Show I MARC J INTO MAFEKiNG Scene as the Troops Traversed the Streets Baffles DescriptionPeople Were Wild With Joy + Many of Them Wept as They Greeted Their DeliverersLady Sarah I Wilson Describes the Fighting the Day Before the Siege Was AbandonedCol Aahon Entered the Town at Sight to the Complete Surprise of the Boers London May 21The War ofllce issued Is-sued a dispatch from Lord Roberts under un-der dale of Honings Spruit May 22nd announcing the receipt by i him of the following message from MaJGcn BadenPowell Mafeklng May 17I am happy to Inform you that Mafeklng was successfully suc-cessfully relieved today The northern and southern columns Joined hands on May isih and attacked the enemy yesterday yes-terday and after a small engagement r entirely defeated l thorn with loss Tho British casualties were three killed and twentytwo wounded RELIEVING FORCE ARRIVES The relieving force marched Into Mafeklng at 9 this morning and the relief and defense forces combined and moved out and attacked the enemys head laaircr We shelled them out and nearly captured Snyman and took one gun a flag nnd a large amount of ammunition ammuni-tion stores etc Five dead and fifteen wounded Boers were found BOERS ARE RETREATING The enemy appears to bo retreating in all directions except ono commando which Is lying 1 low possibly to cover the retreat of the remainder Capt MacLarcn and Corp Murray were found In the Boer hospital They are doing well The townspeople and the garrison of Mafeklng are heartily grateful for their relief WEPT FOR JOY A dispatch from Mafeklng dated May 17ih the first message except Col Ba denPowells J dispatch forwarded since the relief of the lown says the place was wild with Joy that many peoplo wept as they greeted their deliverers and that the scene as the troops traversed trav-ersed the streets bafllcd description Says the same dispatch TOWN IS HAPPY The vhole town Is animated with a keen sense of exultation over the victory vic-tory which was complete decisive and farreaching All the outlying works of the town were Intact the British had lost hardly I any men and yet three bodies of federals right inside the British lines had been surrounded cutoff cut-off and given an opportunity to sur rondsr which they had declined LULL IN THE FIGHTING Commandant Sarel EIoiT did not realize that his supports had been driven back and he Informed a messenger mes-senger that the town was at his mercy Toward noon there was a lull In the fighting Everybody at headquarters went to breakfast and the commissariat commis-sariat requisitioned for horse sausage bread and water for the men on the fighting line There was no thought of half rations Every one got all he could put BOERS CORRALED I The Brlllsh in the slaat moving from rock to rock gradually drew In their circle around the federals whom they corniled like cattle In a compound Shortly after 430 a while nag was hoisted by the enemy and then amid ringing cheers the first batch of Boers was disarmed andsent lo the town The erstwhIle besiegers furnished an inspiring spectacle to the townsfolk themselves so long cooped up AK the hungry dirty bat iletuI 1101 Boers I marched between the gleaming bayonets bayo-nets of the British the Ilrlllsh population popu-lation received them respectfully but the KafHis gave full rein to their enthusiasm en-thusiasm in hoots yells and similar expressions of delight The prisoners seemed glad the fight was over ELOFF SURRENDERS As the afternoon advanced tho crackle of musketry began again continuing con-tinuing until nearly 7 oclock when Capt Singleton shouted Cease lire A message had come from headquarters to the effect that ElofT his ofllcers and men had surrendered and had laid down their arms unconditionally loCo lo-Co Ilore who with a handful of men had been a prisoner of Eloff during most of the day FIRE ON BOER DESERTERS Shortly before this a fusillade was heard It was Blot and the men who stood by him firing on their own de serlors eighly of whom lied As the news spread by telephone to the garrisons gar-risons of the various forts cheer upon cheer resounded 1 In the town some one shouted God Sun the Queen and lie strains of the national anthem mingled for a few mInutes with the hoarse shouting of Ihe natives BRITON AND BOER MEET Soon apt Slnglolon and Col Ho re approached accompanied by I Commandant Com-mandant Eloff anil his officers The meeting between col BadenTowell and the Boer commander was dramatic This iti Commandant ElofT sir I said Capt Singleton I to Good evening Commandant said Col RidpnPowell Welcome and have some dinner I As HIP Brlllsh had already captured IM prisoners about all they could handle han-dle Col BadenPowell sent word to Lord Ihnse Bentpnpk to open the wa and allow the scattered remnants oC I the federals to be driven from thu stnnt L I In half an hour everything was ovtr and In tho messroom at headquarters head-quarters thc three Boor ofllcers were dining dlnlnHIDDEN HIDDEN STORE OF LIQUOR Nearly every mpRu In town raked up somewhere a hidden store of liquor a boltle of champagne in one place a flask of whisky In another The whole I town joined In the jubilation singing God Save the Queen antI other patriotic patri-otic songn all night long The rank and file of the Boer prisoners pris-oners Were lodged at Masonic hall Most of them aro Johunnesbugers They serimd In pxcollent splrils scrambled for the blankets issued wrote letters to their friends and grumbled at Gen Snyman DID KriKNDlD WORK The correspondents ngrcc that lie Canadians MuJ Endons H I ven guns I did splendid work Some or them cutE cut-E sort that the Canadians did absolutely essential work In the fighting FOOD FOR HUNGRY GARRISON About 7 In the evening of the day before the roller after Col Mahon and Col Plumer had defeated the Boers nine miles from Mnfpklng MaJ Karrl Davis nnd nine scouts entered the town Tho Boers wor then retreating An Ion I-on the following morning lKvn men Including iho t Canadians arrived With them were twenty wagon loads of food which wore received with wild demonstrations demon-strations SURROUNDED THE BOERS The armored train and a detachment then pushed forward lo Game Tree fort I the scone of the unsuccessful sortie in December The Boers were pressed and iho correspondent telegraphing Thursday afternoon closed his dls I pnlch thus We caught up with the retreating Boers and have thorn now surrounded FIGHTING VERY SEVERE Lady Sarah Wilson has managed to get through a message from Mnfpklng dtued Thursday and announcing the entry or the relief column She says The fighting before the relief was very hard A severe struggle proceeded yesterday yes-terday May ICth from 2 p m until dusk The Boers were forced slowly to I retreat contesting very Inch At sunset sun-set they still held the last position BOER SURPRISE COMPLETE Col Mahon entered Iho town In the I brilliant moonlight The Boers were I 13 tired out as we wore and they never guessed that an attempt would be made to force ail entry before mornIng morn-Ing Therefore their surprise was complete com-plete They deserted their laagers leaving a lot of food which was divided I I up among the people of Mafeklng WEDNESDAY BATTLE DESCRIBED The action opened at 1 p m Wednesday with Maxim lire and this soon told upon the enemy who surrounded sur-rounded us but who had not hindered the forward march The value of tho Boer methods of warfare when used I In a flat country may be estimated by hlg action Little cover was afforded the enemy with the result that they fled as soon as our guns were turned on them The fight raged most fiercely on the left l but out guns soon silenced the enemy who were sepn flying In all directions i HUNTING THE BOERS Those on the left bank finding that their comrades In front had abandoned their positions ran helterskelter Then ensued the finest Boer hunting during the war The dismounted British plied the enemy with rifle lire while the pornporn hustled until not a single Boer wan left In front of us Tho Canadians kept busy on the right replying with sevenpounder to the enemys biggest gun until darkness > I dark-ness fell on the scene |