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Show I British Abandon Ladmmitd ' London, Jan. 31. Such scraps of in formation as can be gathered regarding the movements of the armies in the field peem to indicate that the relief of Ladysmith has been abandoned for the present, and that a concentration of the British for an- invasion of the Free State is in progress. In addition to General Kelly-Kenny's movement, General Gen-eral Brabant, chief or the Cape Colonials, Colon-ials, has arrived at Sterkstroom. The natives report that three Boer trur.fi have been removed from Spytfon-! Spytfon-! tein to Kimberley. The Boers are ap parently making a special effort to re- i duce the place quickly. The Kimberley j garrison was safe last Sunday. It is now known that the cabinet devoted de-voted much of its diecussions on feat-urday feat-urday to the mobilization of the fleet. Nothing was pattled, except that until further security to the home coasts has been obtained by naval preparations, the Eighth division shall not be sent to South Africa. On Monday the admiralty issued orders or-ders that the channel squadron, instead of leaving Portland thi? week for Gibraltar, Gib-raltar, as previously directed, shall assemble as-semble on Feb. $ off Eddystone and proceed to Bantry for a fortnight's exercises ex-ercises off the Irish coast, thus keeping in home waters for a time. This decision to delay the Eighth division di-vision at a time when reinforcements are so urgently required may mean only more troops are not yet available, avail-able, and that the division will embark when the shipping is ready. Warning to Other Nations. i The mobilization of reserve warships. If cur-Vi n rmircf Vin11 hp determined upon, would be of the utmost import-, import-, ance. There is nothing in the intelli gence possessed by the public to cause the cabinet's prolonged discussion of i this matter and the inference is that the fleet may be mobilized as a general w arning to other countries to keep their hands off the Transvaal situation, or ; the ministry may have definite knowledge knowl-edge that the neutral powers purpose to take eome advantages elsewhere while England is busy in South Africa. One this is certain. Ten thousand men all ready to go to South Africa are detained for reasons of which the public pub-lic has no knowledge. There is talk of forty-seven military battalions being embodied. These are all of the militia not previously warned. A sharp look out is being kept on volunteers for the j various South African regiments. The Daily Chronicle saya: "Three suspicious characters were rejected re-jected by headquarters in one regiment Monday. Two were unmistakably of Boer origin. The third, whose English was faulty, had been a German officer." of-ficer." MARCH ON" BLOEMTONTEIN. British Forces Concentrating For Another Great Effort, London, Jan. 30. The only reliable dispatch of any Importance is a confirmation confir-mation of the report that General Kelly-Kenny, commanding the Sixth division, has occupied Thebus, about midway between General French at Hensberg and General Gatacre at Eterkstroem. From this It is deduced . that a juncture of the three forces is being made preparatory to the begin- ning of the plan of advance on Bloem-. Bloem-. f ontein. The dispatch from Pretoria, dated Saturday, Jan. 27, gives the Boer version ver-sion of the Pietfontein reconnaissance referred to in the dispatches of Jan. 2S, when the British losses were two men killed and ten wounded. The Associated Press learns that General Gen-eral Lyttleton'e brigade is still in its i original position at Potgieter's Drift, showing that part of General Buller's forces are still north of the Tugela river. WILL TRY TO ESCAPE. General White to Hake Attempt to Break Through Boer Lines. New York, Jan. 30. Advices from London indicate that military associ-! associ-! ates of General White are of the opin- ' ion that he will make a desperate at tempt to break through the Boer lines ; and escape from Ladysmith; that i though such a movement would cost a tremendous sacrifice cf life, it would be preferable to surrender to the Boers. The statement that Lord Roberts ad-vied ad-vied the abandonment of Ladysmith i . 11.. r.Alls.A ir, TurAnn Vlllt is not gent-ittiij ucujiw In view of the fact that the supply of provisions will not hold out for more than a week longer, it is not probable that anv aid can be rendered to General Gen-eral White inside of that time, and : he will have but two courses open-surrender open-surrender or cut his way out. Several military experts in Lonaon are of the opinion that the British in Kimberley, at Modder river and on the Tugela will also be left to work out their own sal-" sal-" . vat ion. Thy? London Post says: "There is a rumor that General Kitchener or Lord Boberte has left Cape Town already to take command of a movement by General Gen-eral Gatacre's and General French's combined forces, with heavy additions of fresh troops, against the Orange Free State. ' FEARS FOR THE WORST. British Casualties Hay Exceed Number Num-ber Reported By Boers. London, Jan. 36. The war office continues con-tinues to hold back definite news in regard to the casualties at Spion Kop resulting from Wednesday's battle, but . . ... reports from various sources state that the British leases were even greater than indicated in the Boer dispatches of Sunday. One report states that the British casualties exceeded 1,800 dead and 1,000 wounded. In view of the large number . of officers reported killed twice as many as at Magersfontein and four times as many as at Colenso, there Is reason to fear that the Boer report of the British losses will prove nearly accurate. Several special dispatches from London Lon-don state, owing to some blunder, the British soldiers were short of ammunition ammuni-tion In Wednesday's battle cn Spion Kop and that they were forced to meet a rain of shot and shell from the Boers with bayonets.- The authorities at the war office strongly deny these stories, averring that if bayonets were used it was because the commanders considered consid-ered that weapon would, under the circumstances, cir-cumstances, be more effective. Accounts from Pretoria and from Spearman's Camp, while in conflict on many points, agxos in rendering a hearty tribute to the gallantry and stubborn courage displayed on both sides. Both the British and the Dutch had men worthy of their steel. BRITISH FORCED TO RETIRE. Reported to Have Sustained Heavy Loss at Colssburg. Pretoria, Saturday, Jan. 27. A dispatch dis-patch from Coleaburg, Cape' Colony, says Delarey reports that a large body of British advanced Thursday, Jan. 2o, end he attacked them causing the British to retire after suffering severe loss. The Boer casualties were two men slightly wounded. General Groebler reports heavy fighting fight-ing since daybreak, the British in great force endeavoring to surround the Boer .. ' . . - - ' positions. General Schcenman hastened to the assistance of General Groebler. General Schoenman returned this evening and reports that the British were repulsed and that the Boers held , their portions. The Boer loss is not known but must be severe. The bom- ; bardment of Kimberley continues. The other Boer forces are reported quiet. FRENCH AGAIN REPULSED. Encounters Large Force of Boers and Is Forced to Retire. Rensburg, Cape Colony, Friday, Jan. 26. General French reconnoitred yesterday yes-terday by Bastard's Nek with a force of Hussars, Innisskilling, four guns of the i'oyal artillery, mounted infantry, the Yorkshire, Wiltshire and a portion of the Essex regiments. Turning to the northeast, he approached ap-proached the Boer position at Reitfon-tein, Reitfon-tein, nine miles beyond- Colesberg, on the wagon bridge road, which the enemy en-emy have been fortifying with a view of falling back when they evacuate Colesburg. ' Cautiously approaching. General French shelled the enemy, who replied with artillery and infantry fire. ' . The British, who were well protected, pro-tected, suffered very little. An officer and nine men were wounded, one of the latter of whom has since died, and three men are missing. As the Boers were found in great force, confirming the reported reinforcements, and in a! strong position. General French dis- I continued attack and returned to camp. BTJLLER IS UNDAUNTED. Makes an Effort to Raise the Drooping Droop-ing Spirits cf Troops. London, Jan. 31. The Cape Town correspondent of the Daily Mail, tele- Duller yesterday (Monday) read the following message from the queen to Sir Charles Warren's force: 'I must, express my. admiration of the . troops during the past trying week, especially of those regiments you specify and of the accomplishment of your arduous march.' "General Buller told the men that they ought not to think because they had retired from their position that all their wcrft was of no avail. On the contrary, in his opinion they had gained the key to the road to Ladysmith, in which he hoped to be within a week. "General Buller then called for cheers for' the queen, -which -were heard for miles around." DETERMINED TO FIGHT. Dr. Leyds Says the Beers Will Not SU9 For Peace. Berlin. Jan. 30. To the correspondent of the Associated Press Dr. Leyds made the following statement: "I know nothing noth-ing about the reported missions of either Mr. Macrum or Mr. Webster Davis. Nor to the best cf my knowledge knowl-edge is either the bearer of a message of peace. There are no movements under way on our part to induce Presl. dent McKinley to intervene between Great Britain and the Transvaal. As I do not at present have direct communication commu-nication with Pretoria, I do not know what' Montagu White's mission is, except ex-cept to establish diplomatic relations with the United States. "All the talk: about peace is sadly premature. Great Britain surely will not succumb now. Neither will we. While we are talking here it may be that a decisive battle is being fought there, for I presume Lord Roberts has withdrawn the troops around Ladysmith, Lady-smith, and Is massing them for a formidable for-midable coup." Dr. Leyds repeated his former declaration decla-ration that the Boers when concluding peace would want back at least all the territory which England "stole from the Boers." He rather expects that also a harbor south of Mozambique will go to the Transvaal, "for our legitimate extension," ex-tension," he added, "we need free access ac-cess to the sea." He asserted emphatically that one condition of peace would be the recognition recog-nition of the absolute independence of the Transvaal. Berlin is certainly very much exerted over him. He is overwhelmed over-whelmed with invitations. His apartments apart-ments at the Palast hotel, where the Transvaal flag is flying, is besieged day and night by crowds including contractors con-tractors and mining speculators as well as fine ladies; gentlemen of the court and army officers who wish to congratulate con-gratulate him upon the Boer successes or to offer their services. SHOULD KEEP HANDS OFF. General Alerer Savs Transvaal War is None of Our Affairs. New York, Jan. 30. Russell A. Alger, ex-secretary of war, is at the Waldorf-Astoria. Waldorf-Astoria. Discussing the South African wan and the pro-Boer sentiments expressed ex-pressed by W. J. Bryan, he said last nifiht: "I think it is both un-American and unpatriotic for- any American to attempt at-tempt to stir up a feeling among the masses either againat England or the Boers. The war in South Africa is none of our concern, and we should keep our hands off. "When we had trouble with Spain, Great Britain had no pro or anti-Spanish meetings. She attended to her own business, and' if she did anything beyond, be-yond, it w:as to give notice to other nations by Implication to let U6 lone. "The least that America can do now is to treat Great Britain in 1W0 as she treated the United States in 188." THE POPE IS HELPLESS. Says He is Unable to Interfere in the South African War. New York, Jan. 30.-rA dispatch to the the appeal made to him by the queen of Holland to use his influence to stop the South African war, Pope Leo has sent a sorrowful reply that he is unable to offer his offices for the cessation or hostilities. His holiness adds that no war has caused him so much bitterness of mind as the struggle between England Eng-land and the Boers. He says: "This war is inspired neither by ideals of civilization nor by just national Interests. In-terests. I can do nothing but pray for the dead." Still Joining the Boers. Berlin, Jan. 30. According to private reports received here the Cape Dutch are still Joining the B"er forces. The German press expresses the belle, that Great Britain has about - reached the end of her military resources and would do well to acknowledge defeat and conclude con-clude peace. Drove British From Position, Lourenzo Marques, Monday, Jan. 29. Special dispatches from Pretoria, dated Thursday, Jan. 25, report that a collision occurred at Crocodile Pool between be-tween Boer outposts and the British, who were in overwhelmtag force. The burghers at first retired, but on being reinforced drove the British from their position. The Boers had two wounded. BOMBARDMENT OF KIMBERLEY. British Claim Boers Throw Shells at Hospital. Kimberley, Friday, Jan. 26. The wholesale bombardment which lasted all day vesterday .wits resumed this morning. The Boers sent 3S0 shells into all parts' of Kimberley.' There were several casualties, including a woman and child. The favorite target appears to have been the hospital. A shrapnel shell exploded ex-ploded close to a hearse which waa proceeding pro-ceeding to the cemetery, and a shell burst in the cemetery during the funeral. fu-neral. - , Boer Shell Factory Destroyed. London, Jan.' 30. A special dispatch from Durban say6 a refugee who has arrived there from Johannesburg ays the destruction of the Boer shell factory fac-tory at that piace on Jan. 20 whs accomplished. ac-complished. The loss, it Is added, is Irreparable. More Casualties Reported. London, Jan, CO, 4:55 p. m. General Buller reports that the casualties to the non-commitFioned ofliceni arid men in the action of Jan. 20 and .".an. 21 were seventeen killed, 233 wounded and . six missinx. Buller's Losses at Spion Kop. London, Feb. 1. The supplemental lists of casualties fill two columns .In nonpareil type in the morning papers, making 1,300 reported thus far from General Buller's operations north of the Tugela. The Daily Chronicle estimates esti-mates that the total exceeds 2,000. The 40 per cent at Spion Kop is greater than any Eritish force ever suffered, except I possibly at Albuera, Spain, in 1811. Accounts of the battle of Spion Kop continue to filter in. All testify to the terrific Boer fire. Several estimate that the total losses of General Buller's turning movement will amount approximately approx-imately to 1,500. ; When reinforcements arrived the troops were much cramped on the top cf Spion Kop. Preparations were made below to secure the position, guns were on the way and engineers had been or- I I dered up to strengthen the entrench- ments. j Colonel Thornycroft was not aware ! of this when he ordered the retirement, j and he actually met the artillery com-I com-I ing up. General Woodgate was wound-j wound-j ed about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Even then he protested that he was all i right and had to be held down on the j stretcher. It is reported that the Boer commander com-mander at first insisted on the release of some Boer prisoners before he would permit the English to collect their wounded. The correspondent of the Times as-Lourenzo as-Lourenzo Marquez, telegraphing yesterday, yes-terday, says: "Information has been received here from the Transvaal that the war department, convinced that it would be useless to storm Ladysmith and that the bombardment will continue con-tinue ineffective, has decided upon a change of tactics. Huge quantities of timber and sand bags and hundreds of Kaffirs have been sent from Johannesburg Johannes-burg and Pretoria, for the purpose of damming Kilp river some miles below Ladysmith, the idea being to flood the i town' and to drive the soldiers and in-j in-j habitants out of the bomb-proof caves, so as to expose them to shell fire. "The Portuguese authorities are at last exercising stricter surveillance. The governor has notified the consuls that they must personally guarantee I that applicants for passports are not going to asyist the Boer army before I passports will be granted. It is rumored ru-mored that he has also conveyed a hint to Herr Pott, the Transvaal consul, of serious consequences if he continues to infringe the neutrality of the port." Spencer WIlkiiiBon, in the Morning Peat today, discussing the military situation, sit-uation, takes it for granted that General Gen-eral Buller intends to make another i attempt to relieve Ladysmith. He seizes the occasion to express the' greatest admiration for the dauntless spirit of the Britiah army, and a regret that the main thing is lacking, namely, proper leadership. A dispatch to the Times from Pieter-maritzburg, Pieter-maritzburg, dated Sunday last, says: "Colonel Thornycroft had a narrow escape last week. He went to meet a Boer flag of truce, which asked a parley, par-ley, but, having become suspicious, he told the Boer commandant that he would not parley. Both retired' and the Boers fired a volley, the colonel only escaping in consequence of the Boers' bad ahooting." The Cape Town correspondent of the Daily Mail says: "Evidence is accumulating accumu-lating that something beyond a tacit understanding existed between the Boer executives and the inner circle of the Afrikander bond concerning what should follow the ripening rebellion at the outbreak of war. Fully 5,000 Colonial Colo-nial Dutchmen have joined the enemy. "The Boers, however, believe that this number would be multipled ten fold. Consequently the Afrikander bond is now execrated at Pretoria and Bloem- fontein." Public spirits are . at very low ebb. ' WAS A BLOODY ENGAGEMENT. Winston Chifechill Tells of the . Eight at Spion Kop. New York, Jan. 31. Winston Church-Ill Church-Ill has cabled and the Evening World copyrighted an account of the battle of Spion Kop! The dispatch, which is dated dat-ed Spearman's Camp, Jan. 27, says the fight on the summit of the kop was one of the fiercest and most furious conflicts con-flicts In British military history. Guided by Thornycroft the troops surprised the Boers there arid carried the trenches with the bayonet at 3 I o'clock In the morning. There was little lit-tle loss. At once the troops entrenched hastily, has-tily, but the ground was broken by large rocks and unsuited for entrenchments. entrench-ments. At dawn heavy Boer shelling began. General Woodgate was seriously seri-ously wounded at the beginning. Urgent demands for reinforcements were sent by the commander who succeeded suc-ceeded Woodgate. The reinforcements were sent, strengthening the defense. Thornycroft was appointed brigadier, commanding the whole force cn top of the hill. A bitter and bloody struggle followed throughout the day. the Boers concentrating every man andgun'on the summit of the hill and attacking with the greatest spirit. - ' The British artillery was unable to cope with the superior long range Boer guns and during the afternoon it became be-came evident the infantry could not endure en-dure another day. It was impossible to drag the guns to the summit of Spion without elaborate preparations or to fortify the hill strongly enough to protect pro-tect the defenses from unassailed artillery. artil-lery. Thornycroft's decision to abandon It was both wise and necessary. The British troops, stubborn and formid-able, formid-able, inarched back to the camps in regular order. Every effort is now being be-ing made to succor the wounded, of whom many still lie on the summit. The official lists will give the losses. The defense of the hill by the" English Eng-lish Infantry, particularly the Lancashire Lanca-shire regiments, was a glorious episode. epi-sode. The whole army is proud of it.. The Boer positions before -Ladysmith are perhaps impregnable to 25,000 men, but the troops are resolved to have aav other try. " " The public must imitate the equanimity equanim-ity of the troops. Spion Kop is' not a disaster. Neither guns were lost nor unwounded prisoners made. It was simply a bloody action in which lodgment lodg-ment In the enemy's entrenchments was effected, but which proved untenable. unten-able. The Boers were sometimes within thirty yards of the British line. They have also suffered. Their loss must be greater, compared to . their strength, than ours. ! |