The record-union., 1897-01-22
cape.

LONDON, Jan. 21.-Further details
have reached here of the recent mas
Sacre of members of a peaceable Brit
1sh expedition by the natives of Benin
Country, and the facts as now known
have excited the deepest Indignation,
even among the Little Englanders," :"
who declare that prompt punishment
should be mated out to the murderers.
AS reported at the time in dispatches
to the United Associated Presses, an
expedition started from Bonny, on the
Niger Coast Protectorate, West Africa,
for Benin City, its object being to ask
the King of Benin to remove the OBJ
stacles he places in the way of trade.
The expedition consisted of Consul
General Phillips, Major Copland- -Crav-
ford, Deputy Commissioner; Captain
Boisragon, commandant of the Niger
Coast Protectorate force; Captain NAL
ing, wing officer of the same force;
Messrs Locke and Campbell of the
Consular staff; DR.. Elliott, medical Off
Ger, and Messrs. Powis and Gordon,
civilians, together with about 200 Kroo-
men and native carriers.
None of the men We're armed, and
were in no wise prepared to meet an
This was considered here to be a re-
marably foolhardy method of enter
ing Bein, as it has been known for some
time that the King Of that country
was hostile to the British notwithstand-
ing he had entered into treaty obliga-
tions with them. 1t is set forth as
an explanation of this action that the
expedition did not desire to make any
exhibition of force against the King,
il being thought its objects would be
more readily attained were no firearms
carried. This was fatal mistake, as
subsequent events showed.
The expedition left Bonny about the
1st of January, and about two weeks
later the yacht Ivy, belonging to the
Consul General, returned to Bonny
from Sapel, where the expedition had
left it preparatory to making the land
journey to Benin, with the news of ths
massacre of the entire expedition.
Later it was learned that seven Of the
Kroomen escaped, and still later that
Captain Boisragon and Consular Off
Ger Locke had also escaped. Now it is
learned that after the expedition left
Sapel it proceeded without difficulty.
save that experienced from the nature
Of the county, to within a few miles
Of Benin City. Some Of the KroOmen
had been sent forward to cut path
through the jungle, and when the re-
mainder of the expedition We're almost
within sight of the town they came up
on the bodies Of these pioneers, who
had been massacred.
Before the expeditions could retreat
the Benin tribesmen attacked them, and
having them completely at a disadvan-
tage, the party was almost completely
annihilated. Captain Boisragon and
Consular officer Locke We're wounded
as We're also the seven KroOmen who
subsequently reached the coast. They
managed, however, to crawl unobserved
into the almost impenetrable jungle,
and after days Of horrible suffering
from their wounds and the exhaustion
of their tolisome journey succeeding in
reaching New Benin on the coast, 22l
miles west of Bonny.
The expedition was divided into two
sections to facilitate travelling. AS they
progressed into the country they were
greeted in a friendly manner by the
residents of several villages, which led
TO the hope that no opposition would be
met with anywhere along the route
When the commander of the expedition
had reached a. point twenty miles from
the Benin River, couriers from the King
arrived bearing peaceful messages