Burning down of important buildings and high ranking officials houses in Benin by the British Expedition Force continues.
Extract from A DIARY OF A SURGEON WITH THE BENIN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION'
By FELIX N. ROTH, M.R.C.S., and L.R.C.P.
February 20th.—In front of the king's compound is an immense wall, fully twenty feet high, two to four feet thick, formed of sun-dried red clay. This wall must be a few hundred yards long, and at each end are two big ju-ju trees. To-day was occupied in blowing down these ju-ju trees. Passing through the centre door of the big wall we came upon a large tree; at its foot was a deep pit, which we noticed contained dead bodies. The natives, after sacrificing their victims, threw their bodies down there. On the first afternoon of our arrival our black troops heard faint cries coming from some of these pits, and letting themselves down came upon some live captives lying amongst the dead ones, in a very emaciated condition. They had been down there many days without food and water, intermingled with dead and rotting bodies. Some of these poor fellows had been carriers with Phillips' party, in the ill-fated expedition some weeks before. I found from them that all the white men in that expedition had been killed on the Gwatto road, and none had been brought into Benin City to be sacrificed, as the British public were once led to believe. One of the saddest sights, as we entered the big palaver house, was to notice the effects of the massacred white men. Amongst them we noticed Phillip's helmet in its case, a doctor's bag complete (which belonged to poor Elliot), while, scattered here and there, were their clothes, hats, boots, cameras, and other things so useful to men on the march. Of course we found no arms or ammunition, the natives having most probably used them against us.
References
1) Bacon, R. H. Benin City of Blood, 1897
2) Bacon, R. Admiral Sir, Benin Expedition, A Naval Scrap-Book, First Part, 1877 – 1900: 197 – 207
3) Boisragon, A. The Benin Massacre,1897
4) Roth, H. L. 1903 appendix 11 cited Roth N. F. A DIARY OF A SURGEON WITH THE BENIN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION'
Extract from A DIARY OF A SURGEON WITH THE BENIN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION'
By FELIX N. ROTH, M.R.C.S., and L.R.C.P.
February 20th.—In front of the king's compound is an immense wall, fully twenty feet high, two to four feet thick, formed of sun-dried red clay. This wall must be a few hundred yards long, and at each end are two big ju-ju trees. To-day was occupied in blowing down these ju-ju trees. Passing through the centre door of the big wall we came upon a large tree; at its foot was a deep pit, which we noticed contained dead bodies. The natives, after sacrificing their victims, threw their bodies down there. On the first afternoon of our arrival our black troops heard faint cries coming from some of these pits, and letting themselves down came upon some live captives lying amongst the dead ones, in a very emaciated condition. They had been down there many days without food and water, intermingled with dead and rotting bodies. Some of these poor fellows had been carriers with Phillips' party, in the ill-fated expedition some weeks before. I found from them that all the white men in that expedition had been killed on the Gwatto road, and none had been brought into Benin City to be sacrificed, as the British public were once led to believe. One of the saddest sights, as we entered the big palaver house, was to notice the effects of the massacred white men. Amongst them we noticed Phillip's helmet in its case, a doctor's bag complete (which belonged to poor Elliot), while, scattered here and there, were their clothes, hats, boots, cameras, and other things so useful to men on the march. Of course we found no arms or ammunition, the natives having most probably used them against us.
References
1) Bacon, R. H. Benin City of Blood, 1897
2) Bacon, R. Admiral Sir, Benin Expedition, A Naval Scrap-Book, First Part, 1877 – 1900: 197 – 207
3) Boisragon, A. The Benin Massacre,1897
4) Roth, H. L. 1903 appendix 11 cited Roth N. F. A DIARY OF A SURGEON WITH THE BENIN PUNITIVE EXPEDITION'