THE MORNING OREGONJAN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 1900.
Senate Will Vote on Financial
Bill February 15.
:L..V... - - , . iCL'.. -.,-.Jf"
DRXGNET RESOL0TION ADOPTEDM
President Called Upon for Informa
tion Relating: to the Flonr Seiz-'
nrcs In South. Africa.
"WASHINGTON, Jan. 17. An agreement
"Venn aasIIv rpsrhM In th spnntp todav to
take the flnal vote on the pending bill fi3CJ
ing gold as the standard of value in tho
United States February 15.
After several days of debate, the drag
net resolution regarding the conduct of
the Philippine war was adopted. It was
Introduced by Hoar, and practically was
Adopted as a substitute for resolutions of
a similar but less extended character, of
fered by Pettigrew and Lodge. Beyond a
vigorous speech by Pettigrew, the reso
lution aroused no debate, as it is within
the discretion of the president to send or
not to send any of the Information re
quired. The resolution offered by Hale as to the
seizure of flour by the British authorities
was adopted, but only after a spirited de
hate and after the resolution had been ma
terially amended. Davis, chairman of the
committee on foreign relations made a
sharp attack upon "the resolution, but
withdrew his objections after it had been
amended.
Teller addressed the senate upon the
Unanclal bill, and will continue his speech
tomorrow.
The house had another inning today
over the sale of the New York custom
house by Secretary Gagev Sulzer of New
York, the author of the resolution for the
investigation of Secretary Gage's trans
action with the New York banks, started
the ball rolling by charging that the man
date had already gone forth to suppress
it Sibley, a Pennsjlvaula democrat, for
merly a radical advocate of free silver,
who is now out of sjmpathy with the
democrats in the house, warmly com
mended Mr. Gage's course. These two
speeches precipitated a debate which last
ed almost three hours. Grosvenor ex
nininpr! that the committee on rules, to
which the Sulzer resolution had gone, had,
not acted because no .evidence had been
produced before the, committee to -warrant
the ordering of such a far-reaching Inves
tigation. Hepburn assailed Sulzer for
some of his extravagant statements, and
declared there ought to be some way to
rebuke members for slandering honored
officials.
Later In the day, during the discussion
of the appropriation for the arm. Can
non, in charge of the bill, challenged any
member to move to strike it out. Will
iams, a Mississippi democrat, replied to
Cannon in -an eloquent speech, in which
he affirmed the loyalty of every Ameri
can citizen to the flag, and charged Can
non with shrewdly issuing a challenga
that wojrid not be accepted.
The urgency deficiency bill was passed
with only one unimportant amendment.
THE ROUTIXE REPORT.
Delngfa Bay Seizures Discussed In
the Senate.
"WASHINGTON, Jan. 17. In the senate,
at the conclusion of routine business to
day, the resolution- of inquiry introduced
hy Hoar (rep. Mass.), and amended by
Lodge (rep. Mass), calling for general
information regarding the conduct of tht
insurrection in the Philippines, was laio.
hefore the senate. Pettigrew (sil. S. LV)
said he desired to address the senate upou
the resolution before It was passed. He
favored the passage of the resolution, be
lieving the information asked for was en
tirely proper. He declared he had re
ceived information since the introduction
of his resolution that assured him of the
facts iie had asserted.
"'The blood of every soldier," said he,
"who has fallen since the war began is on
the hands of the administration. Tha
Wood of GO soldier dos of South Dakota,
who lost their lives after being conscript
ed Into an unwilling service, after their
terms had expired, lies at the door of the
administration, and there Is no escape foi
it. I charge that the censorship of the
press and the suppression of facts are fot
the purpose of advancing the political am
hltlon of McKinley."
"If this action," said Pettigrew, "puts,
the administration In a hole, as w as stated,
it was not his fault."
Pettigrew reverted to the assertion that
acquisition of the Philippines was brought
about by the act of God, hut he added
the tuily way lie could explain the work
was that God must have used Mr. Mc
Kinley as a prophet or appeared to the
president in a vision.
At the conclusion of Pettlgrew's speech
the resolution of Hoar was passed without
division.
The resolution Introduced some days
ago by Hale (rep. Me.), colling on tne
secretary of state for information in pos
session of the department relating to tne
seizure and detention of American flour
fcy British authorities in Delagoa hay.
South Africa, was placed before the sen
ate. After it had' been modified, Piatt
(rep. Conn.) made a speech, in which ne
said he did not believe the passage of the
resolution at this time was wise.
Davis (rep. Minn), chairman of th
committee on foreign relations, said that
the resolution was prematurely introduced.
He indicated that the subject of the reso
lution was now under diplomatic regotla
tlon. No conclusion to that considera
tion has yet been reached Davis said it
was a -question whether some of the as
sertlons of the resolutions were true.
"It is said this flour Is not contraband,"
he continued. "This may or may not b
true: hut it is a -Question of fact to ho
determined whether tills flour is for the
use of an active hostile."
Davis said it did not oecome the senator
(Hale) to introduce such a resolution at
this time.
"But," said Davis, "what strikes me as
most to be criticised in the resolution is
the concluding paragraph. It Is stated
that if the detention of the property Is
persisted in, ''such act will be considered
as without warrant and offensive to the
government and people of the United
States. I venture to say that no pro
nouncement upon so important a ques
tion was ever made by a government until
the diplomatic negotiations relating to it
had "been completed. It Is a statement
which is made only on the verge of hostili
ties. That," concluded Davis, "is very
eerioys language. In its present form it
means a serious difficulty. X think the
resolution would "better be referred."
In response to the statement of Davis,
Hale, the author of the resolution, hegan
a brief address by sending to the clerk's
desk and having a read a newspaper ac
count of the seizures of the flour. Ho
Jiad drawn the resolution with some care,
intending to limit It to one of Inquiry. He
declared the senate and country were en
titled to know the situation, and there was
ignorance as to what was being done. He
deemed it perfectly clear that, as it was
flour and not arms or ammunition, that
had been seized, the seizure is not of con
traband goods. It needed, ho thought,
no investigation "by a committee to deter
mine that flour was not contraband of
war.
"A majority of the senate can stifle this
resolution,' said Hale, warmly, "but It
cannot he suppressed In any other way.'
The discussion of the question as to
whether food products were ever contra
hand of war was precipitated by a ques
tion of Lodge. Hale was of the opinion
that it would take a very extreme case to
make flour contraband of war; but ha
could conceive that it might be in certain
clrcunjstaaots. J3uch an admission, in his
opinion, 3ibwev4r would be fraught with
great danger to the Unted States now and
In the future He -did not imagine thai
the state department was doing anything I
that would get us Into trouble, but he
wanted to know what was'belng done.
The resolution aa offered by Hale waa
materially amended, Hale himself accept
ing the; suggestions of senators that cer
Jain objectionable features be eliminated.
Piatt (rep. Conn.) said the resolution
as amended was not objectionable in form,
.Uutjie deemed it unwise to adopWt while
the subject was pending between the state
.department and the diplomatic officials
of Great -Britain at -such a, juncture, e
thought thessenate ought;nol tQnterfere
He feltneWotlations Vere being con-
ducted properly ana energetically onwo
Dart ofour government.
Tillman, (dem. S. C.) called attention to
the shipment of mules to the British forces
in South Africa from ports of the United
States, the government taking no pains to
prevent 1t
Piatt reollea that there was no inhibition
J agalnstTthe-shlpment-of-such supplies to
1 the British. The shippers made the ship-
ments-at their own rlsk.
Fpraker (rep. O-suggestea that the res-1
ninHnn w Airt-pd to the secretary oi
state, but Hale, with some heat, declined
to accept any further amendments. Foi
aker then moved that the resolution be
amended as he had suggested, and tht
motion prevailed.
Without further controversy the resolu
tion as amended was passed. It was then
determined that when the senate ad
journed today, It be -until 10 o'clock to
morrow. Pettlgrew's resolution calling for infor
mation from the secretary of war as ta
the fiscal operations in Cuba was intro
duced and passed without debate.
A bill relating to Cuban vessels, reported
by the commerce committee, wras called up
by Berry (demArk.) and passed.
At 2 o'clock the financial bill was laid
before the senate, and after a little talk
between Aldrich (rep. R. I.), who suggest
ed Thursday, February 13, and Jones
(dem. Ark.), the senate agreed to vote on
the bill February 15, and that the two
days Intervening should be devoted to 10
minute debate.
Teller (sil. Colo.) then1 addressed the
senate an the financial bill. He contend
ed that the history of the American peo
ple showed that they were favorable to
"bimetalism. He renewed his charge that
the financial" hill is especially a caucus
measure, and- should not be accepted from
the junta of Ignorant meiJ who constitut
ed the Indianapolis convention. This no
denounced as an abandonment of the leg
islative functions and a surrender to out
side Influences. Still, he was satisfied the
bill would be put on the statute books aa
a law, because they were unable to resist
the Influence behind them, notwithstand
ing the bill was contrary to the conviction
of some republican senators and notwith
standing that as late as 1S90 the republican
party had upheld bimetalism. As for him
self. Teller said few men had received
greater honors at the hands of the repub
lican party than himself; but this was duo
to the fact that he had been an advo
cate of bimetalism; that this attitude was
In accord with, the conviction of the peo
ple of his own state was shown, by the
platform declarations of all the political
parties of his state. Teller declared the
silver dollar had been maintained in full
value, despite, as he said, all the slanders
uttered in this chamber and In public, be
cause the people demanded the sllvef dol
lar as money, and with every one of them
could procure a dollar's worth of anything
to be had. He maintained that the Amer
ican people and the American nation were
great enough to do anything they deemed
right to do. And if they should determine
to coin silver free, it would be successful.
Teller did not complete his speech, but
desired to suspend and resume tomorrow.
Then senate then, at 3:37 P. M., went Into
executive session, and shortly after ad
journed. In the Honse,
"WTien the "house met todays it decided,
bv a vote! 'of 147 to" 133, that the' census
bill reported by Hopkins (rep. HI.) yes
terday was privileged.
Barney (rep. Wis), from the commit
tee on appropriations, reported the pen
sion appropriation bill. The hpuse then
went into a. committee of the whole, and
resumed consideration of the urgent de
ficiency bill under the flve-mlnute mile.
Sulzer (dem. N. Y.) took advantage of
the first opportunity to call attention to
the resolution he introduced a- few days
ago for an Investigation of the charges
against Secretary Gage In connection
with the deposit of government funds In
national banks. The committee to which
it had been referredUhad jibt acted. y4
"I understand,'.' saTO Sulzer,..? 'that the
boss of the republican party says these
charges are all 'rot,' and that the presi
dent does not want them investigated,
and that nothing more Is to be done with
these grave and serious charges.
"If that is so," he continued, "the mi
nority is. entitled to know it" There is
a remedy he declared, .and that remedy
would be applied- The secretary of the
treasury was charged by irenutable news
papers and reputable men with a dlstincV
-violation of the law.. He proceeded to
discuss the sale of the New York custom
house "to the Standard Oil trust."
Sulzpr continuing, quoted the words of
President McKinley while a member of
congress In criticism, of the course of Sec-retao-y
Fairchild in keeping government
funds in national hanks. Sulzpr concluded
with the statement that Secretary Gage
had made the humiliating confession that
he is and was the mere agent of the
Standard OH trust.
He was followed by Sibley (dem. Pa.),
who said that, while he had -supported
Sulzer for the leadership of the house and
the second place on the democratic na
tional ticket, he could not agree with him
in his attack upon Secretary Gage. Sib
ley said he had been requested to Intro
duce a resolution of investigation. He
had replied that in the hour of peril the
secretary of the treasury had acted with
promptness and prudence, and in his
opinion congress should at all times up
hold a public officer striving to up
hold the honor and credit of the busi
ness interests of the country. (Republic
an applause.) Sibley said he had read
the answer of Secretary Gage to the
house resolution, and he considered It a
full, free and frank statement, which
completely justified each and every trans
action. A conflagration had started In
New York, he said, and it required cour
age and will to stop the panic before it
had extended Itself.
"I had rather see the country prosper,"
said, he, "than to see my party succeed."
(Republican applause.) He expressed re
gret that the democratic party should
thrive upon depression and again praised
the secretary of the treasury for coming
to the rescue of business in behalf of the
country. He rejoiced in his action. (Re
newed republican applause.)
Grosvenor (rep. O.) declared that both
Secretary Gage and the administration
had been vindicated. The committee on
rules had not acted on the Sulzer reso
lution, because the charges the resolution
contained were simply a rehash of the
same charges to which Secretary Gage
had replied.
"I am authorized by the chairman ot
the committee on rules to say that no
one has been asked to be heard in fur
therance of the resolution. Not the most
humble citizen," said Grosvenor, "would
be placed upon trial upon a mere alle
gation. No one has come upon his own
responsibility to affirm the truth of the
charges." J "
Clark (dem. Mo.) ironically commented
upon Slbley'S speech. Before he had
known of Sibley's ohange of front he had
written an article urging him for the
democratic vice-presidential nomination.
He did not wish to withdraw his personal
praise, but he did desire now to with
draw the nomination (laughter) and con
fer It upon Sulzer of New York, who had
always been faithful to democratic prin
ciples. -(Democratic and republican ap
plause.) He recalled the time when Sib
ley had told him he had been ostracized
socially and commercially because he had
supported silver at 16 to 1,
"We hailed him as the hero," said
Clark, "because He was the only demo
crat north of the Potomac and east of
the Mississippi valley. Now he wins the
applause of those who are .hostile to
every principle of the democratic faith.
His place In this house is on' the pther
side of the political aisle." (Democratic
applause.)
Clark read the Hepburn letter to Sec- I
retary Gage, branding it as a disgrace.
While he was describing the manner in
which deposits had been made in national
banks, Lacey (rep, la.) Interrupted him.
What did Andrew Jacksotf do about
deposits?" he Inquired.
"He took them away from a. lot of
thieves like these," retorted Clark, "and
placed them in the hands of -honest 'men.
(Democratic applause.)"" Nowcrack away
again."
"He -put them in pet state banks," said
Lacey,v
vf don't care about the state hanks. In
stead of rebuking. Hepburn f or writing
him such a "letter, Secretary Gage con
ferred upon him the greatest favor ever
conferred upon a bank since banks were
established."
Sibley replied briefly. Ordinarily, he
said, he would be humiliated to believe
the vice-presidential nomination publicly
withdrawn, but he hod already withdrawn
In. favor of Sulzer. He wa3 more con
cerned with the statement that he should
take his seat on the other side because
he had changed his position.
"I claim equal honesty for both posi
tions. I believed in 1S9G that bimetalism
was sacred, but events have so changed,
conditions by the enormous production
of gold that the price level for which both
the gentleman from Missouri (Clark) and
I. were striving was raised. The cause I
held sacred then has become ridiculous.
I believe if the democratic party i3 vic
torious thl3 fall it will not be able to
write a single line of financial legislation
in the next six years. I am striving to
do something practicable and helpful. If
the democratic party Is to hive It must
have- a policy. It must do something be
sides carping and fault-finding. If It will
adopra policy, T will keep step with it,
but if it Invites me to a.banquet of carp
ing and fault-finding, It will have to ex
cuse me." (Loud republican applause )
Hepburn (rep la.) caustically ar
raigned Sulzer for his alleged misstate
ments In the face of Secretary Gage's re
port He denounced him for alleglngthat
Secretary Gage had admitted violation
of the law. There ought not to be an
Investigation of the secretary of the treas
ury, but there ought to be a public re
buke of a member wh6 distorted the
truth; who "distorted the facte and who
slandered honored public, officials. " '(Re
publican applause )
Speaking to a pro forma amendment to
the bill Itself, Norton (dem. O.) directed
attention to what he termed the out
rageous methods of certain star-route
contractors in enticing ignorant subcon
tractors Into contracts which they could
not fulfill without loss. He produced tho
documents in a case where a voting man
had agreed to carry mail over a route f6r
four years for a certain sum, under the
impression that his service was only to
run six months.
Terry (dem. Ark.) and Cannon (rep.
HI.) became Involved in a controversy
toward the close of the session. Terry
denounced the war In the Philippines as
criminal. Cannon said the appropriation
of 515,000,000 in the bill was to "support
the army, upholding the flag 'atfd ' sup
press the .Insurrection. -Terry said he was
willing to support the flag'. His denun
ciation was of the purposes of the war.
He taunted the republicans with forever
wrapping tho flag about them and crying
"patriotism."
Cannon, declared that declamation
amounted to nothing. If any one was
opposed to the appropriation for the sup
port of the army, here was the time and
place. , He defied any one on -the other
side to move to strike It out.
- Ih response to this challenge, Williams
(dem. Miss,) replied in a brief and elo-
quent speech. There was nQt an Amer
ican citizen, he declared, in or out of tho
house, who was disloyal to the flag of his
country. The gentleman "from Illinois,
with his accustomed shrewdness, had is
sued a challenge .VQll.kri.Q.wlijg tthat.,thertf
was not a mart"iri the'house,' noxmrftter
how bitterly opposed'he mlht hevt6 the
Imperialistic policy, who wv0uldv raise his
hand against our soldiers fighting In the
field, whether the struggle in which they
were engaged was'iright or wrong.
"I believe." said he, "that the people
out there against whom they are fighting
are struggling for their liberty, but When
my country lines up for the fray, ! am
with it He has Issued a safe challenge.
But J. am tired of this miserable subter
fuge hy which It Is attempted to confusb
loyalty to the flag with loyalty to the pol
icy in which the flag Is disguised." (Great
democratic applause.)
""Men have a right to oppose a policy
of war," he said. fHfi-jCjIted ,the xampo
of Burke and Chatham-great men who
had never refused to vote supplies for
war, but who had stood up In the house
of commons day after day, entering their
protests against the war waged against
our ancestors because they believed It
wrong: The history of the Old World
held it lesson. As-Byron had said, first
came liberty, then glory, then splendor,
.then corruption, decay and death. When
ever the people forgot that the province
of government was to make the indi
vidual happy, to make the government
splendid and the flag glorious, the people
were on the first rung of the ladder in
their descent. There was a glory of the
flag in devotion to what was free, right
and just, and there was av pseudo glory
of the flag which manifested Itself in the
worship of the flag. He would vote all
the men and guns and ammunition "need
ed to restore peace. And. when "we had
peace he would havo the great American
republic say to tho poor brown people
across the seas: "We will stand by you
until you ore able to stand alone."
Several amendments by Lentz (dem. O.)
and others to increase the appropriation
for rural free delivery were voted down.
The bill was then passed without di
vision. At 5.40 P. M., the house adjourned until
1 o'clock tomorrow. '
THE FLOUR SLIZUHES.
Amended Hale Resolnilon, as It
Passed the Senate.
WASHINGTON, Jan, 17. Tho modified
Hale resolution relating to the seizure of
flour in Delagoa. bay, as It passed" the
senate, reads!;
"Whereas, it Is Alleged that property
of citizens of the United States, not con
traband of war, has been lately seized by
the military authorities of Great Britain
In and near Delagoa bay, South Africa,
without good reason for the same, and
contrary to tho accepted principles of In
ternational law, and,
"Whereas, It is alleged that the said
property is now unjustly detained by the
military authorities of Great Britain, in
disregard of the rights of the owners of
the same, it is therefore
"Resolved, by the senate of the United
States, that the president shall be re
quested to send to the senate, if, in his
opinion, it is not Incompatible with the
interests of the United States, all in
formation of the state department relat
ing to said seizure and detention, and
also t6 Inform the senate what steps havo
heen taken In requesting the restoration
of property taken and detained as afore
said." Y-
GOING BACK TO CONGRESS.3
General Wheeler, in n Letter, States
His Plans.
FLORENCE, Ala., Jan. 17. The first
absolute news of the intended course1 f
General Joe Wheeler, representative in
Congress from this, the eighth district of
Alabama, came in a private letter to
Hon. William J. Wood, "state tax com
missioner, and a personal friend of the
general. The letter was mailed in Ma
nila December 2. In It General Wheeler
states his intention to return to Wash
ington, and, referring to a bill affecting
the1 mineral lands of Alabama, he says:
"I expect to leave In a few days for the
United States, and' will devote myself to
getting the bill through, which I think I
can do. I could not have left here while
tho campaign was on wlthodt being sub
jected to severs criticism. 4 have re
signed my position in the army."
The Pension Bill. ,
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17. The house
committee on appropriations today 'agreed
on the pension appropriation bill and re
ported it to the house. It carries -a total
of 5145,245,230, exactly the amount esti
:
mated by the pension office,
BATTLE OF LADYSMITH
-THE MOST SEVERE BLOW THE
BOERS HAVE YET RECEIVED.
First Detailed Account of the Fight
to Reach the Outside A Fifteen.
Hours' Struggle.
A
LONDON, Jan. 18. The Standard pub
lishes the folio Wing-dispatch' from Lady
smith, dated January t, by way of Frere,
January 17:
"The enemy today made a determined
effort to capture two positions, Caesar's
camp and Wagon hill. . The latter is a
lofty eminence to the soutnwest, posses-
f sibn" of which would have brought them
within rifle range of the town. Caesar's
oamp was held by the first battalion
of the Manchester regiment. Tho position
was separated from that of the Bofcrs
'by a ravine.
"In the early hours of the 'morning,
under cover of darkness, the Heidelberg
commando succeeded in evading our pick
ets, making their way through the thorn
bush and reaching the foot of the slope
at 2:30. The alarm was raised by our
sentries, but before the full extent of the
danger could be realized the outlying
ranges had been rushed and their de
fenders slain.
''On hearing the firing, two companies
of the Gordon Highlanders went to the
assistance of the Manchesters. At first it
was thought that the Boers were concen
trating on the southern slope, where they
had already secured a footing on the
plateau. Here, however, their advance
was checked by the steady volleys of our
Infantry and the deadly fire of an auto
matic gun.
''Lieutenant Hunt-Grubbe went out to
see If any aid were needed by the tr&ops
stationed on the Tldge near the town. He
was not aware that the enemy had al
ready captured the breastworks, and called
out to the sergeant. He received the
reply, 'Here 1 am, sir,' and then he sud
denly disappeared from sight. Captain
Carnegie, suspecting a ruse, ordered the
Gordons to fire a volley and to charge.
The enemy fell back precipitately, leaving
behind them the officer whom they had
captured with so much presence of mind.
The lieutenant was quite unhurt.
"It was now quite evident that the camp
-was being assailed on the left flank and
on the front By daybreak reinforce
ments of Gordon Highlanders and of the
rifle brigade had been hurried up to the
fighting line. Lieutenant-Colonel Dick
Conyngham, who was leading the Gor
dons out of camp, fell mortally wounded,
being hit by a stray bullet while still
close ,to the town. The Fifty-third bat
tery of field artillery, under Major Abdy,
crossed -the. JKHp river and shelled the
ridge and reverse slope of the front posi
tion, where the enemy were lying among
the thorn bushes. The shrapnel whfch flew
over our heads did terrible execution. It
effectually held the Boers In check and
rendered it Impossible for them to send
reinforcements to their men through the
ravine.
"The enemy fought throughout with, the
most stubborn courage, being evidently
determined to take the camp or die In
the attempt. Their six-Inch gun on Um
bulwana mountain and its smaller satel
lites threw more than 100 shells at Abdy's
battery and at the troops on the hill. Our
troops, however, were not less gallant and
resolved, and the enemy was pressed back
step by step until at length those who
Were left broke and fled In utter disorder.
"A terrific storm of rain and hall, ac
companied by peals of thunder, had burst
over the camp during the fighting. This
served to swell the streams Into raging
torrents. In their efforts to escape, num
bers of the enemy flung themselves Into
the current and were swept away. The
struggle in this part of the field was now
ended, and the finale was a terrific fu
sillade all along the line, the crash of
which almost drowned the Incessant
thunJe,r a&ove.
AtiKault on Wagon HJH.
"Meanwhile, a more exciting contest
was in progress In the direction of Wagon
hill. At 2 o'clock a storming party, fur
nished by the Harrlsmlth commando, crept
slowly arid cautiously along a donga In
the valley which divides bur posts from
their camp A few wfell-almed rifle shots
killed our pickets Taking advantage of
ever"y Inch of cover, the Boers then grad
ually reached the crest of the height. Here
a body of light horse was posted, but
they were forced tQ retire before the ad
vance of the Free Staters, there being no
breastworks for defense on the western
shoulder of the hill.
"With little to impede their passage, the
eneihy soon came fo an emplacement,
where they surprised working parties of
the Gordon Highlanders and the Six
tieth rifles. Lieutenant Dlgby Jones, of
the Royal engineers, collected a handful
of men and made a gallant effort to hold
the position, but the numbers were against
him, and after a stubborn resistance ho
was driven back and the enemy got pos
session of the summit Even then, how
ever, the Free Staters were afraid to ven
ture far or to face the heavy fire from
the Sangar. Here It was that Lieutenant
.McNaughton and 30 of the Gordons wero
captured, although not until every man
among them was wounded.
"At 5 o'clock, Colonel Edwards, with
two squadrons of light horse, arrived upon
the scene, and the Twenty-first battery
of the Royal field artillery, under
Major piew ett, came into action, prevent
ing the storming party being reinforced
from the Boer camp. At the same time
the Eighteenth hussars and the Fifth
lancers checked the movement from the
spruit on our right flank. Nevertheless,
our position at this point had become crit
ical Our men retired for cover behind
the northern slope, while the enemy had
made their way into the pass dividing
them from the hill.
"Major Bowen rallied a few of the ri
fles, but fell while leading them. to the
charge. His example was at once followed
by Lieutenant Tod, but the latter met the
same fate.
"The enemy was making good the foot
ing they had already secured In the em
placement, when Major Miller Walnutt,
calling the scattered Gordons together,
charged in and drove them back. Hav
ing thus cleared the ground, he joined
Lieutenant Digby Jones in a newly pre
pared emplacement on the western shoul
der. "A pause ensued for a time, but the
Boers were not yet Anally beaten. Taking
advantage of the storm now raging, they
essayed to capture the position by another
rush. 'Three of their leaders reached the
parapet, but were shot down by Lieu
tenant Digby Jones and Lieutenant Wal-'
nutt,' tho latter of whom also fell. The
renewed check effectually-discouraged the
assailants, and the deadly duel was prac
tically at an end. Nevertheless, small
parties of the braver spirits kept up a
murderous Are on our men from behind
tiie rocks.
"The moment had evidently arrived to
strike the flnal blow, and Colonel Park
quickly issued the necessary order. Three
companies of Devonshire, led by Captain
Lafone Lieutenant Field and Lieutenant
Mastersqn, made a'brilliant charge across
the open, under a terrific flre, and fairly
hurled the enemy down the hill at the
point of the bayonet. In the course of
the struggle, Captain Lafone and Lieu
tenant Field were killed and Lieutenant
Masterson received no fewer than 10
wounds.
"This was a fitting close to a struggle
that had lasted 4G hours, during which
every rifle and gun had been brought to
bear. Our position was now secure. The
attacks on the north and east had also
been repulsed and the grand assault had
failed all along the line.
"The Boers lost heavily. They admit the
engagement was the most severe blow
their arras had sustained since tho open
ing of the campaign. They were confi
dent of their ability to capture the town,
and had called upon reinforcements from
Golenso to assist at the expected victory.
Our losses also were considerable.
"Early in the, morning, the Earl of
Ava was mortally wounded while accom-,
panylng Colonel Ivan Hamilton to the
scene of action.
"The garrison can-now await the com
ing of relief with renewed confidence."
BURIAL OF GENERAL WAIJCHOPE,
Over His Grave the Highlanders
Swore Revenge. -
'LONDON, Jan. 10. Some of the moat
brilliant work in the way of descriptive
writing ever done by British correspon
dents has heen appearing In the British
papers in the last few days. The Dally
News' correspondent thus writes of the
burial of General Wauchope:
"Three hundred yards to the rear of the
little township of Modder River, just as
the eun was sinking in a blaze of African
splendor on the evening of Tuesday, the
12th of December, a long, shallow grave
lay exposed in the breast of the veldt. In
the west the broad river, fringed with
trees, ran murmurlngly; to the eastward
the heights, still held by the enemy,
scowled menacingly; north, and 'south the
veldt undulated peacefully. A few paces
to the northward of that grave 50 dead
Highlanders lay, dressed as they had
fallen on the field ot battle. They had
followed their chief to the field, and they
were to follow him to the grave, and they
grim and atern those, men looked as they
lay face upward to the sky, with great
hands clenched In the last death agony,
and brows still knitted with stern lust of
the strife in which they had fallen. The
plaids dear to every Highland clan were
represented there, and as I looked, out of
the distance came the sound of the piper;
It was the general coming to join his
men.
"There, right under the eyes of the
enemy, moved w-ith slow and solemn tread
all that remained ot the Highland bri
gade. In front on them walked the chap
lain with bared head, dressed in his robes
of office; then came the pipers with, their
pipes, 1G in all, and behind them, with
arms reversed, moved the Highlanders,
dressed In all of the regalia of their regi
ments, and in their midst the dead general
borne by four of his comrades.
"Out swelled 'the pipes to th'e strain of
the 'Flowers of the Forest,' until the
soldiers' .heads went back- In ,haughty de
fiance and eyes flashed through tears like
sunlight on steel; now singing to a moan
ing wail like a woman wailing her first
born, until the proud "heads dropped for
ward till they rested on heaving chests,
and tcara rolled down the wan and scarred
faces, and the choking sobs broke through
the solemn rhythm of the march of death.
Right up to the grave they marched, then
broke away In companies until the gen
eral lay In the shallow grave with a
Scottish, square of armed men around him.
Only the dead man's son and a small
number of his officers stood with the chap
lain, and the pipers while the solemn
services of the church were spoken.
"Then once again the piper pealed out
'Lochaber no More,' cut through the still
ness like a cry of pain until one could
almost hear the widow In her Highland
home moaning for the soldier she would
welcome- back no more. Then, as if
touched by the magic of one thought, the
soldiers turned their tear-damp eyes from
the still form in the shallow grave to
ward the heights where. Cronje, the lion
of Africa, and his soldiers stood. Then
every che.ek flushed crimson, and tho
strong jaws set like steel and the veins
on the hands that clasped the rifle han
dles swelled almost to bursting with the
fervor of the grip and that look from
those silent armed men spoke more elo
quently than ever spoke the tongues of
orators. For on each frowning face the
spirit of vengeance sat. and each spark
ling eye asked silently for blood. God
help the Boers when the next Highland
pibroclTsoundsr God rest the Boer souls
when the Highlanders' bayonets charge!
Foi neither death nor hell, nor things
above, nor things below, will hold the
Scots back from their blood feud.
"At the head of the grave, at the point
nearest the enemy, the general was laid to
sleep, his officers grouped around him.
While in line behind himhls soldiers were
laid ih aaouble" row 'wrapped hT thelr
blankets. No shots were fired ovur the
dead men Testing sb peacefully. Only the
salute was given, and then the men
marched campward, as tho darkness of
an African night rolled over the far
stretching breadth of the veldt.
"To the gentlewoman who bears the
general's name the Highland brigade send
tholr deepest sympathy. To the members
and the wives, the sisters and the sweet
hearts In the cottage homes by hillside
and glen, they send love and good wishes
sad will be their Christmas, sadder tha
New Year. Yet, enshrined in every wom
anly heart, from queen-empress to cot
tage girl, let their memory be the mem
ory of the Highland brigade who died
at Magersfontein."
The Highlanders' Disaster.
The same writer thus depicts the way
in which the disaster overtook the High
landers: "During the night it was considered ex
pedient that the big Highland brigade,
about 4000 strong, under General Wau
chope, should got close enough to tho
lines of the foe to make it possible to
charge the heights. At midnight, the gal
lant general moved cautiously through the
darkness towards the kopje where tho
Boers were most strongly entrenched. They
were led by a guide who was supposed
to know every jnch of the country out into
the darkness of an African night. Tne
brigade marched In line of quarter column,
each man stepping cautiously and slowly,
for they know that any sound meant death.
Every order was given in a hoarse whisper
and In whispers it was passed along tho
ranks from man to man. Nothing was
hoard, as they moved toward the gloomy,
steel-fronted heights, but the brushing of
their feet in the veldt grass and the deep
drawn breaths of tho marching men.
"So, onward until 3 o'clock on the morn
ing of Monday. Then, out of the darkness
a rifle rang, sharp and clear, a herald of
disaster a soldier had tripped in the dark
over the hidden- wires laid down by the
enemy. In a feecond, in the twinkling of
an eye, the searchlights of the Boers fell
broad and clear as the noonday sun on the
ranks of the Highlanders, though it left
tho enemy concealed in the shadows of
the frowning mass of hills behind him.
"For ono brief moment, the Scots seemed
paralyzed by the suddenness of their dis
covery, for they knew that they were
huddled together like sheep within 50 yards
of the trenches of the enemy. Then, clear
above the confusion, rolled the voice of the
general 'Steady, men, steady,' and, like
an echo to the words out came the crash
of nearly 1000 titles not 50 paces from them.
The Highlanders reeled before the spook
like trees before them. The "best, their
bravestV fell in that wild hall of lead.
General Wauchope was down, riddled with
bullets, yet gasping, lying, bleeding from
every vein, the Hlghlandchleftaln raised
himself on his hands and knees and
cheered his men forward.
"Men and officers fell in heaps together.
The Black Watch charged, and the Gor
dons and the Seaforths, with a yell that
stirred the British camp below, rushed on
wardonward to death or disaster. The
accursed wires caught them round the legs
until they 'flourdered like trapped woles
and all tho time the rifles of the foe sang
the song of death In their ears. Then they
fell back, broken and beaten, leaving near
ly 1800 dead and wounded just where the
broad breast of the grassy veldt melts Into
the embrace of the rugged African hill",
and an hour later the dawn tame of the
dreariest day that Scotland has known for
a generation past Of her officers, the
flower of her chivalry, the pride of her
breeding, but few remained to tell the
tale, a sad tale truly, but one untainted
with dishonor or smirched with disgrace,
for up those heights, under similar circum
stances, even a brigade of devils coula
scarce have hoped to pass. All that mor
tal men could do the Scots did; they tried,
they failed; they fell and there Is noth
ing left us now but to move on and avenge
them.
"All that fateful day otmen lay close
to the Boer lines under a blazing sun;
over the heads the shots of friends and
foes passed without ceasing. All day long
tne battle raged. Scarcely could we see
tho foe all that met -our eyes -ft as the
rocky heights that spoke with tongue of
flames whenever our troops drew near.
Once our guards made a brilliant dash at
the trenches, and, like a torrent, their
resistless valor bore all before them, and
for a few brief moments they- got within
hitting distance of the foe.
"Well did they avenge the slaughter of
the Scots. Tlie bayonets, like tongues of
flames, passed above or below the rifles
guard and swept through brisket and
breastbone. Out of their trenches the
guardsmen tossed ther Boers as men in
English harvest fields toss the hay when
the reapers and scythes have whitened
the cornfields, and human streams were
plentiful where the British guardsmen
stood. Then they fell back, for the flre
from the heights above them fell thick
as the spume of the surf on an Australian
rock-ribbed coast. But the guards had
proved lb the Boefs that, man to man,
tho Briton was his master.
vTn vain all that day Methuen tried by
every ruse he knew to draw the enemy;
vainly the lancers rode recklessly to in
duce those human rock limpets to come
out and cut them "off. Cronje knew the
mettle of our men, and an Itonio laugh
played around his iron mouth, and still
he stayed within his native fastness; but
death sat ever at his elbow, for our gun
ners dropped the lyddite shells and the
howling shrapnel all along his lines until
the trenches ran blood and many of his
guns were silenced. In the valley behind
his outer line of hills his dead lay
piled in hundreds, and the slope of the
hill was a charnel-house, where the
wounded all writhed amidst the masses
of the dead, a ghastly tribute to British
gunnery. When, at 1:30 P. M., Tuesday,
we drew off to Modder River to report,
we left nearly 3000 dead and wounded ot
grim old Cronje's men as a token that
the lion of England had bared his teeth
In earnest."
Ralph Says the Highlander Ran.
The last malls from the Cape brought
numerous accounts of Magersfontein, but
none so vivid as this. Julian Ralph. In
the Dally Mall, very bluntly writes of the
Highlanders after the first volley from tha
hidden trenches:
"They turned and ran, literally colliding
and climbing over one another in theii
confusion. A chaplain forward In the
ranks was knocked down and trampled, as
bravo a.1 man as any, -jet one who declared
that there lived no man who would hare
behaved differently. It was as If the earth
had opened and from a cleft that ran as
far as our men reached, fire belched and
shot swept the veldt. The fever of fright
lasted only while the men ran 200 yards,
and they regained some measure of or
der." Says the Times' correspondent of the
some occurrence:
"Back they came in a wave that no of
ficer could stop. From a. potot of vantage
on the horse artillery hill one could, see
them swarming like bees over the veldt
until they were almost out ot range, and
tho 'guns wore left out on the open with
no one to support them. It was perhaps
the most unpleasant sight that a British
soldier of today has ever beheld it was
certainly a sight never to be forgotten.
It was difficult to say "what would hap
pen next, until Major Ewart, brigadier
major of the Highlanders, rode up with
an order from the commanding officer,
which was almost an entreaty, to the ef
fect that all he asked of the Highland
brigade was to hpld the position until darx.
So riddled and shattered was the brigade
that Ewart had actually no other officer
with him to help him to give the ordet
to tho scattered men, and he was glad to
.have the assistance of Colonel Dawney,
who was there, not as a soldier, but as a
civilian, surveying the battle from the
horse artillery hill."
THE' NEED A VICTORY.
Morale of the British Troops Badly
Shaken.
LONDON, Jan. 10. The Globe corre
spondent at Magersfontein, presumahly
the Earl de la Warr, writes some plain
home truths; in fact part of his letter
has been eliminated by the- censor:
"It is not," he says, "the numerical loss
of soldiers- and men ghastly and -terrible
enough In itself which makes the posi
tion so serious it Is the effect which these
reverses have on the morale of our troops
and on the Boers, which constitute the
real danger. If we could point to one real
victory, if our men could see that these
hard-fought "battles, w 1th their bloody re
sults, were clearing the road to Pretoria,
ihey would know they were doing some
thing good. But all along the line from
Cheveley to Modder River, we are facing
well-nigh impregnable positions, occupied
by men determined to hold them with
their last drop of blood, hurling forth one
unanimous, defiant message, 'Thus far
and no further.' It Is useless to disguise
the fact that a large percentage of our
troops are beginning to lose heart in
this campaign. Can you blame" them? A
close succession of frontal attacks on an
Invisible foe strongly entrenched, where
retaliation Is almost Impossible, will shake
the nerve of the bravest. Our men have
fQUght well, their conduct under most
trying and adverse circumstances has
been admirable, but they ha e been asked
to perform miracles, and, being human,
they have failed. Do not blame them.
Do not blame that gallant general, who.
on Monday last, was the first victim of
the terrible disaster which overcame the
Highland brigade."
A correspondent, who was at the battle
of Belmont, writes:
"I dare say you have heard that David
St John, the heavy-weight champion,
.boxer of the guards, was killed here at
Belmont at the charge up the Kaffir
kopje. He came face to face with, a Boer
as big as himself. They had a bit of a
scuffle. The guardsman gave Mr. Boer a
lunge with his bayonet so hard that he
drove It right over the hilt and cross
guard, and not being able to extract it.
he was practically unarmed, and while
endeavoring to withdraw, another Boer
shot him clean through the tmiple. I
saw them lying, one on top of the other,
both dead."
Pro-Boer Meeting.
BOSTON, Jan. 17. A large and demon
strative mass meeting to express sjm
pathy with the Boers was held tonight
in Faneuil hall. Gebrge F. Hollis, ex
Unlted Btates consul at Pretoria, and
George Fred Williams were the principal
speakers. Senator George F. Hoar and
Thomas Wentworth HIgglnson sent let
ters of sympathy.
Four Men Murdered at MInto.
SEATTLE, Jan. 17. Passengers arriving
from Dawson via Skagway on the City
of Topeka tonight confirm the report of
the murder of Fred H. Clayson, the Skag
way merchant; a Northwest police tele
graph lineman named Olson, and two
Klondlkera whose names are unknown,
near Mintc, Christmas day. A man named
O'Brien Is now under arrest at Taggert,
charged with the crime. Another has
been arrested at White Horse, and It la
believed a third has escaped to Seattle.
The men were murdered for their monty.
- o
Dally Treasury Statement.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17. Today's state
ment of the "condition of the treasury
shows:
Available cash1 balance $2S2,7S2,29S
Gold reserve 222,962,391
o
The Bundesrnth'K Cargo.
HAMBURG, Jan. 17. A cablegram re
ceived by the owners of the Bundesrath
at Hamburg says all ot the cargo of that
steamer has been discharged and entirely
agrees with, the manifest. The prize court
has not yet rendered its decision.
o
Mlnnisslppl Senators Elected.
JACKSON, Miss., Jan. 17. The legisla
ture met today In joint session and elected
Ansel K. McLaurln senator from Missis
sippi for the long term and William V.
Sullivan for the short term.
o i
, Arrested for Ahduction.
RRATTLE. Jan. 17. George Mayhood.
alleged to be a fugitive from justice from j
coughsjAmcroup
S0RE-flHHQARSE
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Ask your- druggist for a free Pe-ru-na ali
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Napa, Cal., was arrested here today. May
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e b '
THE SAMOAIT TREATY.
Senator Jones "Wanted the Vote Re
considered Treaty Recalled.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17. In today's ex
ecutive session of the senate. Senator
Jones, of Arkansas, moved to recoiusUir
the vote by which the Samoan treaty w ta
ratified yesterday. He based his motion,
upon a statement which he said he hid
seen in the press, to the effect that tl o
American flag had already been run up
on the Island Tutulla. If this report was
tnie, he thought the senate should know
ot the fact, and baye an opportunity to
deal with It in connection with the treaty.
Senator Fryo replied that the Teport to
which Senator Jones referred was without
foundation.
No action was taken on the motion, but
it was decided to recall the treaty uh-oa
bad been forwarded to the president with
notice of the senate's favorable action
on it
T,he senate also received the favorable
resort of the, commltte en fiarcjgn rt?u
tiarar onhBtnmrtnmnriMitlki' rWC Stffu
and Chile, the boundary treaty Vfttti
Mexico and The Hague treaty.
i a
Domestic and Foreign Ports.
New York, Jan. 17. Sailed St. Paul, for
Southampton.
Rotterdam Arrived January 16 Staten
dam. from New York.
New York, Jan. 17. Sailed Rotterdam,
for Rotterdam. Arrived Ocaanlc. from
Liverpool.
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