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VOLUME LXXXTI-SO. 137. GREAT BRITAIN'S PLANS TO CRUSH THE WARLIKE BOERS. General Sir Redvers Buller Secures Supreme Control of the English Forces in . South Africa, and Will Give No Quarter to the Enemy. LONDON, Oct. X— War, so often predicted in these dispatches as be ing the inevitable climax to hope less things, has come at last and is now in full swing for the subjection of the little republic whose whole mili tary sun rises and sots at Majuba Hill. Great Britain has set going machinery more powerful than that which crushed Napoleon and twice as strong as that ■which gave her Egypt and the Soudan. General Sir Redvers Buller has gone and already the Boer bullets have sung a song of desperate defiance. That the next few weeks will be marked by sharp fighting can almost be taken for granted. That the result will prob ably be for a time not too favorable to the British is also to be admitted. The main question Is how long are hostilities to last. The ultimate English victory is almost assured by virtue of overwhelm ing strength. A forecast of the length and nature of the campaign should not be ventured without knowledge of an extraordinary circumstance communicated to the Asso ciated Press on most reliable authority, though hitherto not printed in England, namely, that General Buller has gone to take entire control of the South Afri can situation. He will be as absolute as was Wellington and less hampered than was Kitchener. Therefore, not only the conduct of the war lies in his discre tion, but also virtually the future of, all South Africa, and no prognostications are of value without first taking Into con sideration his personal character for ob- Btinancy and frankness, traits responsible for the supremacy he has attained. Two months ago the Secretary of State for War, the Marquis of Lansdowno, of fered Buller command of the projected army corps. Sir Reavers gave a point blank refusal unless the War Office would guarantee him between sixty and seventy thousand men. He is quoted as having said on that occasion: "I shall not be handed down in history as another Sir George Colley." The reference was of course to the de feat at Majuba Hill. He also said that if he were to go it must be on the distinct understanding that he could select his mvn tta.fr and would be entirely uninter fered with by the War Office, His request regarding the staff. It Is Baid, was prompted by his suspicion that Lord Wolseiey would attempt to pay off old scores by foisting upon him staff offi cers antagonistic to him. Lord Lans downe demurred, but the stronger man prevailed, and Buller, having gained all the points he coveted, accepted the su preme command. Prior to Lord Lans down-'s assent General Buller freely ex pressed the opinion that when he had driven the Boers into a corner his hand mlgc: be stayed by a peace-loving public or a well intentloned War Office — a condi tion of things he could not tolerate, for, as he expressed it, hie hand was "not one of those that once put to the plow re leases its grip." It appears that both the Queen and the Cabinet practically acquiesced in his de mand, although of course retaining a nominal control scarcely worth the name. Buller is pretty certain to cut the wires behind him and to be out of touch with London at critical moments for fear the Cabinet might change its mind. It is this man, the: whom some of his own officers do not hesitate to call a brute, however much they admire his de terminatljn, who holds the destiny of the Transvaal and the Orange l-'ree State In his hand. He knows the Boers and he hates them. He has campaigned over the whole present battle ground, a:, Is,' above all, a soldier from head to foot. As soon as he reaches South Africa he will inaug urate a campaign of aggressiveness such es the world has seldom seen, but which he believes justifiable by virtue of his own superior force. The sternest measures will not be too stern for him, and until the last vestige of Dutch power, whether In the Transvaal, the Orange Free State or Cape Colony, is swept out he will not etay his hand. The idea is well Illus trated by Sir John Tenniel's cartoon In this week's Punch, representing John Bull Baying: "As you will fight, you shall have it this time. It is a lght to the finish." General Buller's mission is nearly In keeping with the spirit of the Colonial Office. Rightly or wroi gly, bel.eving wat to be the only possible method cf solv lng the Transvaal trouble, those officials have made no attempt to conceal their satisfaction at receiving an ultimatum Residence of President Kruger at Pretoria. The San Francisco Call from President Kruger, thus enabling them to place the onus of the war on th« Boers. England may or may not have nation for her contention, but the Government organs, which must know by personal knowledge the real feelings of the anti-Boer party In England, have made pitiful hypocrites of themselves In printing Jeremiads upon Mr. Kruger's perseverance In sending an ultimatum. The only thing that surprises an impar tial observer is that the Transvaal Presi dent did not adopt this course before Eng land's reinforcements arrived. The only explanation of his failure to do so lies in the report that he overestimates the strength of the British peace party. Once General Euller gets to work, it Is believed here, the Boers will offer .tie organized resistance. Something depends, of course, upon the success they may achieve In the interim, but the life In surance companies are only asking an ex tra premium of 6 pence as a war risk; in other words placing the odds at 20 to L This does not apply to South African Ir regulars, fighting side by side with the regulars, but it is said the Boers will show them no quarter. This Is hard to believe when It Is recalled with what un usual humanity the Boers treated the English prisoners during the previous war. Speaking of the -war of ISSI it should be remembered that General Colley's entire force amounted to less than 2000 men, while the Boers had nearly 12,000. Gen eral Sir George Stewart White, the Brit ish commander In Natal, Is not likely to fall Into General Colley's mistake of a premature advance. In fact it Is rather presumed that General White, knowing the tremendous extent of the reinforce ments on the way, will remain on the de fensive, rather than risk a doubtful en gagement. All sorts of surmises are current re garding the detailed strategy likely to be employed. One authority says the hostil ity of the Orange Free State confers an immense advantage upon the British forces, as it will enable Sir Redvers Dul ler to go direct through that country into the Transvaal. The Naval and Military Record, in the course of a most interesting article written by an army officer who compares the forces, says: "There is little doubt that the losses on our side will be heavy. Our troops will be compelled to accept the role of attack upon prepared positions, while the. Boers, at the very outset, by means of their mobility, may be able to make a dash into Natal, re tiring with comparative ease if pressed. But it is hard to believe that they have staying power sufficient to prolong op erations for any length of time. General Buller will eventually be strong enough to invest any fortified towns or positions taken by the Boers and to sit down and wait until exhaustion sets in among them. Sparsely populated as is the veldt, with a total area scarcely equal' to France, it is questionable if 10,000 typical yeomen, trained in the use of arms, can be raised throughout the whole Trans vaal. The rest are city men, with the vices of greed and the love of ease en gendered In centers of urban life. "It is far from true that the Boers are a godly, clean-living and generous race. They have openly given out that the British are to be uprooted, stock and branch, and the oft-heard phrase, 'To every man, a damsel or two,' throws a lurid light on Mr. Kruger's pious front. "We enjoy the sublime advantage of eventually posing as the attacking party, and it remains to be seen how far the Boers are fitted for the wearisome role of passive defense which sooner or later will be Imposed upon them. The service re volver they have In many cases discarded for one of ten chambers, but I do not be lieve there will be much hand to hand fighting, for Sir Redvers Buller is well aware that In a melee the advantages of Iron discipline are to a great- extent lost. We do not intend to allow the Boers to close with our Infantry, although cavalry patrol skirmishes will be unavoidable. The- Transvaal forces prefer ambuscades, and our difficulty will be to get Into con tact with them. It is to be hoped that the British-Indian troops will be de tailed as an advance guard, for they are well trained In ambush work." Although Buller has gone, most of the corps are still here. The Associated Press learns that the Admiralty has final ly fixed upon October 20 as the firm day of regular embarkation, this continuing SAN FRANCISCO, !j SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1899— THIRTY-TWO PAGES. each day thereafter from Southampton. On October 23 and 25 there will be em barkations of a large contingent of men and equipment at Tilbury. These two ports will be the only outlets of any Im portance. The Outlook quotes a member of the Cabinet, whose name Is not given, but who Is evidently Mr. Chamberlain, as saying in private conversation: "Abso lute equality, nothing more and nothing less, is what we Intend to secure in South Africa. There can be but one fate for the Boer oligarchy and there can be left no doubt regarding our sovereignty over all South Africa. When these ends have beep attained a policy of magnanimity and consideration, such as has made the French Canadians loyal British subjects, will, I have no doubt, be applied with equal success in South Africa. To de stroy ruthlessly the best traditions and amour propre of the Boers would be an act of the supremest folly." The Shippers' Gazette says that the calling out of the reserves Is seriously affecting the ship yards and engineering works, especially the latter, resulting in a slackening of the rate of ship products. The plethora of money in England Is evidenced by the fact that the Mansion House fund for the Cape Town refugees already reaches more than £<t),000, while £3000 has Just been paid for a private orchid collection, £147 going for one plant. <:'•■'■ OPERATIONS OF THE INVADING BOERS PRETORIA, Oct. 13 (delayed In trans mission).—Advices from Volksrust con firm the report that a Boer commando has occupied Laings Nek without casualties. The health of the burghers is good. DURBAN, Oct. I.— Authentic news has reached here that 5000 Boers were camped on the Ingogo battlefield last evening. Two armored trains now patrol the line In the vicinity of Ladysmith. .. T7'e_ transports Gau] an<? rrtada ar rived to-day from India The, transport Wardha, with a contingent of Lancers, was compelled to put back here. She en countered a severe gale off East London, southeast of King Williams Town, and was considerably damaged, losing nearly 100 horses. CAPE TOWN, Oct. 13 (delayed In trans mission).—A dispatch from West Barkley. Bechuanaland, says that Dutch farmers along the Transvaal borders are showing their intention of Joining the Boers. PLAN OF THE BOER CAMPAIGN UNFOLDED LONDON, Oct. 14.— capture of the train on the western border of the Trans vaal is the beginning of a few anticipated reverses at the outset [of the campaign. The Boer plan Is now unfolding itself. It seems to be to* strike simultaneously at different points, with a view of obtain ing a strong strategic position In Natal before the arrival of the British army corps. At all points the British are faced by Boer forces superior at least In num ber. The most dangerous positions, especially since the loss of the armored, train, are between Mafeklng and Vryburg. Colonel Baden-Powell, who Is In command at Ma feking, Is a man of the greatest courage and energy, but he has only 2000 men, many of them Irregulars, whose fighting capacity is not known, although It is be lieved to be good. The fact that he has moved out of Mafeking Indicates some ap prehension and In all likelihood he will have to stand a fierce assault or a pro longed siege. •}\'.ii iP^'j General Sir George Stewart White, com manding In Natal, Is estimated to have about 15.000 men stretched In strongly in trenched positions from Ladysmith to Dundee. He is a man of great resources and has the valuable assistance of Gen eral Sir William Perm Symons, experi enced in India, and of General Sir Archi bald Hunter, experienced In- Soudan cam paigns. -/'f?- It Is now expected that the session of Parliament will not exceed two weeks. The opposition will devote Its energies to an endeavor to extract from the Govern ment some Information on what condi tions peace will be concluded and as to the future position of the Transvaal. View of Ladysmith, Natal, the Headquarters of General Sir George Stewart White, Where • the Main Body of the British Troops Are Stationed. Ladysmith Is at the Junction of the railroads leading from the Transvaal and from the Orange Free State to Port Natal and is a point of great strategic value. ./_ rir-^---- - TO OBSERVE THE STRICTEST NEUTRALITY But Germany Would Like to Aid the Boers in the Struggle. Cop-frighted, 1899, by the Associated Press. BERLIN, Oct. 14.— A high German offi cial whose utterances may be taken as absolutely conclusive said to-day: "We shall observe the strictest neutral ity, no matter what may develop In the war between the Boer republic and Great Britain. That is the only course left open as conditions in South Africa are so com plicated and our relations with both sides are so delicate that to abandon neutrality by bo much as a hair's breadth necessar ily would lead to new and unforeseen complications. "We mean to adhere to neutrality toward both parties. What else can we do? Other powers spoken of as likely to Interfere have also concluded .to keep quiet. Such rumors as now and again reach the press— Instance, the report about the alleged attempts on the part of the Russian Minister, Count Muravieff, to bring about concerted intervention are unfortunately only rumors. I say un fortunately, the word showing how our sympathies lie, but politics In these days must be strictly separated from Interests on one side and sympathies on the other. It Is true our entire press calls upon, the Government to interpose between the brave little republics and big, powerful England and again a crusade against England is being preached to the nations of the continent. But we would be fools to listen to this siren song. On that oc casion when we blew the alarm horn— refer to Emperor William's telegram to President Kruger in 1896— and tried to as semble the powers with a view of op posing Great Britain In her selfish and rude aggressiveness, we had a bad ex perience. The lesson was not lost upon us. Of course all the other powers would like It only too well if Germany would oppose England seriously In this matter, but we doubtless would again be left to our unaided selves. Therefore we are go ing to avoid Intervention and to remain strictly neutral in the coming struggle. Our Intention has been communicated fully" to the : Transvaal and to England. England would not have gone on as she has If she had not thoroughly understood this. Do not understand me to mean that Germany would not participate In some concerted action looking toward Inter vention, but she has no idea of again taking the Initiative." _ .; /■__;.■;; _ This authoritative declaration tallies with one made by the Inspired Berliner Post, in which the policy of neutrality is likewise advanced. However, aside from, the Government press every paper and every person, high or low, condemns Eng land. Many also seriously blame the Government for its inactivity. The Deutsche Tages Zeitung says: ..',. "It Is unnecessary to say that our best wishes accompany the Boers, for they will fight not only In behalf of their own exist ence but In behalf of Germany's position in South Africa, which will be lost If the British win. If, on the other hand, the Boers win Great Britain will not only lose South '■ Africa • but perhaps the whole of her powerful position In the world." The Kreuse Zeitung and the Hamburger, . Nachrichten use similar ' arguments. The. Deutsche Zeitung, referring to the ulti matum, says; "The wrongs inflicted, by Great Britain on the Transvaal are moun tain high, and the impression made by the ultimatum upon every impartial - person is irresistible." ;; ;"- : -"-v _:'.": The Lokal Anzelger calls England's pro cedure "colossally brutal," and charges Mr. Chamberlain and the war, party in England with "dishonest financial opera tions that render war necessary." . -. The Frankfurter Zeitung says: "The fact that Great Britain will not be hin dered by other powers Is due to Ger many's friendly neutrality, but England will hardly be grateful for this after the war is over." V, ~2 The Cologne Gazette says: "We hope the Boers will not meet with the fate of Spain and lose their own." The Hamburger correspondent says: "The other powers must wish to see Eng land engaged as long as possible In a fight with the Boers, as that will leave the way free elsewhere for them." The fact that President Kruger did not receive birthday congratulations this year from Emperor William is commented upon regretfully by a number of papers. There are, moreover, other evidences of sympathy with the Boers. Subscription lists are. being circulated on the Bourse to raise money for the equipment of am bulance wagons, and a Transvaal central committee is forming to collect funds for the same purpose.'-.!.-.*''' GENERAL JOUBERT'S CHARACTERISTIC LETTER NEW YORK, Oct. 14.— General P. J. Joubert, the commander of the Boer forces, has sent \ the following letter to George Van Slclen under date of Septem ber 11, ISD3:' "Tour letter of August 6, 1599, came to hand. I thank you for it and "for the op portunity given me to remove and contra dict a great misunderstanding or wrong Impression that I am in favor In England and therein differ from President Kru ger. This is absolutely untrue. If Presi dent Kruger and I differ then It may be in some of our opinions, but the mainte nance of our self-government and the de fense of our Independence are equally close to the heart of each of us. "Probably this letter will not reach you before England has begun to fire her cannon upon us. and then we shall have the commencement of the fight, but our God In heaven only knows what the end will be. "We read In the English papers of all the auxiliary troops which are of fered to Mr. Chamberlain from all coun tries and colonies, and that Canada, Aus tralia, India and Queensland, etc., all will aid; to sweep away from earth the little handful of Boers, so that if there is no more a God In heaven who is able to pro tect the Boers against this force, then shall the existence and the names of the Boers, or rather of the Afrikander na tion, be no longer heard of." '•,-;..-■;.' SHARP ENGAGEMENT AND HEAVY LOSSES REPORTED NEW YORK, Oct. 14.— A World special from Cape Town says: A sharp engagement between the Boers and the British forces under Colonel Baden-Powell took place this morning near Mafeking, in Bechuanaland. The losses are reported to be heavy on both sides. Another armored train has been captured by the Boers and wrecked. It is now lying on its side off the rails. GEN. DULLER DEPARTS FOR SOUTH AFRICA Thousands of Britons Cry "Good Luck" and "Re member Majuba." Special Dispatch to The Call. LONDON, Oct. 14.— General Sir Redvers Buller, who will have the chief command in South Africa, left Waterloo station this afternoon for Southampton to' go on • board the Dunottar Castle. His de parture was the occasion of another patriotic demonstration. General Buller arrived at the station at 1:45 p. m. With great difficulty his carriage forced its way through the crowds that blocked every approach. The people swarmed everywhere and gave the station the ap pearance of a veritable beehive. - Constant and deafening cheers marked the approach of the royal carriages con taining the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge, and when Sir Redvers Buller alighted and appeared in the door way of the station to receive the Prince and his former commander in chief en thusiasm knew no bounds. The immense waiting-room was temporarily converted Into a reception-room, where the Secre tary of State for War, Lord Lansdowne, Lord Wolseiey; George Wyndham, Parlia mentary Under Secretary of State for War; General Sir Evelyn Wood, Colonel Lord Paul Methuf and a host of other celebrities were gathered to bid farewell to General Buller. The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Cambridge accompanied him to the tram. Meanwhile the people filled every avail able spot within the station, hanging even from the rafters. Thousands of throats took up the cries, "Good luck" and "Remember Majuba." Everybody, the royal personages included, uncovered as the train finally moved out of the sta tion. SOUTHAMPTON, England, Oct. 14.— The arrival and embarkation of General Sir Redvers Buller was the occasion for a scene of frantic enthusiasm. Thousands of townspeople and visitors swarmed near the quay, where the Mayor of Southampton welcomed General Buller amid deafening cheers and the waving of handkerchiefs, hats and walkng sticks. Sir Redvers smilingly acknowl- edged the demonstration and went Imme- diately on board the steamer, entering PRICE FIVE CENTS. the captain's cabin, where he bade fare well to Lady Buller and his daughter. When the Dunottar Castle sailed with General Buller and the others standing on her deck the crowd cheered themselves hoarse and sang "God Save the Queen" as she glided out of the dock. HOW BOER ARTILLERY DESTROYED THE TRAIN LONDON, Oct. 14.— Further details are at hand regarding the destruction of the armored train at Kraaipan. They show that Captain Nesbitt, who was in com mand of the train, was warned at Mari bogo that the Boers held the line. He re plied that he was bound to proceed. Nearing Kraaipan the train dashed into a culvert that had been blown up by the B.oers, who were lying in wait for the train. The, Boer artillery immediately opened fire and a desperate fight ensued, lasting four hours, with the odds greatly against the British. The precise details are uncertain. It seems, however, that a police patrol at tracted by the firing approached within about two thousand yards of Kraaipan, saw the train ditched, with the Boer ar tillery still pounding at it, but noticed no response. The Boers seemed afraid to approach until the wreck was complete, and the police patrol feared, as there were no signs of life near the train, that the en tire force had perished in a desperate at tempt to get the train back to Mafeking, where they knew it was anxiously awaited with its load of guns and ammunition. It is reported that the Boers lost heavily, but there is no means of verifying this. Two miles of rails were torn up. VRYBURG. Oct. 13, afternoon (delayed in transmission).— According to the latest reports matters so far as the train was concerned were hopeless as soon as the artillery began bombarding it. The driver of the armored train escaped to the veldt and has turned up at Maribogo, from which place he telephones that all the persons on the train except himself were taken prisoners. An engine has been sent to Maribogo to bring him here. Besides emoving the rails the Boers have de troyed several bridges. SECOND ARMORED TRAIN REPORTED DESTROYED LONDON, Oct. 14.-The Exchange Tele graph Company has received a dispatch from Cape Town dated this morning say ing that the Boers have blown up another armored train carrying telegraph opera tors from Mafeking. The Boers, it is re ported, have destroyed the railway north of Fourteen Streams, between Vryburg and Kimberley. Fighting is still continu ing in the neighborhood. According to dispatches from the front the Boers have made several attacks on Mafeklng, all of which have been re pulsed. In connection with the rumored attack upon Mafeklng a disquieting report comes