The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-22
VENTURED AMONG NATIVES
COMPARATIVELY UNARMED.
Not Prepared in Any Manner to Meet
an Attack-Expedition Divided
Into Two Sections-The First AL
most Entirely Annihilated, and
Then the Second Falls Into
Trap Set.

known have excited the deepest indig-
nation even among the Little Eng
landers," who declare that prompt
punishment should be melted out to
the murderers. AS reported at the
time in dispatches to the United Asso-
ciated Presses. an expedition started
from Bonny, on the Niger coast pro-
tectorate, West Africa, for Benin City,
its object being to ask the king of
Benin to remove the obstacles he
places in the way of trade The eX-
petition consisted of Acting Consul
General Phillips, Major Copland-Craw-
| 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 Of
ficer, and Messrs. Fowls and Gordon,
civilians, together with about $50 Kroo
men and native carriers.
FOOLHARDINESS.
None of the men were armed and
were in no wise prepared to meet an
attack should one be made upon them.
This was considered here to be d re
markedly foolhardy method of enter
ing Benin, as it had been known for
SOHle lliIlS IudI lAG hlIS VI llldl COuu-
try was hostile to the British, not
withstanding the fact that he had en-
tered into treaty obligations with
them. 1t was set forth as an eXplana-
ton to this action that the expedition
did not desire to make any show of
force against the king, it being thought
its objects would be more readily at
tanned were no firearms carried. This
was a fatal mistake, as subsequent
events proved.
The expedition left Bonny about the
first of January, and about two weeks
later the yacht Ivy, belonging to the
consul general, returned TO Bonny from
| Sdpele, where the expedition had left
it preparatory to making the land jour-
| pey to Benin, with the news of the
massacre of the entire expedition.
Later it was learned that seven of the
/ kroo men escaped, and still later that
! Captain BoiSragon and Consular Of
ficer Locke had also escaped.
! Now it is learned that after the eX-
! petition left Sapele it proceeded with
! out difficulty, save that experienced
within a few miles of Benin City. Some
| of the kroo men had been sent for
ward to cut a path through the jungle,
and when the remainder of the eXpedi-
/ ton were almost within sight of the
town they came upon the bodies of
these pioneers. who had been massa-
cred. Before the expedition could re-
! treat the Benin tribeSmen attacked
! them, and having them completely at
d disadvantage, the party was almost
completely annihilated. Captain /OiS-
! ragon and Consular Officer Locke we're
wounded. as were also the seven KrOo
men who subsequently reached the
| coast. They managed, however. to
1 crawl unobServed into the almost i'm
penetrable jungle, and after days of
horrible suffering from their wounds
/ and the exhaustion of their toilSome
/ journey succeeded in reaching New
Benin on the coast, 220 miles west of
Bonny. It was announced some time
/ ago that an expedition was 10 leave
/ Bonny from Benin City, and it was said
! then as the king of Benin was a ''juju,,
man, and that as his city was full o..
! the remains of human sacrifices, ii
J was not expected that he would agree
/ to the request of the protectorate Of
/ ficials for better trade facilities. In
the event of his refusal, it was in
/ tended to get the sanction of the Brit
/ ish foreign office for an armed eXpedi-
ton to proceed against the king, who
had threatened to kill the next white
] man who attempted to visit him. In
view of this threat, it is difficult TO I'M
/ derstand why an unarmed expedition
/ should have sought to enter his cOun-
! try
TO PUNISH THE KING.
AS soon as the news of the massacre
reached England orders were given for
/ the British officers stationed on the
( coast, who were on furlough, to return
to their posts, and instructions were
| given for the formation of an expedi-
/ ton TO punish the king of Benin. This
punitive expedition will consist of
forces of the Niger coast protectorate
and contingents of sailors from the
vessels of the West African squadron.
1t has been stated that such an ex-
| petition would have to proceed TO
Benin city in a short time, even had
! the massacre not occurred, as the
whole of the Niger coast protectorate
was suffering from the crueltieS and
exactionS of the king of Benin. Slavery
is rampant in that country, and human
sacrifices and cannibalistic heather
rites are matters of daily occurrence.
Therefore, if the country is to be made
of any value whatsoever, it will be
necessary to suppress the king with a
strong hand. The country is said to be
very rich, and it would not be sur
prising to find that one result of the
punitive expedition would be the an
nexation of the whole territory to the
British possessions in West Africa.
The expedition was divided into two
sections, to facilitate travelin=. AS
they progressed into the country, they
were greeted in 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 point 20
miles from the Benin river, couriers
from the king arrived, bearing peaceful
messages, which added to the feeling
of security which pervaded. the party.
Here it was determined to send num-
Der of the carriers ahead, as bearers of
presents to the king. They followed
the route laid out by the pioneers, and
met with no hostility from any of the
natives who were seen. These carriers
were four hours ahead of the main
body of the expedition, when, without
a warning of any kind they were at
tackled by a large number of warriors,
who had already dispatched the
pioneer Kroo men. Every one of the
carriers and those with them were
massacred.
SECOND COMPANY'S FATE.
The second company, entirely una
ware of the fate of their predecessors,
with marching along, suddenly came
upon the piled up bodies of their mas
sacred com9anionS. There were no
signs of an enemy about, the Benin
warriors having hid themselves in the
thick jungle to await the coming of the
second party. AS the latter were
stopped by the sight of the bodies,
and began to examine them, a murder
,-OIla,r r,or,re.7 into fIa,3, bxy tho