The Siege of
Mafeking Be
gan on . the
13th of Oc
tober, 1899,
tand Has Las-
Ed One Hun
dredM Fif
ty-Five Days
Up to This
or 15,000. It is generally
believed that this extensive posi
tion is only a bluff, and that the
Boers' object is, merely to try to
gain time and cause the << British
advance to pause. As has been
often pointed out reconnoissance
in that rugged country is • very
difficult and dangerous. The de
lay of the British at this -point
may be of great- service to the
Boers, who are desperately en
deavoring jto .assemble the rem
nants of their forces in the hope
that/they may yet be able "to stay
the British advance.
SUCCESS DUE TO
ROBERTS' PERSONALITY
LONDON, March 17.— Spencer Wilkin
son- reviews the war news • for the past
week ¦ for the ! Associated Press as fol
lows: 1 -' •.. { ' -¦ : ' ¦:*'¦*"¦ ?:'.:-; .-.'•¦ '¦*,
,!."Th« great secret of w«r U personality,"
Napoleon said. .. "In, war. the big thing Is not
men, "but man,",- and the sudden change' In the
state- of the South African war is due ,to the
presence and power of one man— Lord Roberts.
Seven years , ago I- spent .' many . weeks | with
hi* in India, accompanying him as his guest
on his last tour of inspection of the Indian ar
mies. I saw for myself h0w. 200,000 men wor
shiped him. Since his return from India there
have been' influences strlvirig , to • keep him in
the background.' The disasters of the winter
gave him his opportunity, 'and now the world
sees what he has made of. it. , . . • ' ,'
.When! Sherman set out . to : march through
Georgia he asked .General- Grant for' an.; old
chum — Cavalry .Officer. "Wilson, ¦. I think— and
whin Wilson came- he sat ; up half the night
talking to Sherman, »w"ho, before retiring, said:
"Wilson, I'll tell you'where . Grant ' beats | all
the rest of us.'. He 'don't care a damn for what
he can't see the enemy doing, and it scares me
like hell!"/ , .V, - : •¦, ¦,¦, ¦ . . :
Roberts is Just like Grant. He is too big to
be disturbed- at anything,* and. he quietly does
Just- what he means 'to do. / Accordingly hla
movements have knocked the Boers - out ' of
tlme.\ ¦ ¦¦ : ;¦ •-.'¦• : . '. '¦:¦ ¦ ,' • .' ';\->
* Dreyfontein turns out, by the losses on both
sides, to have been one of the hardest , fought
actions . of . the war. ~, It . has finished the j Free
Staters. -'¦- ¦ - ; • ¦¦¦; . ~. • •¦ ' -: • v ' ',•"- - '
Roberta entered ' Bloemfontein on Tuesday,
and the ¦ result has been the j complete collapse
of Free' State resistance. * '¦¦¦.. •>' .¦:..' • '-. »
* The' railway' opened .without difficulty to the
Orange ' River, the' rebellion . in ! the ) Cape 'col
lapsed, I the' Free Staters , turning round whole-
Bale. - Meantime the Transvaal j Boers j solemnly
declare , that they , have . made . Blggarsberg : im
pregnable, *, but Buller has no need* to' run his
head ' against^ Blggarsberg. g Lord ! Roberts, : by
advancing.* along v the v Vaal River, ''would turn
Blggarsberg, and the Boers must: then be be
tween, two armies.', • , :
The Transvaal , Boers ; may . fight on In the
hope of j foreign j intervention. .They j have '- no
other ' chance, as either British army outnum
bers them I and they, cannot ¦ escape, | beinar be
tween two flres. except by 1 perpetual retreat. -
,' 'But though. I - can « see ' no ' chance I for • them
except through Intervention I expect the Trans.
vaal Bn«r> will flo-ht. until the ' lapt. as. their
animosity, to the British Is deep and rooted.
pit 1000-Ci
vilians arid
7500 Natives.
equipment of the forces recently
opposed to Clements,- Gatacre
and Brabant will speedily be cap
tured. Apparently the men of
these commandoes, which prob
ably consist mostly of disloyal
colonists with a leaven of Free
State Boers, are already tired. of
fighting. It is therefore thought
likely that the number obeying
Steyn's summons to Kroonstad
will be very limited. \
There is practically no news
from Natal, >-et itvwould .not be
safe to' infer that nothing, is .being
done there. Nobody, here .would
be surprised to- hear that the
Boers had been driven from their
lines along the Biggersberg
Range and had been forced to
break up in flight for Laings
Nek. -The . Biggersberg 'works
are reported to be extensive and
as hardly to' be held by less than
wearisome even ' to the cosmopolitan
financiers who are , so largely responsible
for the .whole tragedy. . Events .Involving
prompt action may- easily 'happen in
other quarters of the- worlo- where the in
terests of .Great Britain -ire far more
vulnerable .than the issues in South ' A
frica, while the shameful inaptitude. which
brought, about . this unnecessary, war
must dally become clearer and. clearer to
Englishmen,' ln spite of all the sophistry
of adroit debaters." .
. .- » • ¦ • ¦ • '
COLONISTS IN ARMS
CONTINUE TO SURRENDER
BURGHERSDORP, Cape Colony, March
17.— Colonists who have been In arms con
tinue I to surrender. .' Commandant Dor
iriehel's forces'; have, sent; for some one to
come and accept their ' surrender quickly.'
They appear to be afraid of Commandant
Olivier, who," it is understood, threatens
to; shoot Dormehel if he surrenders. A
number of rifles have -been stacked Vat
Herschel, - but their . ownership > has .not
been traced. At Barkley West 200 disloyal
persons have surrendered to the Justice
of the Peace and 250 more have given up
their arms and ammunition at Herschel.
DUNDONALD'S PATROLS
HAVE A SKIRMISH
. LAD YSMTTH. March 16.—LordDundon
ald's; cavalry patrols • reconnoltered ¦ the
Free" State border of Natal to the
The British
Force Con- N
sists of About
600 Men.
There Were
Besides in the
Place When
the Siege Be-
De Beers. Pass, where a "slight skirmish
occurred, in which ; . two British were
wounded. The Boers were also encoun
tered in some strength, at Van Reenana
Pass and Tiritwar Pass.
Kaffirs arriving here report that the
Boers are manifesting a vindictive spirit
under defeat, and that many kraals hith
erto respected have been burned.
A number of ambulances attached to the
Boer forces . were found . near Modder
Spruit, having been abandoned by the
Boers because, they were unable to keep
pace with the retreat. They were brought
into camp, where the wounded were cared
for. Transports were subsequently sup
plied and the ambulances were sent io the
Boer lines. • -.-.;•. .
ONLY THE TRANSVAALERS
WILL GO TO ST. HELENA
" LONDON,* March 17.— A dispatch to tha
Exchange" Telegraph Company from Cape
Town, dated 'to-day, says it has been de
cided to send only the Transvaalers to St.
Helena, the authorities finding it difficult
to prevent conflicts between the Free
Staters and the Transvaalers.
Colonel Schiol. who was captured in
Natal In the early part of the war. has a
special sentry at his door to prevent him
from doing himself bodily violence. •
Captain Johnson and Third. Officer Bolt
ege of the steamer Mashona. captured by
a ¦ British cruiser and subsequently re
leased, were drowned In a gale last night.
Four others were drowned .and a boat's
crew from the Cheshire is missing.
ALL CONSULS CO-OPERATING.
PRETORIA. Thursday, " March 13 (via
Lourenzo Marques,' Friday, March 16).—
The United States Consul. Adelbert Hay.
has not received a reply from the United
States since he asked for its good offices
in behalf of the Boers t.oward peace. Sec
retary of State Reitz has received a dis
patch from Washington saying that the
war was the subject of friendly negotia
tions with- the" British" Government and
containing an expression of the Presi
dent's earnest hopes for peace. . All the
Consuls are co-operating for the general
good of the whole community.
DEPARTURE DELAYED.
C*APE,XOWN. March 17.— The departure
of the transports with the Boer prisoners
for St. Helena has been delayed on ac
count of the fact that many Boers have
been sick with various infectious dis
eases. The authorities are striving to com
plete the j isolated hospital . by Wednesday
and the transports will probably sail that
day. - ¦¦ .....
OLIVIER EVACUATES.
BURGHERSDORP. March 17.—Com
mandant Olivier evacuated his position on
a hill in front of the British during the
night. . Several Boers of his force have
surrendered.
' Dr.'Dewet, a member of the Cape.Par
liament, and his brother have been ar
rested." , : . . .
BOER DEFENSES COMPLETED.
GLENCOE, March 15, via Lourenzo Mar
ques, March 16.— The Boer defenses along
the ¦ Biggarsburg have been completed
and are said to render the positions im
pregnable.
; Intervention hardly seems likely, as the Brit
ish • navy is an unknown quantity; and .the)
British nation is quite determined
. The. fate. of Maf eking is uncertain. All re
cent reports show that despite the great hard
ships the Harrison will -hold out: that the be
sieKers are crowing tired and ; timid, and that
relief ' movements ' are ' in progress ; north and
south, but the news Is Indefinite. .
¦ - '. ? l .
WHITE SAYS WAR
WILL BE PROTRACTED
v NEW YORK, March' 17.— 1n his article
on -.'."The • Policy -oor. r Mediation," which
serves as an introduction to "The* Story
of the, Boers," '.which .will be published
during the: coming week under authority
of 'the Bouth African republics, Montagu
White, "formerly 'Consul General ; of 'the
Transvaal- at :' London,' discusses -the pos
sibility •of mediation on the part .of the
United "ttates and- prophesies a-long con
tinuance of the war.' Mr.- White says: '
'"With regard to,the contention that the
United States,' though willing to use:lts
friendly ; offices, cannot intervene ..unless
requested • to do so-by both/belligerents,
It" may be arguedthat if the two,combat
ants •, jointly/ desire peace .they can dis-.
pense with the services of a mediator, and
settle ". the * matter between /themselves.
To remain passive jUntll such* a'contin
gency, arises i and , then offer ; to mediate
would be a 1 * cheap and tawdry act of be
nevolence. ;•• The ¦ essc nee rof mediation is
that' a* friendly neutral should act spon
taneously.' and" on , Its ,' initiative.
-- VThe end of -.the.war'is not yet insight.
The | defensive- campaign : is likely to -be
less dramatic than" the events of j the last
few months,' but It ? £5 be protracted ana
British, soldiers . arresting \ a suspected farmer | in Northern '¦ Cape. Colony.
From • Black and : White. ;
WILL MAKE SOMEjVEXAMPLES OF REBELS.
Once a Week in Peace or War Comes the British
Soldiers' Pay Day.
Gentler weapons than ball and bayonet are now to be used In the concilia
tion of the people of the Orange Free State. The 60,000 soldiers with whom
Lord Roberta fought his way to their capital are to be armed with an agent
whose power the British Government well know and appreciate— gold. The
British commissaries are to pay cash for everything had from the burghers,
as also are the soldiers, under heavy penalties. Once a week, at home or
abroad, "Tommy Atkins" gets his money— averaging say J3 80 per week for
the non-commissioned officers and soldiers— a sum whose expenditure will go
far toward reconciling the burghers to the presence of their conquerors.
LQXDON, March 18.— The
force under General Pole-
Carew which was sent by
Lord Roberts to join hands with
Gatacre and Clements has ac
complished its mission, having
reached Xorvals Pont. General
Gatacre is reported to be as far
north as Springfontein. This
was the chief item of war news
yesterday and added to the re
joicing here in honor of St. Pat
rick's day. It is evident that the
resistance of the Free Staters
south of Bloemfontein has com
pletely collapsed. Even to the
northward the Boers are showing
little apparent activity. The
bridge across the Modder River
has been found untouched.
It is thought probable that
within a week Lord Roberts will
be able to commence the march
northward to carry the .British
flag into Pretoria. When any,
military man is asked how long
he thinks it will take to capture
the Transvaal capital he will
venture no opinion except that
even' day is bringing the Boer
downfall nearer. Although the
correspondents are not permitted
to wire any details as to the
movements of troops it is clear
enough from the hints let drop in
more than one message that im
portant steps are in progress.
News is expected soon that the
little towns of Ladys Brand and
Wepener, close to the Basuto
land border, have been occupied
by the British mounted troops
and that, the whole country, be
tween them and Bloemfontein is
being closely watched by patrols.
In this manner the march north
ward of any organized body of
Boers will' be effectually pre
vented.
It is also counted on with con
fidence here that the guns arid
COLONEL BADEN-POWELL, the Hero of Maf eking, on
the Lookout for Relief.
While a lenient and conciliatory policy has been inaugurated by Lord. Roberts'toward 4 the people of the Orange Free
State, those of Cape Colony who have taken up arms will -be dealt with 'as rebels against .their Queen." Already as fast
as the British troops have reoccupted the disaffected districts of Cape Colony' those ;- susjpfeted '-, of - rebellious acts or
sympathies have been arrested and senV to Cape . Town - for confinement and - trial at a later day. . ? . . . ..
The first beset and the last relieved will be. the story of the siege of Ma
feklng: if the long-expected and yet delayed succor reaches the little band of
defenders before their last ration Is gone and their last shot has been tired.
For 155 days "now have Colonel; Powell and 'his gallant "six hundred" held
their, own. against, heavy odds.* Colonel Plumer.,wlth relief from Rhodesia,
• was but thirty miles away, on -.the north "when last heard from bn March 3.
and may reach the place In time. The Kimberley column, which has not. as
far as reported, yet crossed the Vaal River.' may. however, get there before
him, led perhaps by Kitchener himself. •
RESISTANCE OF FREE STATERS SOUTH OF
BLOEMFONTEIN HAS COLLAPSED.
Within a Week |M|S|^g^|^^v||p^&b^^@f^j^^^^||iffii|i|||^
the March Northward to Garry the British Flag Into Pretoria. 3f
P Siege of Mafeking-Ske^li^lVlap; of ißber and British Lines.^
- (Prom : a ' sketch by a, ; British officer sen t by a native runner , to'; Buluwayo. Reproduced from " the London Graphic.) ...,'..
Pages 13 to 1
'4 -":-i - ; - <•*
k VOLUME LXXXVII-NO. 108.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, MARCH 18, ¦ 1900-^THIRTY-TWO PAGES.
Pages 13 to 22
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL