Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 March 1900 — BOER ARMY YIELDS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

BOER ARMY YIELDS

General Cronje Surrenders Unconditionally. FIERCE FIGHT ENDS. Stubborn Ten Days’ Battle Results ta Victory for British Arms. Hopelessly Cornered and Subjected to a Moat Terrible Artillery Fire for Ten Long Days and Nights, the Boer Commander, with His Entire Force, la Finally Forced to Capitulate to Lord Roberts. aWHRRMR The unconditional surrender of Gen. Cronje and his force, numbering 4,000 men, was officially announced by the Brit* ish war office early Tuesday morning. Gen. Cronje, commandant of a Boer army estimated at from 8,000 to 10,000 men, retreated from Modder River toward Bloemfontein, the capital of the Orange Free State, when Gen. French, with. British troops, effected the relief of Kimberley. Gens. Kelly-Kenny and Kitchener managed to head off the retreat. Gen. French came to their aid from Kimberley and Lord Roberts concentrated his whole British force about the cornered Boer army. Fighting was kept up almost incessantly for ten days, ending with Cronje’s surrender. At daybreak Tuesday morning the British were preparing to renew the bombardment of the Boer laager when an officer arrived from Gen. Cronje offering surrender and asking a safe conduct for the women and children who accompanied the army. The request was granted. Immediately upon receipt' of the news in London the Queen and Government officials wired their congratulations to Lord

Roberta and his victorious army. For six days the Boer army was practically at the mercy of the British, but Lord Roberts treated the burghers with great consideration from humane motives. Surrounded by ten times their number, cut off from re-enforcements and supplies, subjected to a concentrated artillery and machine-gun fire that for fierceness and effectiveness probably has not been equaled in history, burrowing like rabbits in a river bank, and threatened by a flood that might burst on them at any time and drown them out like rats, the Boers held out for over a week, and saw one relieving force after another broken up and scattered by the superior strength of the enemy. A week in such a situation is a long time. It would have been a great achievement to hold that position for three days. But they had to yield at last. Gen. Cronje himself was received by -Lord Roberts with the greatest courtesy and sympathy. Lord Roberts will exchange a large number of the Boer prisoners captured for British prisoners held in Pretoria. At last accounts the Boers held as prisoners 193 officers and 2,669 men. These will be swapped for an equal number of Boer prisoners. Gen. Cronje will be held a prisoner of war at Cape Town, as the Boers have no officer of his rank to exchange for him.

CONFIDENCE IN ROBERTS.

British Faith in “Bobs’* la Strengthened by the Recent Victory. Now that one of the most formidable of the Boer generals has been summarily disposed of, the London war critics are justifying their confidence in “Bobs,” whose good luck is proverbial, but is in reality an infinite capacity for taking pains. They point out that it took onjy ten days to compel the surrender of the Boers at Paardeburg, while Mafeking, Ladysmith and Kimberley, with very inferior forces, have held out for four months. The comparison seems to gratify the national pride, somewhat humbled as it has been by recent reverses and hostile foreign criticism. The capture of Gen. Cronje and his troops cannot fail to have an immediate effect on the war. Gen. Cronje’s name was one wherewith to conjure. During the war of 1880-1 Cronje besieged Potchefstroom. After a long and gallant resistance the garrison was forced to surrender eight days after peace had been declared. During all that, time Cronje had concealed the news from the British commander. His conduct in placing British prisoners in the trenches, where they Were killed by the fire of their countrymen, earned for him the hatred of the British. ' ■ < ANNIVERSARY OF MAJUBA. Noteworthy Coincident of the Surrender of Cronje’s Army. Those who take note of coincidences point out that the surrender of Cronje and his men took place on the anniversary of Majuba Hill, a minor British defeat at the hands of the Boers which has had far-reaching consequences. Majuba has been flaunted in British faces during ths last nineteen years, and there is little doubt that the British are glad the old aiorc to now more than even.

JOY IN LONDON.

News of Cronje’a Surrender Received with Wild Demonstrations. , The news of Gen. Cronje’s surrender reached London Tuesday morning during a sudden downpour of rain and spread by word of mouth almost before the extra papers appeared. Englishmen thawed at onee'. Absolute strangers stopped in the streets, shook hands and slapped each others’ backs. In office buildings some went down the corridors hammering doors and shouting the glad tidings. Many rushed to the telegraph offices, while excited throngs blocked the win* dows and flags were run up everywhere. A stranger entering London would not have known the town. The usual staid Englishman for the moment' was insane with joy. Proceedings on the stock exchange opened with the singing of “God Save the Queen,” and then the jubilant brokers cheered Roberts, Kitchener and everybody connected with the war again and again. Pall Mall was thronged, and the war office picked with shouting and cheering crowds. Congratulations were exchanged on every side. It was. really the first chance the public has had to jubilate, and no one seemed to neglect the opportunity. The fact that it was the anniversary of the battle of Majuba Hill added to the effectiveness of the news, carrying as it did the avenging of the disastrous defeat the British had sustained nineteen years ago. Gen. Cronje’, surrender will have a far-reaching effect. It opens the southern Free State to the British and isolates the Boers in northern Cape Colony. The Boers, it is known, are now collecting for the defense of Bloemfontein, where another battle is likely to occur, but the Transvaal is still untouched. A stubborn resistance is expected there. On Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 17 and 18, an attempt was made to take Cronje’s position by assault, but again the Boers demonstrated their ability to stand off infantry attack, and the British were treated to a deadly fire against which they could not advance. On Monday, Feb. 19, Gen. Roberts arrived. He saw the futility of attempting to storm the Boer position and ordered a cessation of these tactics. Instead, he brought up the artillery around the Boer laager and opened a terrific bombardment, meanwhile employing the infantry in an attack on the Boer re-enforcements who were coming to Cronje’s relief. Until Thursday the bombardment continued unabated and it was reported that the beleag-

ured “Lion of Africa” was ready to surrender. These reports, however, proved premature. After Friday the British bombardment slackened, Roberts evidently thinking it poor policy even if good war, to turn the little Boer camp into a shamble. *

GENERAL KITCHENER.