BEATEN BY THE BOERS

Boers' line of defense, second Boer war.

Cortland Evening Standard, Friday, January 3, 1896.

BEATEN BY THE BOERS.

Invasion of the Transvaal Ends In Disaster.

BRITISH FORCED TO SURRENDER.

Dr. Jameson Disregarded the Order of Withdrawal and Has Already Paid Dearly For His Temerity.

   LONDON, Jan. 3—The Colonial office publishes the following telegrams from Sir Hercules Robinson, governor of Cape Colony, to Colonial Secretary Chamberlain, which are dated Jan. 2:

    "A messenger overtook Dr. Jameson 10 miles the other side of Elans river. He has brought back a verbal message to the effect that the dispatches have been received and will be attended to. The force was then saddling up and immediately proceeded eastward into the Transvaal. Dr. Jameson thus received and disregarded my message. Sir Jacobus de Wot, British agent in Transvaal, telegraphs that the fighting commenced at 4 o'clock Wednesday. He was unable to obtain details from General Joubert, commander of the Transvaal forces, and had heard nothing beyond rumor.

   "The Cape Times has a telegram from Pretoria, the capital of Transvaal, received there from Krugersdorf that there had been hard fighting, the forces of the Chartered South Africa company suffering heavily."

   A second cablegram has been received from Sir Hercules Robinson which says:

   The British agent at Pretoria telegraphs under date of Jan. 2:

   "I have just seen General Joubert and he says that as far as he knows, Dr. Jameson has been driven out of several positions. The burghers have 25 of their wounded as prisoners, including three officers, and five corpses have been buried by the burghers. The fighting is still proceeding. No force has yet left Johannesberg to assist Dr. Jameson.

   "The government has received information that further forces of the Chartered South Africa company are mobilizing to enter the Transvaal and the Kaffir commander within the Transvaal on the Bechuanaland border of the Free State is ready to assist the Transvaal, if required.

   "Dr. Jameson is surrounded by a large force near to Krugersdorf. The railway between Krugersdorf and Johannesberg has been broken up.

   "The acting president of the Free State telegraphs me that 1,600 burghers were commanded to take up a position 16 miles this side of the Vaal river."

   A third telegram from Sir Hercules Robinson forwards a dispatch from the British agent at Pretoria stating that Dr. Jameson's force has surrendered.

   Colonial Secretary Chamberlain, in reply, has cabled to Governor Robinson his regret that Dr. Jameson's disobedience has led to this deplorable loss of life and to do his best to secure generous treatment of the prisoners and care of the wounded and to telegraph the names of the killed and wounded.

TRANSVAAL TROUBLE IS OPPORTUNE.

It Furnishes a Material Argument In Our Favor Regarding Venezuela.

   WASHINGTON, Jan. 3.—The personnel of the Venezuelan commission was commended by members of the house who take particular interest in international matters, regardless of party affiliations. The gentlemen selected were considered entirely competent to conduct what the president in his message expressed a wish for—a judicial examination of the evidence relating to the boundary.

   It was also pointed out that while several members of the commission have participated in politics they cannot be considered strong partisans at this time; that so far as our domestic affairs are concerned they would not be likely to enter upon their work with any party ends to serve.

   In speaking of the Venezuelan question an authority on international affairs pointed out that the present hostilities in the Transvaal furnished a direct and most opportune parallel to the South American dispute. The note of the German government to the British government requesting an explanation of Jameson's expedition into the Boers' territory and protesting against it, he thought, would tend to fortify the arguments of the United States in justification of its action regarding the Venezuelan boundary.

   The conditions of the two cases are not unlike. The Transvaal is nominally an independent republic and Germany does not claim to maintain a protectorate over it any more than the United States does over Venezuela, yet Germany assumes a right to interfere to check British aggressions.

   Nor can the German government claim that its own safety is in any way menaced by any steps which the English might take against the Boers; it can only assert a right to interfere on the ground that its interests are involved, which is thought to be the only tenable ground upon which this government can base its right to be considered a party to the dispute between Venezuela and a British dependency.

   There is no doubt that proceedings in the Transvaal will have an interest for this government which they otherwise would not because of their possible application to the Venezuelan boundary correspondence.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

   ◘ England has practically had her own way about everything ever since the American war of 1812. She has bullied Turkey, China and the native tribes of

Africa. She has step by step secured colonies and naval stations in every part of the world, and nobody has dared to say her nay. It is now certain that the time has come to check her insolent assumption that she can do whatever she pleases on this earth. It is time for one nation to set its foot down that when her course is unjust she must be stopped in her career of aggression, on this continent at least. A nation that grows bold and unjust through success in long bullying of weaker peoples must at length come dead against a stone wall and receive a lesson. The United States is that stone wall so far as the western hemisphere is concerned.

   ◘ It would not be necessary in case of war with England for this country to lend men to Venezuela We would engage England's attention so thoroughly on our northern border that the little army of Crespo would be quite able to cope with all the British soldiers that could be spared to stretch out along the Schomburgk line.

   ◘ Spain sympathizes altogether with England in the Venezuelan difficulty.

That is what the United States gets for being so forbearing to Spain in the matter of the Cuban revolution.

   ◘ It is true, as the English papers say, that the Monroe doctrine is not binding upon other nations. But it is very binding indeed upon the United States, so binding that if at any time it is necessary to fight to enforce it we stand ready to do so at 24 hours' notice. The Monroe doctrine is a distinct part of the code of the law of nations so far as the United States is concerned. That much is sufficient. By maintaining this doctrine straight through and making others respect it, in time we shall have it understood of all countries as a part of the international law of the western hemisphere, and they will respect it and leave that hemisphere strictly alone, except so far as the possessions they at present have are concerned. Perhaps the occasion has now been reached for us to enforce the doctrine so emphatically that from this time on there will be no disputing it on the part of European powers. As President Cleveland said in his message, "The Monroe doctrine was intended to apply to every stage of our national existence and cannot become obsolete while our republic endures."

   ◘ With the present war feeling in the country the bill of Senator Hansbrough to prevent the desecration of the American flag by printing business advertisements on it ought to pass congress with a rush. Love for the flag is a matter of sentiment, and that sentiment ought to be kept as pure and enthusiastic as possible. It is a desecration and a degradation of the flag of this Union to print advertisements upon it.

SIR KNIGHTS NEW YEAR'S VISIT.

The Cortland Commandery Make a Pleasant Call at the Old Ladies' Home.

(From the Homer Republican, Jan. 2.)

   Yesterday afternoon at about 3:30 o'clock some thirty members of Cortland Commandery No. 50, Knights Templar, in accordance with their custom on New Year's day of visiting some worthy institution, made the Cortland County home for aged women a pleasant call and left with its managers a substantial contribution to assist them in carrying on their good work.

   The Sir Knights came up from Cortland on a special car which left them in front of the Home. There they formed in twos and marched to the door of the Home where they were received by the officers and a reception committee of ladies from the board of managers of the Home.

   Eminent Commander Albert Allen led the Knights to the reception room where the exercises prepared were had. A quartet composed of the following

Cortland gentlemen opened the proceedings with singing: Messrs. Brown, [Saltman], Davis and Selover.

   The program of exercises was as follows:

   Prayer.

   Address of Welcome, Mrs. E. S. Newton. Pres. of the Home.

   Response, Eminent Commander Albert Allen.

   Music, Quartet.

   Address, Sir Knight J. W. Suggett.

   Music.

   Address and Benediction, Prelate H. T. Dana.

   Singing, Auld Lang Syne.

   Mrs. Newton's address of welcome was most cordial and fitting, and the response by the eminent commander Albert Allen was graceful and eloquent. Mr. Suggett gave a brief history of the order of Knights Templar, its origin and guiding principles which was eloquent and well calculated to inspire admiration for the noble order. Dr. Dana's address was also an admirable one, breathing a most noble Christian spirit, and his words of commendation for the work of the Home were most cordial and kindly.

   After the Knights had signed the register, light refreshments were served and about 4:30 the visitors returned to Cortland by their special car, having given much pleasure by their visit to the inmates of the Home and the friends of the institution.

An Abundance of Water.

   A curious phenomenon has manifested itself within the last few days at the

Floral Trout park. Last year while the sewers were in process of construction the supply of water which had made the place such an attractive one was entirely cut off, and the ponds and springs have been nearly dry since that time. During the past few days the ponds have been rapidly filling up and now there is an abundance of water. Whether it has come to stay is a question which can only be decided by time.

Farmers' Institute.

   The following is the program for the farmers' institute to be held at the courthouse, Cortland, N. Y., Friday and Saturday, Jan. 10, and 11, 1W8, Geo. A. Smith, Director:

FRIDAY, 10:30 A. M.

   Address of Welcome.

   Response by Member of institute Force.

   Value of the Silo to the Dairy Farmer, P. A. Converse, Woodville, N. Y.

   Developing Waste Land, W. L. Bean.

FRIDAY, 2 P. M.

   Question Box.

   My Experience with Holstein Cows and Cattle, Millard H. Nye

   How to Make Apple Culture Pay in Cortland Co., E. Van Alstyne, Kinderhook. N. Y.

FRIDAY, 7 P. M.

   Question Box.

   Poem, Miss O. H. Sexton.

   Business Sense on the Farm, A. R. Eastman, Waterville, N. Y.

   The Duties and Beauties of Farm Life, Mrs. Emma Tuttle Watrous.

SATURDAY, 10 A. M.

   Question Box.

   Cultivation of Small Fruits by the Farmer, J. E. Rice, Yorktown.

   Should Cortland County Dairymen Depend Upon the West for their Grain Feed?

   Affirmative—Lloyd F. Rice.

   Negative—N. F. Webb.

SATURDAY, 2 P. M.

   Question Box.

   How I make Gilt Edge Butter, A. A. Knapp.

   How I Make Farming Profitable, H. E. Cook, Denmark, N. Y.

   J. D. F. Woolston, Correspondent.

   A question box will be used at the opening of each session and all are requested to contribute. The presence of the ladies is especially desired at the institute and all are cordially invited to take part in the discussions.

BREVITIES.

   —"A Catspaw" was repeated at the Opera House last night and gave universal satisfaction.

   —Two drunks occupied the cooler last night and this morning were sentenced to three dollars or three days.

   —The funeral of Mr. John Gallagher will be held at his late residence in South Cortland, Monday at 10 o'clock A. M.  Burial in Cortland Rural cemetery.

   —The supervisors of Tompkins county realize that Ithaca is a city. So they took off the various towns $270,000 in taxation and transferred the amount to the city.—Elmira News.

   —The new combination car No. 17 of the Cortland and Homer Traction company which made its trial upon New Year's day is to-day making regular trips on the cross town line in place of the old car No. 7.

   —Mary Barnard, aged 56 years, a maiden lady who for some months has been an inmate of the Old Ladies Home at Ithaca, committed suicide on Sunday afternoon by drowning herself in one of the cisterns in the attic, the water being about two feet deep.

   —The following to-day have been added to the list of contributors to the Galpin fund: Miss Grace Wallace, $5; Mason Ingalls, $l; a friend, $1. The Cortland Cemetery association have also donated a lot in the Rural cemetery to the family.

   —With the beginning of the New Year a change was made in the management of the Groton and Lansing Journal. Mr. L. J. Townley, the former editor and proprietor, has associated with himself [and] his son, Mr. G. M. Townley, and the new firm will be known as Townley & Son. Mr. Townley, junior, has been connected with the business and mechanical department of the paper for a number of years and has well earned his promotion. We wish the new firm abundant success.

FATAL NEW YEAR'S TRAGEDY.

An Ithaca Colored Man Shoots His Wife and Then Attempts to Kill Himself.

   John W Corbin, a colored man living on Clinton-st., Ithaca, and who has the care of a club home on the campus, shot his wife and then attempted to take his own life on the evening of New Year's day. The couple have not been living happily together for some time and it is said they had several quarrels on Wednesday before the shooting occurred. Between 1 and 2 P. M. Corbin knocked his wife down and kicked her behind the stove, threatening to kill her if she dared to tell any one of his treatment.

   She managed to get away from him then and went to the house of her mother, Mrs. Moon, who lives about three houses away. Towards night the man followed and finding her on the back porch asked her if she was back going home [sic]. She replied that she was not, when he immediately fired two shots, one taking effect in her right side and the other in the region of the stomach and passing through the liver—the last wound being the fatal one, as the doctors who were called believe. He then shot himself, inflicting a slight wound in his left side. He is now in jail awaiting the result of his wife's injuries.

SIXTY-THIRD ANNIVERSARY

Of Mr. and Mrs. Prosper Palmer Celebrated Yesterday.

   On Jan. 2, 1833, occurred the marriage of Mr. Prosper Palmer and Miss Lucy Stillman both of Cortland, by Rev. J. S. Mitchell. Although they are enfeebled in health, they were yesterday able to join in the festivities of the day and many reminiscences were related. All but six months of their married life have been spent in or near Cortland.

   Yesterday were gathered at their home, 50 Greenbush-st., three of their children, Mrs. E. W. Bates, Mrs. M. F. Gillet, Mr. W. C. Palmer and their families.  One son, Rev. A. P. Palmer of Utica, was unable to be present but sent a letter of regret. Telegrams of congratulation were received from friends in the West. A very pleasant afternoon was passed. Mr. Palmer will be 87 years old on Jan. 21 and Mrs. Palmer 84 years old on March 1.

   It is very seldom that a couple live to celebrate the sixty-third anniversary of their marriage but such is the case with Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, who will receive the hearty congratulations of a very wide circle of friends.