The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, February 28, 1900, Image 3
WAR IN AFRICA.
Review of Last Week's
Kvd?tg -8orap8 of News
Tbat Havd Been
Reoetved.
London. Feb 24 - Spencer Wilkio
won eummari?.,ng ihe weeks events
;.e tbe wer with couth Africa tonight
aid i
"On tbe right of Thursday Feb
16, Gee Orooje marched ort from
ategerafoottio t?etween Ood French,
who had just entered Kiroberley and
?en Kelly Kenny, tbee ot Kilip
drift on tbe Modder river Tbe next
day Gen Kelly Kenn j poraued him,
attacked bio rear goard ood dolayed
biet ootil tbe Highland brigade wee
?a ite way to otop him on tbe eooth
beak of tbe Modder, end Gonerel
Freeeh ooold peee htm oo tbe oortb
beek
'After e three day a* running ?ght
Gee C roe je wee otopped et Koodoe
reed, eeer Peerdtberg, where he wee
oerreooded Hie force woe between
' tbe fiver beek; wblob gave bim e
defooeive poeitioo faoiog either way,
eo> tbat attaoko oo him involved heavy
loee, bei be wee held ontil on Tnee
4ey, Lord Roberto arranged to grip
biso with e girdle of infantry io bit
position, while eeonontding bim with
thy geoe eo?leding tbe river bed.
In tbe meantime Lord Roberto with e
teere divition or two beyond tbe
three brigadee btlpiog Oronje, tet
bimeelf to intercept and drive ewty
any Boer reioforoemeoto
"Tbie wet tbe tlteetioo oo Wednet*
day eed it offered a reaeonable prob
ability of tbe capture ot Cronje'e
force, ted of tbe dtfett of any reiu
foroemeats
"We btvt littlt oewt beyond
Wtdaeeday Oo Tbortday the shell
ieg of Orooje wee continued at in
lev vale, eoutinoooe ebelliog probably
iovolviog a too lavish oee ol ammu
aitioo Boere lave been giving
tbemeelvee ep by flftiee a day Oo
Tweed ay Lord Roberta drovo off rein
force oaente coming from Ooleaberg
ted from Natal.
"A Berlin report declares t*?et
Orooje bee forced bit wty through
Tbtt it improbable, but may refer to
e teatll perty who mty heve etetped
it tbe eight.
??Lord Roberte' advance bat drtwn
tway aotae of tbe Boer foroea from
Ooietberg, Sterkttroom tod Nettl, tt
it twee from tbt diminitbtd resist
twee to tbt BrilitK tt ell tboae
poiute v
?*Gte Boiler, after taking Inhlawe
bill, hat ofoeeed tbe Tugela, aod ac
cording to the lateet telegrams, bat
beta fighting continuously tiitfce
Thertday morning Tbie look* like
a decided attempt to relieve Lady
smith, wherein 1 expect Gen buller
will ouooed if be^does not, aa before,
interrupt hit advance by elopping to
count hit loecee and declaring that
be haa loot enough A general baa
never loot enough to justify the giv
ieg ep ol bit enterprise, eu loog eu
hie troopa tre willing to go on with
bim. Ledysmith cau probably hold
not for several weeka longer, and in
tbtt time the effect of L >rd Roberte'
tjdvuuco wilt probably be even more
men bed than it hat yet been
L?doo, Feb 25, 4 35 a m.?Sioee
% 15 o'eioek yeeterdey afteroooo ootb
tug baa beea reoeived from tbo scene
of*wool tbe Litdoo papers eall Gen?
eral Grotje's death etroggle, the war
taltiaia aoooooeiog at midnight tbat
tbty bad ootbiag to give out They
slated ibsr they believed u impossible
'or Grnaje to eeeape from tbe grip ot
Lord Robertt
Tbe report eiretlated io Berlio that
Creej* bad soeeeeded io making bis
eeeape, eaaie from tbe Bier beadqoar
tors it Broseels, where it waa stated
tbat Details wert etill laekiog
Tbe ooly oeea from otb< r parts of
ibe seat of war received during the
tight ia a ipeeial dcpatob from C den
ao, under date of Feoroary 24. eiatiog
thil tbe Bruno io spite of eiroog op
teoiiiot, were advancing slowly bu
terelff. aed driviog tbe B >ere from tbe
bot j a beiveeo Groblei'e kloof aod
Hiaot wett
Ledyeseitb reporte by belingrapb oo
Friday tbat tbe Biers were .retiring
oonbward io large numbers Meeo
while tbe certainty of relief ia eo strong
at Dorbaa that (be aotboritiea are
aetively prepantg tram loads of provi
stoos. Itioriee ead oedieai onmfort?
for diapateb to tbe belcaguerel town as
soot aa oommeoioetiooe are reopened.
HOT FIGHTING CONTINUUM TO
TBR NORTH OF COLKN*0
Coleoee, Natal, 25 ?Tbe Boere ebo
bad beet reeoforeed made a streng
aitaek Tbureday at Qobler'e kloof and
ot a raoge of bilia raofiog ????? Tbey
1 d beet foreed from a.I their positione
ee ibe right
Get Lytileioo's divisioo oo Thursday
advaneed coder enter of tbe kopje*.
Tbe Boere find a Creuaa aod a ' Long
Toes " Tbe Bruiab artillery waa well
?beltered io tbe aetiou at daybreak aod
tttil late ia tbe afteroooo, wbeo a
heavy r >fi< flre oo both aidee developed.
Tbe British iofaotry bsd advano^d a
mile and a belt sod a cootiounus fire
wet kept op until aft<>r dark The
Boere sioek to ibeir poaitiooe Tbe
Briiiab artillery fire waa irregulat. A
few ealvoe eere seot toeard tbe tbiekly
woodeo spote aod ravioee from ?hiob
Ibe Boer Ire wae heaviest Tbe H er?
sent ?bell* into the headquarters
baggage, oloae to (he hospital, bat oo
materiel damage wee d"oo Ganerel
Wynne wss slightly wnunded.
The H >er position* are out considered
strong, with the exception of (J..bier's
klocf. Tbe billet eastward are not so
high aod eaonot bo intrenched so well
as tbe moootatos which tbe Hriti-h
have takeo Tbe Somerset? were the
first across tbe pootooos oo Wednesday.
Tbey were t-abjeoted to a heavy fire for
five boar* io an isolated positioo it
wee tbe first tiau tbey had beeo under
fire, aod they behaved exoeiieotly
Karly oo Friday a severe rtflj fire
wae resumed oo the right aod front,
from tbe position* beld over night, by
botb eidee Tbe British oaval guns,
bowitisrs. moootain aod field batteries
shelled tbe Boer treoehee iooeesaotly.
Tbe Boere replied with two heavy guns,
some of their ?belle boretiog over the
boepital. Ae a result tbe British
woooded were removed.
During tbe afternoon tbe "Fifth brig?
ade looitkillios aod Dublins leading,
began to advance op tbe bills I j spite
of tbe eooeta.nl obslltog tbe Boera stood
op io tbeir treoobee aiming deliberately
down tbt bille.
Tbe iofaotry advaoee was farther
covered by parties oo tbe right nod
left firing volleys. It wae slow, tbe
British taking advaotage of every bit
of natural eover Tbe Boera oo tbe
ereet of tbe bille, as well ee from tbe
treoobee part of tbe way do wo, poured
lead along tbe advancing lioe
At dark tbe British iofaotry bad
rsaehed wiibin a few hundred yards of
the first lioe of tbe Boer treoobee.
London, Feb 26. 4 85 i m ? Per?
haps never before in tbe course of
tbe present campaign bave auch
crowds visited tbe wsr office ss went
tbeie yesterdsy As tbe Tin: es re
marke today, "the dearth of news is
somewhat trying at s time when a
considerable euccess was generally
regarded as imminent "
No diminution of oonfidenoe in
Lord Roberts is felt, however, snd
tbe public is resdy to believe that be
bss good ressoos for not mentioning
Oen Cronje in tbe official dispatches
Probsbly be is in no harry to eud s
situation which is daily bringing
email psrties of Boers in a vain en?
deavor to reeuforce Gen Cronje
Tbeee be osn deal with in detail
Lord Roberts bss slresdy captured
over 500 Boers, sod et this rste be
will soon bsve quite s reepeotsble
srrsy of prisoners to be held ss boot
sgss for the 3.000 British slresdy in
Pretoris
Gen Cronjs's refuaal to sooept t,he
offer of Lord Huberts regsrdiog tbe
women sod children indicates either
that tbe position is lees desperate
than bss been supposed or tbst be
has beeo able to dig an absolutely
safe place for taetn .
Everything goes to ebow that Gen
Butler's advance is most stubbornly
resisted snd most cautiously carried
out It ia hoped that he will soon
be in s position where Gen White
will be able to assist him materially
The campaign ia now approaching
s meet intereeting phase In about
a fortnight the congress of tbe Afri
ksnder bund will meet, snd it is
rumored that Mr llofrseyr will then
propose peace terms on the basis oi
tbe republics retaining absolute iude
pendence, but offering to disarm If
these terms sro rejected it is under
stood that s msnifesto will be boldly
issued to the Dotcb throughout South
Africs, calling upon them to throw
off .tbeir allegiance to Great Britain.
Probably these rumors are exsg
gersted, but there is no doubt thet
tbe grestest suziety prevails io Cape
Town regarding coming events
Geruiany, through the semi official
Berliuer Post, reiterstes tbst ali re
porte of German intervention sre
quite without foundation
Capt Raymond Harvey de Mont
moreocy, who was killed in Gen Gat
sere's reconnoisesocs Saturday, waa
tbe beir of Viscouot Frankfurt de
Slontmorency, snd wsa the fourth
heii to s peersge who hss fallen io
tbe course of tbe campaign.
London. Feb 27. 4 20 s m ?The
Boers sre sesembling sn srmy near
Bloemfontein, with which to dispute
tbe invasion of Lord Roberta This
intelligence corr.ee from Pretoris by
wsy of Lorenzo Marques The com
msndoes sre described ss "hasten
ing from all quarters of the two re
publics "
No estimste is made of their nnm
bere, but the withdrawal of the Boera
from moat of the places where they
neve been in contact with the British
except the district near Lsdyemitb,
may raise tbe resisting force to 30 000
men This figure assumes that the
Roers have between 60 000 und 70,
000 men in the Geld The gathering
of this army across the path of Lord
Roberts gives significance to Gen
Cronje's hteadfast defense He hae
engaged the corps of Lord Roberta
for ten days now, and whether he is
relieved or uot. he has given time
for the dispersed Boer factions to get
together and to prepare positions to
receive the British advance when
Cronje ie overcome and Lord Roberta
movea forward
It is difficult to conceive that the
Boere are strong enough to take the
offensive snd to rescue Gen Cronje
from his precarious situation
The war office hae nothing after
midnight to indicate his collapse, and
be may bold out for a few daye. The
correspondence seem to have no ex
sot information respecting his re
sources Some say he bae plenty of
food but is short of ammunition.
Others assert that he abandoned his
food supplies but kept abundant sup
pliea of cartridges
Gen Butler oo Saturday faced the
last and strongest positions of the
Boers who bar bis way to Lidysmith.
The strenuous fighing indicates a
battle between armies, rather than
rear guard actions protecting a re?
treat
On Thursday and Friday he lost 43
officers killed snd wounded, repre?
senting probably s total losa of from
400 to 500
Qen White's gun's worked on
Saturdsy upon tbe Boer position, snd
s heliogram from Ladysmith reported
tbst the Boers were retreating snd
tbst lsrger rations were being issued
in view of the tact that relief seemed
at hand.
Nothing bss been hesrd from
Mafeking since Feb 12th The
movement on the veldt swsy from the
railway is becoming increasingly
difficult for large bodies cf troops,
ss tbe grass Is burned up Gen
French bss to wsgon forsge for
his horses, snd even tbe infsntry finds
long marches harder than before, ss
forsge for tbe trsnsport animsls most
be osrried This requires tbe forms
lion of garrisoned depots
Tbe ordinsry campaigning season
is over, and a sickly season for both
men snd animals has set in.
Teobniosl militsry writers tske
these things into consideration io
forecasting events.
Tbe Dsily Ohroniole ssys it learns
from private letters tbst British rifles
snd ammunition bsve been land?
ed on tbe southern coast of Cape
Colony, presumsbly for tbe Dutch
colonists
Lord Roberts bss recently receiv.
ed 72 additional pieces of artillery.
Whether sll bsve been sent to
Pssrdeberg is not known
Probsbly the Eighth division will
lesve England next Monday.
GEN CRONJE'S POSITION PRO?
TECTED FROM BRITISH
^ . SHELLS.
London, Feb 26 ?Dispatches from
Paardeberg show that Geo Cronje's
forces have far more proteetioo from
Field Marshal Lord Roberta' heaVy fire
than at first iodioated A special dis
patob from Paardeberg, published io
the ceoood edition of the Daily Chron?
icle sod dated Saturday, Feb 24, says :
* A balloon bas discovered tbe enemy
well oovered by a system of borrowiog
io tbe river bank wbioh resembles a
rabbit-warren aod affords shell proof
positions "
It will oot t mueh of a surprise if
today or tomorrow, which is tbe anni?
versary of Majuba hill, will be marked
by tbe sorreoder or annihilation of tbe
gallant band so overwhelmingly bem
med io, though the closeness of the
investment appears open to criticism.
Small bodies of Boers, apparently, are
ahlo to make their osoape, oaosiog com?
parison here with the Boer methods of
investment, with their quickly dog sur.
rnuodiog trenches, impassable barbed
wire, elo , aod those of the Bri'isb.
Lord Roberts ho*ds a position almost
analogous with that held so long by
the Biers at Ladysmith As Gen
Cronje is reported to have pleoty of
fiod, the plan of starviog him oot can
scarcely avail, as Lord Roberta roust
cither wait until bis ammunition, which
is said to be short, ruos out, or those
of Geo Crooj*'s forces who are eouo
selling sorreoder prevail So indefi?
nite, is the informatioo that either of
these alternatives may ocour at any
momeot.
Meaowhile Lord Roberts' engineers
are sappiog steadily towsrds the Boer
laager aod, aooordiog to a special from
Paardeberg, dated Sooday. Feb 25, the
eordoo is gradually drawing closer
Geo Boiler's march oo Ladysmith is
beiog marked by sharp fighting. A
Piettrroari'xburg dispatch of today's
date says be is still heavily engaged io
fizhtiog. Io Gobler'e kl of Geo Bal
ler seems to have discovered a hornet's
nest.
In Cape Colony the British arms are
steadily advancing.
Barkley East is oow to their pos
session, according to a dispatch from
that district, the Boers evaouatiog tbe
place, retreating on Ladygrey aod wir?
ing Presideot Steyn for reeoforoemeots
to prevent their surrender.
DEADLY ROAD TO LADYSMITH
London, Feb 26 ?Geo Boiler, io a
dispatch from Colenso dated Suoday.
Feb 25, reports that tbe British casoal
ties Feb 20 were 12 killed aod 99
wounded, among the Somersets and
Dorsels, aod that Feb 22 aod Feb 23,
12 officers were wounded.
The war (fine today issued ao addi?
tional list of the casualties sustained by
the Fifth brigade under Gen Bullcr
Feh 23 aod Feb 24, whioh include 7
officers kiiledi 23 wounded and 1 miss
ing.
Gjn Buller's death list oontains ihe
name* of three lieotnoant colonels,
Thaokery of the F rst Royal Inniskill
ing F?silier? ; Hit Well, of the Second
Royal Dublin Fusiliers, and Tborold,
of the Royal Weloh Fusiliers
An additional list of the British
ottsu-iltieM at Paardeberg, Feb 18, is
announced and gives a lieutenant and
eight men killed, a lieutenant and seven
men missing, and 38 men wounded
BOERS STILL THERE
London, Fob 27 ?Winston Church
ill, in i dispatch to the Morniog Post
from Frere Camp, dated Suoday, says:
"The idea that the Boers are raising
the siege of Lidysrnith is premature.
The advance is being pursued in the
faoe nf the mont, stubborn opposition,
and of heavy loss President Kroner's
grandson is among the I] ers killed "
THE GALLANT IRISHMEN
Lmdoo, Feb 27 ?The Times has
the following from Fietermartizburg,
dated Friday, Feb 23: "Tho Dublio
Fus'liers have again distinguished
themselves by volunteering to take
Goblers' kloof, wbioh they did. This
gallant battalion, which began the
campaign 850 strong, oan today be
said to muster on parade only between
100 and 200 of its origioal members.
A Brljrht Jeweler.
A gentleman tells the following Joke
on a jeweler: A young man who was
on the verge of matrimony went to the
Jeweler and bought a ring and left in?
structions that In it be engraved the
legend, "From A to Z," which, being
interpreted, meant from Anthony to
Zenobla. To his astonishment, on call?
ing for the ring the next day he found
it engraved like an Egyptian obelisk
and on closer examination found that
the jeweler had put the whole alpha?
bet "from A to Z" on It.
Maate For Fluh Unit.
An eccentric hermit named William
Schueller, who lives at Franklin, Mich.,
Is said to be one of the most successful
fishermen In his part of the country,
and he claims to call the fish to him
by singing "Old Hundredth." He goes
out in his boat and takes a station in
fairly deep water. Then he sings, at
the same time keeping his eyes on the
water In search of fish. Gradually the
fish crowd about his boat, he claims,
and when enough are gathered togeth?
er the wily fisherman casts a net and
catches dozens at a single haul. The
old gentleman has 0 famous voice, and
his neighbors are inclined to believe
his strange story.?Chicago Record.
Bloody Battle in Mexico.
Potam Somor, Mexico, .Feb 25 ?
The Mexican Federal troops under
Gen Torree have saved Guayamas
from the Yaquis, but by dint of the
fierueat fightisg of tho war and at a
eacrifice of 200 aoldiere. The town
here ia filled with wounded and all
the public buildings are utilized
Torree anticipated the surprise the
Yaquie intended. The Indians were
accompanied by ten adventurere,
miners and cowboys, who acted as
commanders of separate companies
of forty men each The Yaquis had
also a Maxim gun, which bad been
smuggled through at Biebee, Ariz,
in e load of machinery The gun
was manipulated the Mexicans claim,
by two Ex Rough Riders
Torres reached here Thursday
afternoon and descided to divide his
army of 700 men into two divisions.
The first and strongest flanked by
the gunboat Dcmocrata, left here at
daybreak Friday morning No icouts
preceded the force, and the first in
timatiou ot the pretence, of the
Ysquis wbh a withering fire from the
Maxim and a rifle volley from
concealed fortifications in a dense
thicket The first division retreated
in confusion and was sheltered in the
timber growth along the river. More
than 100 men fell at the first fire
The Democrata then steemed up and
swept the thicket with her machine
guns, but evidently ineffectively
Her forward decks were swept and
the protected upper deck peppered
with bullets from the Maxim Ten
sailors and First Lieut Rambolo, of
of the army, were killed. The
Democrata drifted for more than a
half mile until a bend in the river
sheltered her Late in the afternoon
hill signals showed the waiting com
toanders of the first division that the
second detatchment had reached the
neighboring heights to the eoutbeast
in its flank movements
A simultaneous attacked was then
made from the front and flank,
and the Indians retreated The
Maxim gun, disabled and use
less, was brought into Potana
and seventy three Indians, the official
report states, were found dead
There was no pursuit and the Indians
must have withdrawn in good order
During the fitet fire of the Yaquis
twenty three Mexican Fedetals were
driven into the river in a panic and
were drowned Tne total Mexican
loss was 227- The Democrata has
been sent to Guayamas for repairs
This is the first time the Yaquis have
made use of fortifications
Walxtf*
Shoe Store
Again in "full blast,"
NEW SHOES ARRIVING EVERY
WEEK FROM HEADQUARTERS
All shoes that wore on shelves
August 1st sold regardless of
what they eost.
Walsh's Shoe Store
Under City Clock.
I 8ep 27?v
A
TO OHR FRIENDS.
MR. EDITOR:
You may have had us in mind when referring in a recent
issue of your paper to the peculiarity of merchants in regard
to advertising, in which you quoted thein as saying that "in
good times it was not necessary to advertise, and in hard times
it did not pay." While we have always found that advertising
paid us, we must confess that for the past sixty days any in- ?
crease of business that we might secure by that means, could
not have been satisfactorily waited on, as our clerical force has
been taxed to its utmost capacity.
Now that the rush of cotton is over and we have an
opportunity to say a few words to our friends in the country,
we desire to acknowledge, through the columns of the Watch-,
man and Southron, our grateful thanks to them for the liberal
patronage bestowed upon us, for which we can offer nothing in
return except our promise that their interests will be as care?
fully guarded by us in the future as they have been in the past.
It is particularly gratifying to us to acknowledge a very
liberal trade during the months of September and October from
our farming friends, to whom it was our pleasure to extend a
credit during the. summer. It proves to us that they appreciate
our endeavor to be just and reasonable with them, when they
need assistance, as we have always tried to be?our motto
being
LIVE AND LET LIVE
i
Although we tried to anticipate this season's wants by
buying a heavier stock than ever before, our trade has so far
exceeded our expectations, that we have been obliged to re?
plenish frequently and freely every department of our store.
In Dry Goods
We bought a very heavy stock of staples, a fair percentage
of which we still have on hand and are selling at old prices,
Those
Tar Heel Blankets
Which you have been waiting for so long have come at
last. It was not our fault that they were not here sooner as
our contracts were made in May for September delivery, but
the mill has been so crowded with orders it was impossible to
deliver them sooner. These goods are made in
A Southern Mill
From Soutiiern Wool,
By Southern Men
and there are none better. They are improving on the finish
every year. We are selling at the same price as last year; but
if we have to duplicate we will be obliged to charge an a/ivance.
We only have about
FIFTY PAIRS,
so don't put off buying, or you may get left.
SHOES.
Why the advance in cotton should have affected the price of
shoes, but strange to say they too have gone up. We don't
know whether it was judgment <or luck, bitf our purchases for
Fall were nearly double our usual contracts. We are buying
now for Spring and paying 10 to 15 per cent more for the same
class of goods, but those oa hand will go at the old prices while
they last.
In our write-up about Shoes last Fall we had something spe?
cial to say about
The H. 0. Godman Line for Women and Children.
Our increased sales for these goods prove that we told the truth. .
Bear in mind we are still the Sole A cents for them and
Guarantee every Pair
THE L. M. REYNOLDS LINE OF MEN'S SHOES, sold
exclusively by us, are trade-winners. The prices range from
$1.75 to ?3.50, and every pair warranted. If you want the
best $3 00 shoe buy a Reynolds.
CLOTHING.
This has certainly been our banner season in the clothing
business, and if there are any of the men or boys in the county
who have not bought a suit, it has not been our fault ; but fear?
ing there still may be a few unprovided, we are keeping up our
stock by telegraphing orders for shipment by express. %
If you need an overcoat see us before buying, as we have
some great values.
In our Hat and Furnishing Goods De?
partment will be found soni3 values that compare favora?
bly with the balance of our stock.
This announcement would not be complete without a
word about our
GROCERY STOCK.
This department >s up to the usual standard, and that is
saying about all that is necessary for it. Our M1LLRUKNE
FLOUR, of which we believe there is more sold in this county
hau other brand, is pronounced by those who use it, unsur?
passed.
O'Donnell & Co.