRENCHES. re continually arriving, but competent authorities estimate that the yuth Africa must be calculated at not less than 5000. of the Morning Post says: “The water supply continues satis- ommanding Bloemfontein. Civilian labor is to be utilized. Sick- is mer's_orderly excelient work tion. Lieute Gaberones dispatch is LORD ROBERTS’ N, Monday, April ly by the British —The Bloemfont 2g is proceeding vigoro ps is somewhat dimin ntein correspondent of the c opering. Their numt Remounts are arriving red belonging to Messrs. | for a general Dutch ris GENERAL VON BECHER POINTS OUT BRITISH DANGER 1 are interpreted as being very unfavorable to Great Britain, vidently the British will soon begin a concentric advance move- ssible for the Boers to comm e with their forces within the inner line, but the principal remains in thelr extreme long approvisionment lines. It will be, however, next to impossible e movements in the open field when Lord Roberts moves after putting his army in first-class con- Reme BLOEMFONTE f horses mon was fa hing Monday, says: “The enemy is making a desperate attempt wown to us, but are anywhere between 3000 and 6000. They are ntine animals are little liked by the cavalry. Among the valuable e correspondence proving that the fall of Ladysmith 0.—The latest events in South Af: in the Lokal Anzeiger sa has decided to withdraw as a candidate for the Presidency, and that within a few days he will formally announce his de- cision. His brother-in-law, John R. Mc- Lean, is alleged to be responsible for this latest move. Within forty-eight hours Admiral Dewey has been in consultation with Democratic leaders and others an- tagonistic to President McKinley, and the force was superior to the American fi Willlam D. King and' | Benjamin Micou and former Secretary Herbert represent the ciaimants and As- sistant Attorney General Pradt the Gov- ernment. 1 ’ that the enem DEWEY'S CLAIM BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT Argument Begun in the Admiral’s Appeal of the Suit for More Prize Money. INGTON _— - DEWEY DECLARES HE § “The Netherland Railway | gram reporting a Boer victory near Kroonstadt, . the Boers capturing goo | Laagte. | | Result of the Hard Fighting | | the victory is that on Saturday General De | | forces, | have been cut off might United States Supreme of Admiral case grows out fo due the de- fleet Mantla reme Court on appeal jon of the Court of Claims. rded the men $1% each and y claim double that Th. the adm amount April 10.—Argument | IS YET IN THE RACE Denies a Statement Published in New York to the Effect That He Would Retire. NEW YORK, April 1.—A Washington special to the Evening World says: It is asserted this afternoon, on what seems the cases on the ground |to be good authority, that Admiral Dewey opinions then expressed, together. with un- favorable or non-committal views, voiced by the newspapers, decided him, it is as- serted, to withdraw from the contest. WASHINGTON, April 10. — Admiral Dewey said to-night that the report pub- lished in a New York afternoon' paper to the. effect. that he Intended. to Withdraw his candidacy for the Presidency was all | a mistake, and that he bad never give; any one whatever any such |n(arm‘uo{l P e e e ettt He cap- | “It is officially and wounded LADYSMITH, April 9.—Heavy firing was heard this morning in the gement have been received. o0 & >e® Qoo ) &S00 0009900000009 ‘0 RS S e S S e e S SR SN AP . tinued for a few After a Fierce Engage- | ment the Boers Ap-| pear to Have Capturad an Entire British Com- | mand of 1500 Troops. | Around Wenener Monday | and Tuesday, Where the | Colonial Division Is Being | Attacked, Is Not Yet| Known, but Losses Are| Heavy. s Special cable to The Call a ald. Copyright, 12(¢ lishing Company. ONDON, April 11.— A third very seri- | ous defeat has been inflicted upon the British rces in the Orange | Free State, according to dispatches | to the Daily Mall, quoting advices | from Boer sources. The report of | Wet's Burghers attached the }!rlllflh} 1500 strong, at Meerkatsfontein. | After a fierce engagement in whic¢h, ac- | cording to ene aceount, 600 British were | killed or wotinded, the Boers captured the | entire command. « The War Office has not made public any dispatches indicating the possibility of such an engagement, nor do any press tel- egrams recelved from the correspondents with ‘he British army, many of which bear later date than Saturday. contain | any hint of this disaster. Yet the censor- ship is very stringent at present and might easily prevent such news from reaching England until after Lord Rob- erts had seen fit to report on it. The location of Meerkatsfontein, where the battle is said to have been fought, is uncertain. One dispatch says it is to the <outh of Bloemfontein, and apparently in the neighborhood of Reddersburg. If this be the case the British force alleged to | be the column | which Gatacre sent to Reddersburg to ald the hard pressed Dritish force there, but | which arrived after the surrender and then retired to Bethanle. Arother Pretoria dispatch locates the battlefleld south of Brandfort and north of Bloemfontein, in which case it might be a part of General Tucker's division, | which has been lying at Karee Siding | since the battle dround the kopjes there. The dispatches agree in stating that the | British loss in killed, wounded and pris- oners was about 1500 men. | Hard fighting took place around Wepen- er Monday and yesterday, where a part of | General Erabant’s colonial division is be- ing attacked ‘by the Boers. The losses in the first day's battle are said to have been heavy. The Burghers have been rein- forced by a commando from Dewets- dorp and renewed the attack, the result of which is not known. That Lord Roberts realizes the serious- ness of the present conditions in the Free State is shown by the fact that General Rundle, with his Eighth Division, has been ordered to Springfontein. This puts 10,000 more men on duty to guard the rail- way and keep the Boers away from the British line of communications. Boers have agaln crossed the Orange River, which will tend to stir up new re- bellion among the Dutch in the north of Cape Colony. They are in greatest force near Aliwal North, at Odendaalstroom, east of Bethulie and south of Smithfield. They have destroyed the pont over the river. Practically the Boers hold the whole of the Free State east of the railway all the way from Ficksburg to Orange River. Two thousand of them are said to be marching from Smithfield on Springfon- tein Junction. It is very probable that with only his division, General Gatacre would not have been able to hold all the rallway line’ as far north as Kaffir River had not Run- dle's division been ordered to his assist- ance. ~ It is now made plain that Colonel Plumer penetrated within six miles of Mafeking on March 31, but was then obliged to retire to avoid being outflanked. He fell back not merely to Ramathla- bama, vut even to his base camp. Untis the Boer besiegers are seriously threatened from the south it seems cer- tain that the relief of Mafeking cannot be effected. Weeks must elapse before Rhodesia hears if Plumer can be rein- forced by any troops coming by way of Beira and Salisbury. 4444444444444 0440 3+ CAPTAIN CARL REICHMAN LED BOERS IN BATTLE ONDON, April 11.—The Berlin correspondent of the Daily News asserts that the Reichman who is credited with having led the Boers at Kornspruit is certainly the American military attache, ~ Captain Carl Reichman. @+ttt t ittt et iiiel R aasas R e S R S R el tured tured. 1o hours. No details of the er * ril 10).—The British casual on on usmng ; sessi ari g IN THEIR SEAGIRT PRISON ISLE. [From Army and Navy, after a photograph by A. L. Innes, Jamestown, St rection of Sunday nd Wounded, 800 Were Taken Prisoners and 12 Wagons Lost. Mai. from Brandfort, dated Sunday, savs: Yesterday De et | east of Kroonstadt, but, if the repcrt be true, this can hardly be the place.” PRETCRIA, April g (via Lourenzo Marques, Ap were 100 killed and wounded and 439 cap The Transvaal Volksraad has been summoned to meet in Heavy cannonading is reported at Fourteen Strearm moving in the direction of Hoopstad. PIETERMARITZBURG, April 10.—Heavy can ties in the fight at Dewetsdorp May 10. a naval gun. It con- River. D e Helena.) A view of the landing place, Jamestown, St. Helena, where General Cronje and his fellow prison- ers stepped ashore to begin their stay to the end of the war. B e e = Y. ] SCOUT BURNHAM TELLS OF BOER ACCURACY. LONDON, April 11.—A dispatch to the Morning Post from Bloemfontein, dated April 9, gives a description by F. R. Burnham, the American scout with General Roberts, of the Boer trek from Kornspruit. a report that the British had occupied Brandfort and were moving to Winberg the course of the cc the Boers pushed forward with increased speed toward Winberg. They expected cavalry pursuit convoy was protected with the greatest care and subtlety, the road being taken between kopjes he The trek proceeded throughout Sunday and Monday and on Monday morn cessfon by rear guards. ten miles from Winberg." Mr. Burnham, explaining the Boer method of obtaining the range for rifle fire, says: and watched the dust raised by the bullets until accuracy was obtained,.and he then communicated comrades.” Mr. Burn wing to £ ered and every hour, and the and evacuated in suc- g the convoy was “One man fired successive shots the range to his Mr. Burnham also mentions the way in which work intrusted to men with tired horses was immediately taken up by others with fresh animals If occasion offered, the newcomers being given instructions and the range of the men whose places they took. He was struck by the “extraordinary fullness of the instructions given by the commanders to the men before any movement was.begun.” These included information as to the route to be followed. the intention of the mave- ment and the different rendezvous in case of either victory or defeat. Another thing that impressed him gre: y, was the “total absence of leading.” in some instances every man having recelved instructions and carrying them out independently and as speedily as possible. THREE BOER PEACE COMMISSIONERS REACH NAPLES. NAPLES, were welcome vaal legation at B sels. April 10.—The Boer Peace Commissioners, M by Mr. Muller, the representative of the Orange Free State, and Mr: Van Bo: They will remain here for some days. Messrs, Muller and Van. Boeschen went on board the Kaiser and had a long conference with the envoy rs. Fischer, Wolmarans and Wessels, arrived here to-day hen, the se and ary of the Trans- It 1s asserted by passengers that the Peace Commissioners are empowered to open negotiations for an acceptable peace or for a truce with a view to subséquent negotiations. The Corriere d'Italia this evening publishes an interview with Mr. Fischer, representing him as having sald: “Lord Rob- erts will never reach Pretoria, as he would have tc pass through an impracticable desert.” BOERS SECURE THIRTY PIECES OF ARTILLERY. LONDON, April 11.—The correspondent of the Times at Lourenzo Marquez, telegraphing Monday, say “Trustworthy refugees assert that the Boers recently obtained at least thirty pleces of artillery, some of large caliber, which were brought overland as machinery from a West African port. Boer officials openly boast that they have succeeded in smuggling ammunition through Portuguese territory. Eight of these guns were d'spatcied to the Free State a week ago The In the course of the Dempsey trial State Engineer Munnik admitted under pressure that, acting under instructions from State Secretary Reitz of the Transvaal, he had bored holes in twenty-five mines. NAVAL GUNS BOMBARDING BOER POSITIONS. LONDON, April 11.—The Durban correspondent of the Daily Telegraph telegraphing Tuesday, April 19, says: *“Our naval guns have commenced bombarding the Boer positions between Sundays River and Biggarsber; LONDON, April 1.—The Durban correspondent of the Standard, telegraphing Tuesday, says: troops are coming down for shipment to Cape Colony. the Cape, probably in command of these troops.” Two regiments have already “Large numbers of safled. General Hart is also going to ARMED KAFFIRS DEFEATED BY BURGHERS. PRETORIA, April 7.—Advices from Mafeking say a band of armed Kaffirs left Mafeking through the burghers’ lines dur- ing the night of April 5 and were followed and surrounded in the bush, when they were shelled by a Maxim-Nordenfeldt gun., The Boers then stormed the Kaffir position, killing thirty-one. The Kaffirs fought stubbornly. Skirmishes are reported at Biggarsberg and in the Free State, mostly between patrols. CRONJE AND THE BOER PRISONERS ARRIVE AT ST. HELENA. ISLAND OF ST. HELENA, April 9.—The Niobe and the Milwaukee have arrived here with the Boer prisoners. Thelr health is good with the exception of four cases of measles, necessitating the Milwaukee being quarantined. The prisoners are quiet and well behaved. They will probably land to-morrow. The Governor has been notifled of the desire of the authorities that ‘thc prisoners be treated with every courtesy and con!i(?grallom FREE STATE PRACTICALLY HELD BY REPUBLICAN FORCES. BETHULIE, Orange Free State, April 9.—TIt is expected that the Boers will endeavor to retake and destroy the bridge over the Orange River. Consequently extraordinary precautions have been taken. A force of Boers is located twelve miles east. As a matter of fact the Boers practically again hold the Free State eastward of the rallroad, and are greatly encour- aged by their successes at Reddersburg a nd Korn Spruit. e g LORD METHUEN'S FORCE RECONNOITERS EASTWARD. ZWARTKOPFONTEIN, Orange Free State, Monday, April 9.—Lord Methuen's force is encamped here, ten miles east of Boshof. eastward, but he only encountered a small body of Boers, who fled: Since the Boshof affair Lord Chesham, with yeomanry and the Kimberley mounted corps, has reconnoitered ! H—E-SULTS OF ELECTIONS IN CITIES OF NEW JERSEY Republicans Gain a Majority in the Board of Public Works of New- ark and City Council. NEW YORK, April 10.—Municipal elec- tions were held to-day in most of the im- portant citigs of New Jersey and in sev- eral of the smaller ones. Councilmen only were elected in most of the cities that voted to-day. Local issues were involved and there was no striking overturn any- where. In Newark, where the Republi- cans had hoped for a sweeping victory, Mayor Seymour (D.) was re-elected by 2300 majority, but the Republicans electeqd two members of the Board of Works, the whole electorate voting, and the new | Council will stand eighteen Republicans | and twelve Democrats, a reversal of last | ear. In Jersey City the Democratic ticket | was elected by 5200 majority. The Board | of Aldermen will stand twenty-three Dem- ocrats and two Republicans. | In Elizabeth Mayor Mack (R.) was re- elected, but the Democrats still retain | control of the Common Counell. | In New Brunswick the Democrats re- elected City Collector Flerence by 133 | | majority. The new Council will consist | | of nine Democrats and four Republicans. | In Trenton the Republicans carried ten of the thirteen wards and gained four i BRITISH REPORT OF THE BATTLI ALIWAL NORTH, April 1.—The Bril ish loss in the fight at Wepener yesterda was 11 killed and 41 wounded. Fightin was resumed to-day. The British ar holding their own well. g alli> e el L et e e | Councilmen, thus giving them a stf greater majority than before. Hoboken gave the usual Democratic ms jority, and the complexion of the Couz cil s unchanged.