The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, June 13, 1900, Image 1
? 11 h m ? n m?
THE SUMTER WATCHMAN, Established April, 1850.
Consolidated Aus. 2,1881.
"Be Just and Fear not-Let all the Ends thou Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's land Truth's."
THE TRUE SOCTHRON, Established Jone. 1366
SUMTER. S. C., WEDNESDAY. JUNE 13,1900.
New Series-Vol. XIX. So.46
?)t ^a?rljnmit ??? $m?\m
Published Every Wednesday,
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N". <3k Osteen,
SUMTER, S. G,
TERMS I
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ADVERTISEMENT:
Ose Square first insertion.$1 CO
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All communications which subserve private
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Obituaries and tributes of respects will be
charged for.
Pretoria in the
Hands of the British.
LORD EOBERTS AND HIS
ARMY IN THE CITY.
London, Jane 6, 4 35 a m-Queen
Victoria, surrounded by the Duke
and Duchess of York, Princess Chris
tian, Princess Victoria and many
other notables of ber court, drank to
the health of Lord Roberts and the
army at Balmoral la3t evening. A
great bonfire, lighted at her majesty's
command, blazed on Craiggown
mountain, illuminating the country
side for miles around. The nation
joins in the toast, glorifying Lord
Roberts and turbulently rejoicing in
his victory.
The dispatches of Lord Roberts,
telling of the incidents before the
surrendering of the capital by the
civilians stand atone, as the corres
pondents with him have not yet had
their turn with the wires
Lord Roberts' postcript announcing
the loss of the Yeomany battaiion
came too late for the public to know
it last evening. The newspaper com?
mentators consider the incident d??
plorable but as having no weight to
speak of in the results. The battal?
ion numbered between 400 and 500.
Gen Botha and most of bis men
got away from Pretoria This is in
ferred from Lord Roberts' message,
but the presumption is that the Boer
commandant general cannot escape
the British dispositions without a
fight.
Operations elsewhere seem to have
dwindled to nothing Gen. Baden
Powell joined Gen Hunter on Sun?
day at Lichtenburg.
Sir Redvers Buller has not moved.
Bennett Burleigh, wiring from Jo?
hannesburg, says President Kruger
took ?2,000,000 in cash to Middle
burg.
Mr Burleigh and Guy H. Scull, an
American correspondent, entered Jo
hannesburg the night before Lord
Roberts occupied the city and made
a tour of it unmolested by the armed
burghers
The war office has information that
one of the first things done by Lord
Roberts after the occupation of Pre?
toria was to direct Gen French to
relieve the British prisoners confined
at Waterval.
Beils were rung, fags flown and
holidays were declared all over Eng?
land
The lord mayor of London has
cabled to Lord Roberts as foilows :
"The empire will never forget
what you and the forces under your
command have accomplished. Ac
cept the grateful congratulations of
the citizens of London."
IRISH BATTALION CAPTURED.
London, June 5, 12, midnight -
Lord Roberts reports to the war
office that the Thirteenth battalion of
the Imperial Yeomanry (Irish) was
"overwhelmed by the Boers ac Lind?
ley/'
Lord Methuen made a magnificent
march to the rescue, but was too
late
Following is the text of the dis?
patch :
"Pretoria station, June 5, 12 55 p
m -I regret to report that the
Thirteenth Imperial Yeomanry had
to surrender to a very superior force
of the enemy un May 31. near Lind?
ley. On receiving information of the
battalion being attacked, I ordered
Methuen to proceed with all speed to
its assistance
"Methuen was then on the march
on the Helibron side of Kroonstad,
and, half an hour after the receipt of
my telegram on June 1, he started
off. By 10 a. m of the fo!lowing|
day he had marched 44 miles in 25 j
hours but he was too late to rescue '??
Coi Spragge's Yeomany
.'Methuen attacked the Boers, who
were between 2,ODO and 3.000 strong,
and after n running fi^l?t of five
hour^, completely routed the enemy
Tho Boers Retreating to the
Mountains Where They
fi a ve Gre a t S "ore ? o f A m -
munitiCQ ac? Frov?s
Londoo, June 7, 3.15 a. rn -Milt
tory operation in South Africa are ]
apparently at a standstill. For a day
or two tbe tired troops of L^rd Roberts
are resting, and he is filling tho maga?
zines and warehouses of his new base,
Pretoria, preDaratory to a long chase j
afier the retiring Boers io the direction
of the Lydeoburg. The cavalry are j
nrobabiy seeking to intercept. Command- j
ant General Botha.
Some dispatches arr to hand which
left Pretoria Monday, while the fighting ?
was geing on outside tbe city. They
come by way of Lorenz) Marques. ?
Ose of toem says : "Toward the end j
of the day, when the big naval guns ;
were shelling the southern forts, a oura
ber of projectiles burs?^ damaging the
suburbs Ail day armed burghers have
been leaving Pretoria, going east. The
greater part of the railway rolliog
stock has been removed.
General Botha W3S fighting an
essentially rear guard action, bis object
beiog not to defend Pretoria but to
delay Lord Roberts until the railway
switch had bren cleared aGd the main
part of the Boer a*my bad started to
withdraw. The British advance appears
to have left open to the Boers the best
Hoe of retreat along the railway."
Possibly the British have been able
to cut the railway before a full retire?
ment was effected. That Pretoria would
be defended was apparently given out
after the council of war, with a view of
misleading tbe British. Lydeoburg,
the district into which the provisions
originally destined for Pretoria have
been diverted and where a cartridge
faotory bas been erected and reserve
supplies of all sorts are stored, is a
volcanic regioo of fertile valleys,
enclosed by great ramparts of pr?cipi?
tions rooks, penetrated by narrow,
winding passes There are herd9 of
cattle io tba valleys, and there is mach
native "labor available for fortifying
The Boers used both heavy and light
artillery at Pretoria What was sup
posed to have been the last train
oat of Pretoria arrived at Lorenzo
Marques Sunday evening. Tbe pas?
sengers included a number of
foreign volunteers who were leav
iog the Boers and also the
wives and children of Hollanders
They described Pretoria as destitute of
food and clothing. What the Boer
officials could not take the natives and
townspeople did
Probably the moBt important Boer
army is at Laing's Nek, where both
sides are passive. Gen Randie aod
Gen Brabant have withdrawn a little
southward
Gen Baden Powell has extended
martial law to the Marico and north
Liohteoburg districts. Shots were ex?
changed between Boer and British
patrols 18 mile3 east of Mafekin; on
May 28 Part of the forces lately at
Pretoria are reported to have gone
westward to meet Baden Powell and to
make a show of holding the country
through which he and Geo Hunter are
moving.
? dispatch to The Daily Telegraph
from Newcastle dated Tuesday, June 5,
describes tbe Boers there as an unorgan?
ized rabble, without floor, meat or
sugar. Their surrender is ooly a ques?
tion of time Nevertheless, the oorres
pondent eivers.they boid stroog positions
with the prospect of a safe retreat
toward Lydeoburg.
It is understood at Newcastle that
the British government bas approached
the Natal government with a proposi?
tion that Natal should voluntarily
renounce local self-government for a
time in order that a general system of
crown government msy be instituted
for all South Africa, leading in the
cour?e of time to federation and the
subsequent autonomy of the various
states simultaneously.
; A TRKEE DAYS ARMISTICE
j London, June 6 -A special dispatch
j from Lorenzo Marques dated Tuesday,
! Ja oe 5, eavs : "Geoeral Buller and
Christian Botba m?i at Laing's Nek at
Butter's request when a three days'
. armistice was agreed upoo."
j The dispatch adds that the British I
! have evacuated Utreoht
Importaot to Counties.
In various portions of the State
there seems to be much misapprehen?
sion as to the matter of the assess?
ment of the counties by the State
committee Many seem to think that
the committee has required that each
candidate for the senate and house
in each county pay an assessment to
the State committee. The fact of
the matter is that the assessments on
the counties-the county committees
-are exactly the same as for years
past Each county committee is re?
quired, as heretofore, simply to pay
an assessment to the State committee i
of ?10 for each senator and S.r> for !
each repr?sentative it has in the gen
erai assembly. The candidates t.h^rn- !
selves have iw dealings with tho
State committee Tho only reason
these ofSc?s are narr?ed in this way
ia ia order that a proper basis for thc
assessments might be secured, the ;
representation in the general nssem :
t)ly beiog bayed on population Gol
Jones has received several letters
about the matter a?ul wishes all to i
anderstand that no change whatever j
bas beeD made.
Bold Correspondent
Interviews Kruger.
Old President Talks Freely,
Denying Several Points.
THE TRANSVAAL CAPITAL IS
NOW ON WHEELS,
London, June 8, 3 a ra.-Tbe ex?
ecutive officers of the Transvaal gov?
ernment are in a railway car, which
is situuted on a switch at Machadorp
station. President Kruger caused
the interior of the coach to be recon?
structed some time ago with a view
to contingencies that have now ar?
rived. A correspondent of the Daily
Express who went from Lorenzo
Marques to see President Kruger,
was received yesterday. The presi?
dent sat smoking a long pipe. He
looked worried, but his bearing was
quiet and determined He did not
make the least objection to being in
terviewed.
The correspondent was equipped
for the interview by cables from
London.
"Yes," said President Kruger, "it
ia quite true that the British have
occupied Pretoria. This, however,
does not end the war. The burghers
are fully determined to fight to the
last. They will never surrender so
long as five hundred armed men
remain in the country. I feel deeply
encouraged by the fine work Steyn
and Dewet are doing in the Free
State "
The correspondent suggested that
the war was over, inasmuch as the
capital bad been taken.
"The capital !" exclaimed Mr
Kruger, with energy. "What is a
capital ? It does not consist of any
particular collection of bricks and
mortar The capital of the republic,
the seat of government, is here in
this car There is no magic about
any special site. Our country is
invaded, it is true, but it is not
conquered. The government is still
effective "
Referring to the reasons why he
left Pretoria, Mr Kruger said :
"I was not foolish enough to be
taken a prisoner. 1 provided this
means of locomotion precisely for the
same reason as our burghers supply
themselves with horses when they
take the field
"It is necessary that I should be
able to move quickly from place to
place. That is all. By and by this
car will take me back to Pretoria.
For the present it enables me to
keep away from Pretoria, where I
could be of no service, and where I
should only piay into the hands of
the enemy "
"They say, Mr Kruger,'' remarked
the correspondent, "that you have
brought with you gold to the value of
?2 000,000 "
"It is not true/' replied the presi?
dent. "Whatever monetary resources
I may have with me are simply those
which we require for state purposes.
At the same time, I am not going to
tell you where our treasure is Let
Lord Roberts find it if he can."
"They also say in England, Mr
Kruger, that you contemplate taking
refuge on a Dutch mau of war at Lo
renzD Marques "
"That again is a lie," retorted the
president, with vehemence. "I know
of no Dutch vessel I am not con?
templating taking refuge anywhere
I shall not leave my country There
wiil be no need for me to do anything
of the kind."
The Correspondent-Then, sir,
there is much surprise at your hav
ing left Mrs Kruger behiod
President Kruger-But why ? Mr?
Kruger is quite safe in Pretoria. She
would only be put to personal incon?
venience here. Ail communication
between us is stopped of course, but !
she will aivait my return with calm?
ness and courage. She is a brave
woman I am awaiting further infor?
mation We are surrounded by faith?
ful burghers and are quite safe.
State Secretary Reitz remarked :
"You may depend on it that toe war is
not yet over. Guerrilla warfare will
continue over an enormous area We
inteod to fight to tbe bitter end and
shall probably retiro upon Lydenburg,
where we can hold out for many
months "
"Yes," observed Mr Kruger, "it is
only now th- " the real struggle hts
begun I fear that there will still be
?such bloodshed buc the iauit is that of
the Brri-u government "
Then r-ii-iog 1;H voice lu an almost
pa? tooate h ..-..?'i-, Mr Kruger exclaim
cd : "The time 1:as passed for n* to .
t".!k. We h;ivi- .! >nc pienry < f tba?,
i .-? ir ku* d ne p-? <--.?.* T'H J... J c l
E j ling."
The cor res pc ni OD d--'rt vbo ?... -a-ed '
thc interview t. !.;. i -r- ! \- direct from
Ma-hijo:;, ^?iti?.n y er.Vcr tia y. wheo the j
wir< g were working as usual *o Lorenzo i
Marques. i ;
Nine hundred British prisoners!'
arrived Tuesday at Nooitgedaoht.
They are penned io a barbed wire
enclosure of four acres oo tbe open
veldt
Abcordiog to a dispatch from Loren?
zo Marques, dated yesterday, Lord
Roberts is reported to have intercepted
two trains full leaving the vicinity of
Pretoria. Telegrams from the British
side are exceedingly scanty. Two brief
ones received from Pretoria say that
Mrs Kruger still occupying the presi?
dency and that a number of engines
and cars have been secured. The Brit- j
ish under Maj P Lisle captured a gun j
and caused the Boers heavy less, tbe
British casualties being slight. Boer
officials removed ?300,000 in gold from
the National Bank June 4, but did not
touch the cash holdings of the other
banks.
Some of the Boers are surrendering
voluntarily and the towospeopio of
Pretoria are described as showing con
sideable enthusiasm over the British
arrival. Mr Pr?vost Battersby in a
dispatch to The Morning Post from
Pretoria, dated Jone 5, says : "The
Boers pledged themselves to 20 British
effioers not to take the British prisoners
away if these officers would control
them aod preven?an outbreak. Never?
theless they began their removal.
After 900 bad been taken British
shells struck a train that was loading
and the Boers desisted and retired.
'.The British officers at DaBpoort
refused to ieave their quarters and made
the Boer commandant a prisoner,
releasing him at midnight on condition
that he would cancel the order for the
removal of the prisoners. The Preto?
ria forts were found without gund. All
the artillery had been gotten away."
Another dispatoh says : "Sixteen
hundred British prisoners were remov?
ed. After the government had tafeen
away most of the stores the burghers
were given a free hand to help them?
selves. All the British found was a
few hundred bags of coffee and sugar."
Democrats of New York in
State Convention.
New York, June 5 -The Demo?
cratic State convention today elected
these delegates at large to the na?
tional Democratic convention :
David B. Hill, Richard Croker,
Edward Murphy and Augustus Van
Wy ck.
Alternates : Frank Cambell, Jacob
Ruppert, Jr, C Morgan Sanford and
James S. Helvin.
Electors at large : Frederick Cook
of Rochester ; Robert C. Titus of
Buffalo.
The platform adopted contains no
reaffirmation of the Chicago platform
of 1896, but a declaration that the
party in the State will support the
platform of the Kansas City conven?
tion. The platform declares against
war taxes in time of peace, declares
for parity of gold and silver as cur?
rency ; demands abolition of all cus
toms and tariffs between Puerto Rico
and the United States ; condoms
trusts and monopolies and entang?
ling alliances ; demands just and
liberal pension laws and election of
United States senators by the people
and favors the nomination of Wm J
Bryan
The convention gave promise of
being very stormy, but ended quiet?
ly. The particular feature of the
convention was the domination of
affairs by ex-Senaior David B. Hill.
The silver men profess to be satisfied
with the result
Hester's Cotton Analysis.
New Orleans. June 7 -Secretary
Hester's analysis of the cotton move?
ment for the nine months of the sea
sor. from Sept 1 to the close of May,
injlusive, shows that compared with
the crop movement last year, Texas,
including Indian Territory, has
brought into sight this season in
round figures 908,000 bales less,
while other Gulf States, which in?
clude Arkansas, Louisiaua, Missis
sippi, Tennessee, Missouri and Okla
norna, have marketed 582,000 bales
less, and the group of Atlantic
States, which include North and
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
Alabama and Virginia, show a de
crease of 578,000, making the de
crease in the total of crop marketed
2,068,000 bales
Mr Hester shows the amount
brought into sight for the Atlantic
Stales for the nine months to be
3,512,3<>4 bales, ii decrease under I
iaet year of 578,454.
The total crop in sight at the close j
of May was S,759,(>t5l bales, a
decrease under hist year of 2,088,
109
At ??i(A close of May iasr, y ?Mr the
amount brought into sight from Tex?
as it ; i - ; Indian Territory was 1 li', ?88
bales, other Gulf ^?n?rs rw.?'2<> and !
from th" Atlantic States 269,182.
Tho groups States, in round ;
figures, ol tlte crop ?.i last year
shows from Texis and Iridiar? Terri?
tory ?act year 3,555,GOO. other Gulf
Plates 3,300,000, Atlantic States
i 360,000.
No News From Pretoria.
NOT A LINE OFiNEWS IS
ALLOWED TO COME
FROM PRETORIA.
London, June 9, 3 13 a m -Gen
Buller has at length taken the offen?
sive and by manoeuvring he has
secured a position weet of LaiDg's
Nek, by which he believes he can
make the positions untenable. Pie
sumably he will immediately follow
up his success.
Lord Roberts has communicated
nothing for three days, nor permitted
the correspondents to wire what is
going on London's inference is
that be is resting, although be is
probably disposing his army for a
reach after Commandant Gen Botha.
A blockade of the wires, owing to
the crush of official correspondence,
may account for the scanty press
dispatches. Some telegrams filed a
week ago are only just now arriving
According to one of them, the streets
were filled with women and children.
Rifle shots could be heard every?
where. The British soldiers would
stop firing and join in the chase after
chickens. The burghers surrendered
to anyone. Kaffirs went about loot?
ing the Jewish stores, and mounted
infantry galoped hither and thither.
Lord Roberts' army has a new
song. It runs thus :
"We're marcoing into Pretoria ;
It belongs to Queen Victoria "
The Daily Express has the follow?
ing from Pretoria, dated Wednesday:
"The one thousand prisoners who
were deported from Waterval were
told that they were about to be given
up to Lord Roberts. They entrained
cheerfully and were conveyed to
Nooitgedache, instead of Pretoria.
"Gen Louis Botha, with a rear
guard of 2,000, left Pretoria during
the night. The British advance goard
on enteriog was upon the very heels
of the retiring Boers Botha bas sworn
to carry on the war in the moun?
tains.7'
At Lorenzo Marques station a
crowd waited all Thursday night to
see President Kruger, as it was
reported that he would arrive by a
special train to gain an asylum on
board the Netherlands cruiser Fries
land
Middleburg is said to be full of
Boer refugees and wounded The
railway still delivers goods at Bron
korst spruit, 40 miles east of Preto
ria. A British column is at Regmers
dorp, Switzerland. Eleven British
prisoners have been taken to Middle
burg The British at Beira are
moving into the interior in detach
ments of 200 daily.
Mr G. V Fiddee, imperial secre
tary to the high commissioner, with
a part of Sir Alfred Milner's staff,
left Cape Town Tuesday evening for
Pretoria, possibly, AS the Cape Town
correspondent of The Daily News
thinks, to arrange the annexation
details
GEN BULLER TAKES THE OF
FENSIVE.
London, June 8, ll 25 p m -The
war office has received the following
disDatch from Gen Baller :
Yellow Boom Farm, June 8 -On
June 6th Gen Talbot Coke, with the
Tenth brigade and the South African
Light Horse, seized Van Wyke hill
The enemy made some resistance,
and a good deal of sniping occurred
Our casualties were about 4 killed and
13 wounded
During that day and the following
we got two 7 and two 12 pounder
naval guns on to Van Wyke hill aiid
5 inch guns on to the southwestern
spur of Inkewelo Under cover of
their fire General Hiidyard today
assaulted all the epurs of the berg
between Botha's Pass and Inkeweio
The attack, which was well
planned by Hiidyard and carried ont
with immense dash by the troops, for
whom no mountains were too steep,
outflanked the enemy, who were
forced to retire from their very strong
position
I think we did not have any
casualties, and I hope I have obtain
ed a position from which I can
render Laing?s Nek untenable."
A charter was granted Saturday
to tbe Clear Water Bleachery and
Manufacturing Company of Aiken
The capital stock is to be $200,000,
and the president and treasurer is
Thomas Barrett, Jr, of Augusta,
who is connected with cotton mills
in Augusta, Graniteville and other
factories ever tho Savannah in South
Carolina.
LMakes V-e food more de
_ WOY Al BOXING POW!
THE FORT ROYAL
NAVAL STATION.
The Beaufort and Port Royal
People Will Fight to Re?
tain lt.
Editor the Daily item
As a matter which involves the
national ^efenpe and a waste of the
nation's fand6, we commend the fol?
lowing to the attention of your read?
ers :
The paragraph in the naval appro?
priation bill, as it now refers to the
Port Royal (3. 0 ) naval station, pro?
vides that $$00,000 shall be spent
for the improvement of that plant
unless the secretary, after a report
by a competent board of naval offi?
cers, shall decide that the intents,
of the government would be better
served at Cha. leaton In which case,
the station will be transferred to the
latter place.
This last proviso is the result of
strenuous efforts by certain Charles?
ton interests, and has been cunningly
conceived, based on false claims, and
fostered in secret.
We would say to the country that
this fight is but begun, and if fought
fair in the light we have no doubt as
to the issue
Several naval boards composed of
eminent naval authorities have exam?
ined Port Royal harbor at different
times with a view to determining its
availability for various naval pur?
poses They have always enthusias?
tically endorsed the place, and we
are confident of a favorable report in
this instance, if an unbiased board
be appointed
Those who are behind this meas?
ure are noisily announcing that the
secretary approves of the proposed
removal and the station is already
Charleston's We have a high opin?
ion of Secretary Long and do not
believe him capable of such action
of prejudging a case without aa in?
vestigation. It may be, however, the
ear of those in power bas been secured
by the men interested io this waste
of the public funds Therefore the
matter is laid before the country that
it may see it is proposed that the
national interests shali be sacrificed
for the benefit of a certain locality ; ,
for publicity will insure a decision
based on the public welfare-the na?
tional defense
We hereby announce to the secre?
tary of the navy and to the country
that we propose to prove, before the
board appointed, the following facts
based on official documents and other
reliable sources :
That the present site was carefully
chosen for its purpose by a board of
eroineot naval authorities.
That the harbor and bar ot Port
Royal are the best oo the South Atlan?
tic coast, and will permit the navy of
the nation to enter ia double column to
manoeuvre and to fiud ample and pro?
tected anchorages The entrance
through tbe bar is broad, deep and
natural : the harbor anchorage unap
proacbed on tbe Southern coast for its
magnitude and sheltering headlands.
No rivers eternally empty here their
sediment, aod no daily shifting quick?
sand chokes this harbor's entraoce.
Nature, with lavish band, moulded a
great; basin out of the rook ; and the
channels, sounded and recorded by
Menendez, 300 years ago. prove to the
deep2St dr aft fbips of our day their
unchanging proportions-as they were
then so are they now
That tbe government's experience at
Port Rojal has justified the wisdom of
its choice : and any difficulties which
have arisen were foreseen and provided
for
That the dry dock there situated is
the best timber dock tbe government
owns, and oan today receive any ship
io tbe navy It cost less to build than
any other government dock ; has cost
le-s to maiota'n, and is today absolute?
ly firm in its foundations
That the machine shops, built of
brick aod steel, equipped with modern
machinery, are capable of making all
ordinary repairs on meo of war, and
are so complete as to bs capable of
building a small vessel entire
Tbat the health of tbe immediate
site, and of the whole section surround?
ing the harbor, is excellent
That Charleston offers no superior
advantages, and none commensurable
with some of those above described
That the proposed abandonment of
this property would be a criminal act.
If this splendid navy yard is sacri?
ficed, it will be through the pettiness of
a few pleasure seeking officers, the
cupidity of certain commercial combi?
nations, and the cunning of politicians.
Beaufort Committee oa
Naval ?Ma?ico.
PAKIN6? i
POWDER
IJC?O?S and wholesome