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Show y Britain in Gloom Over New Defeat ! I Xtvrs cf Methuen's Capture Causes I I Deep Depression and Means " a Long- "War. I T,nndn, March 11. The defeat and of L.ord Methuen by the Koer I ;; . 1 loiarey has plunged England j into . niooniy depression. Tb- news was read in parliament J .-.j 1 y,terday. and the fact was dis-i dis-i i . i that I he war office had known "' last Saturday that-in a battle bc-I bc-I f : daybreak on March 7 a force of j ;.:'" British soldiers had been stains' stain-s' ). i: that forty-one men had been "t riil'd. severity-seven wounded, over I ri" M'tiired. and Lord Methuen hini-j- I f-'J made a prisoner. I M-thiten fate at th hands of the I p.o.'s is a matter of speculation. It is j I l.c'i. vfd. however, that he will be held j hostage for the persona safety s (' Commandant Kritzinger. now on j tra! !"or treason. Others believe that Hi'' Boers may offer to exchange Me-for Me-for Cronje. now a prisoner at St. j :!) N STUNNED BY THE NEWS. t "i!i news came like a ihunderbolt to ! l'Pii-'ii. The extra editions of the evening papers giving an account of j disaster wore eagerly bought ur. i a:;d ib( ir readers hurried through the M:v. ts with anxious faces, and bitter j jvmarks were passed on the. subject of the government's declaration that J tlv- war in South Africa was over. The news earn too late to' affect : business on the st-ck exchange, but i .. iu-.l curb dealings quicklv followed r j I. sing, which South Africans I rbimpc-d heavily. The news caused I ' X' ;trmr,t In the mine market. Throg- I K" ion -trcet was thronged with South i .Airi.nn operators, eagerly inquiring V for d. -tails of the Kritih defeat and fl v, ,!i.-hing the effect of the announce- ji-nt. Shares were offered freely at tirsi. hut by 6 o'clock the excitement i l:;i-l abated and the curb tone hard- -;' tr.i .1. misu CHEEH IX COMMONS. ; Th intelligence was received in the I ""-s" f commons amid great excite- i jr.er.t. The reading of Lord Kitchener's j it lepra m by the war secretary. Mr. i Htvulri.-k. was listened to in deep si- which was broken by loud Irish i ili ers. Instantly, there were cries of ; "Sh.-ime." -Shame.'- from the govern- :-;nn benches. Then the Irish mem- t Nrs Se-mod to think better of their ciM'ueRk and suddenly subsided. The j Mibsequent eulogistic references to 'I'n-ral Methuen were received with ; ihfrs. ' WtlEF DETAIL OF FIGHT. ' The fight, in which Lord Methuen i was crjptured took place last Friday I morning just before dawn, between ? "U'inhurg and Lichtenburg. in the wesc- " J4 Pii't of the Orange River Colony. 1 '"if British force numbered 1.200 men " Mid was on its way to TVvirainesfon- ''in. where it was to meet General J dvrfell with 1.30n mounted infantry. J The attack seems to have been "a i complete surprise. The horses and n-.ules were stampeded, and although f 1,10 British replied vigorously to th I j!or'r fire their resistance was hopeless. Tij Boers attacked first from the rear I :inj 'ben simultaneouslv on both fl.inks. .... j li.- lighting continued until in i " ' !r' "k m- by the remnant of the J '.-itish column before it surrendered, j '"''"d Methuen. wounded, being among ? prisoners. Three British" officers ; Uillod. including Lieutenants G. I '; v"ning and T. P. W. Nesham of i -I.e liuyjii Artillery. who were both ( tfu.k down while serving their guns j "Uli .-ae shot. Thirty-eight British ' rn-afs were killed. Five officers and I : -ver.ty-t wo men weve wounded, and J -in orticer and 200 men missing. The B:iMsh lost four guns. I MKTIU'KX 19 RELEASED. , London. March 13. Th war secre-J secre-J !v- Broderick. announced in the i .: ,,f commons today that he un- i -:'. i that General Methuen. who . aptured, severely wounded, by t !' -";il Delarey. March 10, had been ! and was expected to arrive at ; !s 'K'"l'irp. Southwestern Transvaal, I I ! ' Th" SPn11-al'3 condition was fa- i:-.-.dt--rick added that the ex-', ex-', 'i""'s ' '-nci-nl .Methuen for Com-.' Com-.' ; !lzinR('r had not been con- ', ': ,"' T"'- trial of the command-j command-j . , "' '""en postponed because con- i . . '.'.f'" "f fhe evidence to be pre- i '" ' Iiad come in. ' . ' ''"'illy M. Ilealy. Irish' Nationalist. 'j-. Xationaiist cheers, invited the - ' "''ini. i.t to show equal magnaniits- 'fd release Commandant Kritzing- !-. Mi-oderjck said sufeequcntlv that '1-trram received did not speoi;ical-' speoi;ical-' v;'y tliat Gonial Methuen had Vieen froni 1110 fact that lie was I' ' .;e hands of a British medical 0f-''r 0f-''r it was presumed that the gen-' gen-' -I had been released. i tm m |
