THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4307, 16 March 1901, Page 7

THE TRANSVAAL WAR.

CABLE NEWS.

united mass association.—ax eleoTeio TBLEOBAPH.—OOFTEXGHT.

DESTRUCTION OF A TRAIN

LONDON, March 14. Tiio Boers derailed a train at Wilgc River, in the east of Orange Diver Colony, hub a, blockhouse in tho vicinity i.revented for two hours a force of COO Boers from plundering the train. Eventually it v/as sacked and burned. Three British were killed, and the Boers shot eight natives who wore travelling hy tho train. British reinforcements arriving, fifteen Boers wore killed and many wounded. I>l‘< WET AND HIS PURSUERS. LONDON, March 11. General Be Wet on the 11th hist. was h;!-.ated between Brandfort, thirty-six miles north of Bloemfontein, and Eonsgevodeu. ton miles further north. The pursuing columns were refitting prior to making another combined movement. Lord Kitchener’s and Lieut.-General French's combinations frustrated Do V. et ’s and Hortzog’s attempted dash on SI. Helena Bay, Western Capo Colony, In meet a vessel bringing anus and uni-nnuilU-.ni, while General Botha carried out tim Invasion of Natal. (Deceived March Id, 10.55 p.m.) LONDON. March 15. ’Two of General Do Wet’s chief scouts : hary been captured, also a thousand I cattle and horses. RAIDERS IN GAPE COLONY. LONDON, March 14. -Major-General Do Lisle and Colonel Gorriugo forestalled Commandant Kruit-v-itiger at Adelaide, sixty-five miles west of King Wiliiamstown. Kruitzinger turned north. (Received March 15, 10.55 p.rn.) LONDON, March 15. Commandant Kruitzinger forced the passage of tho river -at Leeuwdrift, foiling Major-General De Lisle’s plan to jam tho Boors in the fork formed by tho Great Fish river and its tributary, the Koonap, north of Grahamstown, in the east of Capo Colony. PRISONERS AND BURGHERS SHOT. (Received March 10, 0.29 a.m.) LONDON, March 15. The Boers shot two- British prisoners at Walmarantad; also three burghers for refusing to fight. General Do La Roy ordered their execution in revengo for his defeat at Hartebccstefontcin. ]j.ord Alethuen’.s. troops have captured Commandant Pierson, who was largely responsible for the tragedy. A NEWSPAPER’S APOLOGY. (Received March 16, 0.36 a.m.) LONDON, March 15. Tlio New York “Sun” has apologised for Hie garbled accounts published by it some time ago of letters written by Lieutenant Morrison, of the Canadian Contingent, describing British atrocities , in South Africa. The ‘'Sun” has dismissed its Ottawa eorrcsivjiulent, who was tho author of the garbled accounts.

AN ADVOCATE OF PEACE. LONDON, March 14. The Brniaselsi newspaper “Indopoudfinco Beige,” a strong pro-Boer organ, declares that the emancipation of the Republics is impossible. A continuance of the struggle is useless, barbarous and criminal, and all efforts are desirable to prevent tho extermination of the people. SPEECH BY THE CANADIAN PREMIER. OTTAWA, March 14. ' Sir Wilfrid Laurier, in a remarkable .speech in tho Dominion House of Commons, declared that the Boers had appealed to tho God of Battles, whose verdict favoured British rule. A confederation on Canadian lines woaild secure to tho people of South Africa tho blessings of liberty and justice. At the close of tho Premier’s speech the members rose and sang tho National Anthem. A USTRALIAN TROOPS. 'Received March 15, 10.29 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 15. The first portion of tho Imperial Draft Contingent, consisting of about a thousand officers and men and a thousand horses, marched through tho streets to-day, and boarded tho troopships Custodian and Maplemore. Owing to' the incessant rain since last night there- was very little demonstration in the streets. Tho troopships sail for the Capo to-morrow. MISCELLANEOUS. LONDON, March 14. . Australian Bushmen and scouts at Pienaar’s River, on tho railway fortytwo miles north of Pretoria, captured twenty-five natives going to Pietersburg carrying rifles and bandoliers filled with cartridges. (Received 1 March 15, 10.55 p.m.) LONDON, March 15. Repeated attempts of small commandoes to break north through the British between Bloemfontein and Thabrinchu have been repulsed with loss. (Received March 15, 10.55 p.m.) LONDON, March 15. Commandant De Jaeger, a noted Natal rebel, has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of £SOOO for treason and looting.

THE NEW ZEALAND CONTINGENTS It Is undoubtedly true, despite the in. hcrent improbability of the report, coat the First, Second and Third New Zealand Contingents uavo reached Naauwpoort.in Capo Colony. A letter from a trooper, just received at Wanganui, is dated “Nnanwpoort, Capo Colony, 7th February," and states:—"We have Just come down from Balmoral, fifty miles the other side of Pretoria. My old pal, Do Wet, is rooting up the country'round hero, and trying to get tho Capo Dutch to rise, and from what I hear a good.lot arc joining him. . . . There were any amount of Boers up Balmoral way, and you could not go a mile from camp without getting sniped. Wo lost four Now Zealand follows on tho trip up through snipers. Ono fellow was after poultry at a house and got bowled over The other three were out on reconnaissance when tho rearguard was attacked, and they had a pretty rough time. It took us three days by train to oome hero, travelling night and day; but we had a lot of stoppages to feed horses, etc., to say nothing of alarms, which were plentiful; and wo would hare to wait until a patrol came in to say the line was clear. Every bridge is guarded along the line, and any big bridge has a couple of guns stationed there. All the bridges have been properly fixed up with stone foundations, and to look at

them you would never think they had been destroyed at all. It is just wonderful how quickly they got the line into proper working order again. There is an armoured tram always running up and down, which keeps things In pretty good order; and all tho troops along the line are entrenched and have dug-outs besides. . . . Wc have only about

six weeks to put in of our year. My word! The time has; flown. It docs not seem anything like that to me. If we had been told when wo left New Zealand that we, would be out here a year, weal I should have laughed at you. We are still with Paget, .Plainer and Co., and in Cnidock’.s Brigade.”

The Premier received advice testerday that 539 Private A. D. Stubbs (Wellington), Second Cjntiugont, 847 Private B. C. McCormick (Woodiille), Third Contingent, and Private Robert Duthie, who are in hospital, are progressing favourably. to the “ Adelaide Advertiser,” a member of the. South African Bushmen’s Corps named Vernum had a most thrilling adventure in South Africa near the end of last year during the march from Bulawayo towards Fort Tnli. When carrying despatches for General Carrington he often used a bicycle, eventually discarding the horse in favour of the machine, and, strange enough, tho latter was the cause of his nearly losing his life. When tiic convoy came to a. stretch of forty miles of waterless country it was decided to travel during the night, and as the cyclist could not do this, ho travelled on in front, and camped by himself. In tho evening the terrific roar of a lion disturbed the silence, and when ho realised that tho beast was only a few yards off, he was almost paralysed with fear. He did not lose his presence of mind, but bounded towards tho bush in which tlio lion was, and fired two shots

from, a revolver into it, one of the shots striking the animal in the spine just as he made a spring. Loo, though mor. tally wounded, made another attempt to pounce upon Vemum, but the trooper, in desperation, put the muzzle of tho weapon almost into his ear, and gave- him a quick despatch. The next morning Vernum, broke down under the enormous strain, and was unconscious for thirty hours. His injuries consisted of severe bruises and wounds from the prickly bush, but ho was not able to resume duty for a month. The revolver, which undoubtedly saved his life, was won by Vernum in a swimming match only a few days before his en.’ counter with the king of the forest.