The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-01-15
oIAssAoRED, ny aIArABEnEs.

Report Of tho Defeat of Wilson'S Party
Contirmed-Story OF the Attnck-AFignt
TO the Death.
CAPE 5TowN, Jan. "details of the
massacre of Captain Wilson'S party by
the Matabeles were received here yes
terday. The news from Buluwayo
shows that Captain Wilson and his men
made hard fight and died gallantly,
fighting to the last. According to the
Buluwayo advices, some natives who
arrived there, in order to surrender
their arms and make terms with the
British commander, admit that they
were present when the Wilson detach-
ment was destroyed.
The natives say that Capt. Wilson,
who was in pursuit of King Lobengula,
suddenly came upon q strong detach-
ment of Matabeles headed by the king
himself. The latter was able to mount
q horse and flee before the British adj
vance, but when the information was
conveyed to the king that the Wilson
party was few in number, some reports
placing the detachment as only 40
British troopers and hundred or so
auxiliaries, the king managed to get
Matabeles to make stand and pre-
pared to take the small British force in
trap. Instructing the center OF his
force to continue retreating before the
British troopers, who were pressing
their horses onward through the Mata-
belle ranks in tho hope of capturing the
king, the right and left 1anlIs OF the
Ma.abele impis were instructed to de-
poy to the right and to the lett and
then 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 ire on
tho retreating Matabeles, which de-
tracted the attention OF Captain Wilson
from the vancouver which the king had
planned. In the meantime the mounted
portion of Captain Wilson's force had
become separated from the native
auXiliaries, who, on foot, 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 Mata-
beles on the TANKS began moving in
wards, and the fate OF the British de-
tachment was scaled. When it was too
late. Captain Wilson saw the trap into
which he had fallen, owing to his over
confidence and to the impulsive desire
of tho troopers to capture the king.
Hurriedly gathering his men together,
Capt. Wilson prepared to~retreat upon
the diemounted portion of his COM
mand, in hope of being able to make a
stand against the enemy, or, failing in
this, to sell their hives as dearly as pos
sible. But it was too late to avert COM
plete defeat, and the fire OF the Mata-
beles soon became SO calling that the
British force was compelled to halt, as
their horses were being shot under
them, and nothing but death and sur
render was before them.
Then began gallant fight to the
death. From behind their dead horses
the British troopers kept up con-
tinual fire from their carbines upon the
steadily advancing A1atabeles, and when
the carbines were no longer OF use, ow-
ing to the proximity of tho savage
enemy, they drew their 'revolvers and
awaited the last rush of the natives. 1t
was not long delayed, and the followed
brief hand-to-hand conflict, during
which sword and revolver met assegai
and club, only to DO swept down be-
meath the onward rush of overwhelm-
ing mum bers and thus, beneath show
er of assegais, the troopers, fighting
calamity to the last and firing even
when upon their knees and dying, met
their death.
During the latter part of the stand
made by the British troopers not q man
of the British force was unwounded,
and some OF them had received at least
dozen wounds. After MI resistance
had been overcome the mphant ma
tives stripped the troopers of every
shred of clothing and mutilated the
bodies in terrible manner.