St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-14
The STORY OF A MASSACRE
SLAUGHTER OF THE WILSON PARTY
By THE MATABELES.
THEY FOUGHT TO THE LAST.

NsotO - A1aEu anu
Gallantly-Their Hodies Were
Stripped by the Natives and
Mutilated in Horrible Man
ner.
CAPE Town, Jan. 13.-Details of the
massacre of Capt. Wilson's party by the
Matabeles were received here today.
The news from Buluwayo shows that
Capt Wilson and his men made hard
fight and died CALAMITY, fighting to the
last.
According TO the BuluwayO advices,
some natives who arrived there in order
tG surrender their arms and make terms
WITH the British commander admit that
they were present when the Wilson de-
tachment was destroyed.
These natives say that Capt. Wilson,
who was i'll pursuit of King Lobengula,
suddenly came upon strong detach-
ment of Matabeles headed by the king
himself. The latter was able to mount
horse and fly before the British adj
vance, but when the information was
conveyed to the king that the
Wilson party was few i'll number. some
reports placing the detachment at only
forty British troopers and hundred O
so auXiiiaries, the king managed to get
the Matabeles to make stand and pre-
pare to take the small British force i'll
trap. Instructing the center of the
force to continue retreating before the
British troopers who were pressing
their horses onward through the Mata-
belle ranks in the hope of capturing the
king, the right and left TANKS of
the Matabele impis were instructed to
deploy to the right and to the left, and
to gradually converge inward, so as to
take the British force on both TANKS
and in the rear.
The British troopers, under the i'm
preston that the Matabele power was
entirely broken. pressed onward after
the king, keeping up running fire
upon the
RETREATING MATABELES,
which attracted the attention of Capt.
Wilson from the maneuver which the
king had planned.
In the meantime the mounted portion
of Capt. Wilson's force had become
who were Oh foot, and formed the rear
guard of the small force.
When King Lobengula saw that the
British were surrounded on three sides
he made stand upon some high ground
and at the same time the MatabeleS oil
the Hanks began moving inward. and
the fate of the Britifh detachment was
sealed.
When 1t was too late Capt. Wilson saw
the trap into which lie had fallen owing
to his oyer-conf idence, and the impulsiVe
desire OF the troopers TO capture King
Lobengula. Hurriedly having the halt
sounded, Capt. Wilson gathered his
men together and prepared to retreat
upon the dismounted portion of his
commands in hope of being able to make
a stand against the enemy, or. failing in
this, to sell their lives as dearly as pos
sible.
1t was too late to avert complete de-
feat. and the fire of the MatabeleS soon
became SO CALLING that the British force
was compelled TO halt, as their horses
were being shot under them. and notn-
ing but death or surrender was before
them.
Then began a gallant fight to the
death. From behind their dead horses
the British troopers kept up continual
ulO HUH luetI upOu luC
steadily advancing Matabeles, and
when the carbines were no longer of
use, owing TO the proximity of
the savage enemy. they drew their re-
volverS and awaited the last rush of the
natives. 1t was not delayed, and then
followed brief hand to hand conflict,
! during which sword and revolver met
assegai and club. only to be swept down
beneath the onward rush of overwhelm-
ing numbers and thus, beneath a shower
of assegais. the troopers,
FIGHTING CALAMITY
to the last and firing even when upon
their knees and dying, met death.
During the latter part of the stand
made by the troopers against the Mata-
| beleS not man of the British force was
! unwounded, and some of them had re-
| ceived at least dozen wounds. After
| all resistance had been overcome the
| triumphant natives stripped the troop
ers of every Shred of clothing and mll-
| tilated the bodies in horrible manner
Later-SOme natives who have just
arrived at Fort Tuli report meeting q
| number of other natives carrying car
blnes and revolvers which had belonged
| to Capt. Wilson's party. and from the
same fort come additional details of
the massacre of the British troopers.
| Capt. Wilson's force. outside of a few
natives, is now said to have numbered
! only thIrty-tour British troops, ard the
number of natives which surrounded
them variously estimated at from zee
| to four thousand.
The Wilson party included Capts.
| Fitzgerald. Judd, Greenfield, Kirton and
Barrow, and Lieuts. Hughes and Hoff-
meyer. Among the troopers under the
command of these officers were a lot of
| youngsters belonging to some of the
best families in England, who had en-
! listed as troopers in order. to get their
first taste of campaigning. These young
men included among their number the
son of Sir Henry Vogel, formerly the
agent general for New Zealand in Lon
| don.
! All reports confirm the statements
\ that the young troopers made the most
| gallant defense. keeping the Savages at
| bay for comparatively long time,
| owing to their excellent craftsmanship,
and the gallant manner in which they
| faced the enemy, though wounded time
and again. The reports add that every
man among them had one or more
wounds, and that the Matabeles were
| unable TO sweep over them until nearly
every cartridge was exhausted and the
whole party was weak from loss of
| blood.
| Conklin's Knife.