The Dewsbury Chronicle, and West Riding Advertiser. — 1875-03-20 (Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England)

MASSACRE OF A SURVEYING PARTY. Full particulars are brought from Calcutta, by the last mail, under date the 21st February, of the massacre of the Naga Hills surveying party. The party consisted of Lieut. Holcombe, Captain Badgley, 48 men of the Syihet Infantry, 22 Sylhet police, and 190 coolies. They were attacked when cooking their breakfast and packing. Lieut. Holcombe was first cut down. Captain Badgley saw it and fired his revolver at the Nagas. He was attacked in his tent, and escaped through the back of it, wounded in four places. All was over in one minute. Eighty were killed, including Lieut. Holcombe, 11 of the 44th, and eight police. Captain Badgley led the party back to Burasali, being attacked several times on the way, but he drove off the Nagas. Forty-two wounded are in the hospital at Jeypore. The Times of India says :—" Towards the end of last year two survey parties, one under Captain Badgley and the other under Captain Butler, started for the Naga Hills to continno the exploring work which was being done during the preceding cold season. The object of the survey was to obtain reliable plans and descriptions of the hills and the country to the east ot As,am Valley. In 1873 the survey party met with resistance from the Nagas, who appear to have a constitutional objection to having their country surveyed. The parties which started last year did not expect to be allowed to proceed with their survey peacefully. A small number of native sepoys and some policemen were, therefore, attached to each party. They seem to have met with no serious opposition until Captain Butler's party arrived at a large Wokha village. The party met with a very sullen reception, and soon after their arrival a Kookee coolie was murdered by the villaeers. On hearing of the murder Captain Butler sent for the head men of the village, who at first refused to come. In the evening they made an attack, which was easily repulsed, and some of their houses burned. The next day some of the chiefs came in suing 'for peace, but Captain Butler told them that the only condition upon which they would obtain it was by giving up the murderers of the Kookee coolie. After a good deal of wrangling two of the murderers were given up. They confessed their crime, and freely described how they had executed it. Although they had given up the murderers it was easily seen that the head men of the tribe were far from conciliatory in their manner towards the expedition. The other party, under Capt. Badgley, was many miles apart from Capt. Butler's. The two were to meet at the Dikhu river. The parties were in communication with each other, and each heard about the other's progress. The party under Captain Badgley seems to have been delayed by the bad country through which they had to travel, and also by an outbreak of sickness amongst the men, and on the Ist Januazy they had only penetrated about twenty miles into the hills. The Nagas, finding that they could make no impression on Captain Butler's party, appeared to have attacked the other, probably the weaker of the two. We have at present no news of the party under Captain Butler. It is probable that the Nagas, emboldened by their success over Captain Badgley's little force, will not hesitate to attack the other. It is, without doubt, advisable that measures should at once he taken to support the remaining survey party, which may, at any moment, be cut off if the Nagas musterin large numbers for the attack. Troops have since been despatched to the Naga country."