Battle at Samoa.

Woodville Examiner, Volume XVII, Issue 2945, 14 April 1899, Page 2

Battle at Samoa.

OUB FORCES OUTWITTED. OFFICERS AND MEN KILLED AND MUTILATED. Auckland, April 12, News from Samoa by the Alameda reports s. rious fighting between the British and American forces and Samoans under Mataafa, On the 27th March an engagement occamd at Magioga. Twenty-seven Samoans were killed and wounded. There were no casualities in the AngloAmerican forces. Gn April Ist, 105 allies, assisted by 150 friendly natives, fell into an ambush at a German plantation at Vailele. There were 800 well armed Mataafa warriors. Desperate fighting ensued, and Lieut. Freeman, of H.M.S. T auranga, who was leading the expedition, Lieut. Lansdale and Ensign Monaghan of the American warship Philadelphia were killed, also two British and two American sailors. The dead were left on the field, where the bodies were subsequently found. The heads of the officers had beeu cut off, and were subsequently brought in by a French priest; only the ears of the seamen were taken. Ensign Monaghan had remained to assist Lieut. Lansdale who was wo mded, and he was shot through the heart when retiring. Warships are carrying on active operations along the shore, landing parties partly Europeans and partly natives at various places, who are doing good execution against the enemy. The expedition on Saturday was for the purpose of clearing the country to the eastward of Apia. It was commanded by Lieut. Freeman, and consisted of 110 British and American sailors and 150 friendly natives. It marched along the coast as far,as Vailele, and then turned back again.,/The Royalist went ahead of the expedition and shelled some of the c .untry, but avoided sending shells into German plantations, where the enemy happened to be. The expedition saw nothing of the rebels, though they burned two of their villages, Vailele and Tetofo. In passing through, the German plantation, Lieut. Cave spoke to Huffnagel, manager of the place, and asked him if he had seen any of Mataafa’s people about. Huffnagel declared that there were no Mataafa people within miles. At the moment of writing, Huffnagel is under arrest for giving misleading information. The force returned along their route until they reached a short cross road. There they saw rebels in large numbers, and opened fire with the automatic Colt gun. The rebels were in a splendid position for being punished, but the Colt jammed. Lieut. Lansdale ordered a halt, and he and the gunner spent nearly half an hour trying to put the gua right. They succeeded as they thought, and fired eff a few rounds. By this time the rebels were supposed to have cleared inland. The forces were passing through a cocoauut plantation when the rebels poured in a volley, and the nest moment our men were fired on from three sides. At this time the friendly natives were ahead, the American bluejackets came next with the gun, next came the British sailors. Lieut. Lansdale opened fire with the Colt, which could discharge 400 shots a minute, but it once more stuck and became absolutely useless. Lieut. Lansdale tried to get it to work, and whilst engaged at this task was shot just above the knee. The friendlies, who were descending into the Vaivase stream, met a heavy cross tire. By some stupid arrangement these men had been given only a few rounds of ammunition. They quickly expended what they had got, and then turned and came through the British and American lines, causing a good deal of confusion, when it was found the enemy were in great numbers and well

posted. Seeing how dangerous it would be to rush through the deep Vaivase valley, the retreat was sounded, and it was decided to make due north through scrub to the beach. Soon after the retreat was sounded Lieut. Freeman, leader of the expedition, was shot through the heart. He was just descending a slope with the idea of collecting the stragglers. Two more steps tvould have placed him out of the line of fire. The sailors tried to carry him, but he was a big heavy man, and the country is rough. Firing from the rebels was hot. They were up cocoanut trees, and some were shot there. They were also behind cocoanut lives, and. th. bullets from the English ana American rifles went slap through the trees and the rebels too. Lieut. Lansdalc, Er.'fgi Monaghan and a lew British sailors were together whe»thi former was shot through the ffig. ‘Ensign Monaghan and two American sailors tiicd to assist tluic officer. Then one of the sailors was shot. Lansda!e bade the other sailor retreat and join his comrades and the man did so. Then a'Ttrpiise bluejacket named Hurst came up and heard Lansdale urge Monaghan to leavd

him. “ Leave mo, Mono.” he said, “ I’m dor-e ior,” but Mtnutghtm stuck bravely to the wounded man. j ben a slu t struck Lans. ale through tbc heart and be ml. Monaghan. who stuck by his ccmrulo to tlio dih.th, moved a few steps away when be mo was; hot throne!) the hi art uud mat the fate of a hem. The wounded began to pour into the American Consulate, win re Dr Beatty, ef the Loyalist, was in charge. The basis of hospital medical arrangements seem to have been well chosen. Dr Lang, of the Philadelphia, accompanied the expedition. When fighting commenced an English marine was knocked over with a bullet. Dr Laing seized the man’s rifle and blazed away at the enemy right merrily. Then he began attending to the wounded, and bandaged many of those who had been shot. . , m Late on Saturday night Tamasese, the vice-King, went out with about 350 Malietoa warriers to search the battlefield for missing officers and men, and early ou Sunday morning they brought in the bodies of seven men. Lieutenant Freeman, Lieutenant Lausdale and Ensign Monaghan were headless, the rebels recognising them as chiefs and decapitated them. Ears were taken from dead sailors, and it is supposed that both ears and beads were taken to Mataafa. , There were seven dead bodies lying at the American Consulate on Sunday morning, three officers and four men. They were buried at Mulinui, where already four sailors had found their resting place. The American chaplain read the English burial service over a common grave, for the officers and men were buried in coffins in one place. The Trench priests chanted their prayers, and an American bugler standing by ihe grave sounded “ The Last Peal.” The coffins were thick with flowers. King Malietoa i am; sent wreaths for each body, and Alan, an Apia woman, gathered flowers to throw on the coffins. Bo the English and American officers and men lie together beneath the palms on ancient Malianu.

Hunt, A.B. on the Porpoise, dur-

ing the fight was knocked senseless. His right ear was cut ofl, and the rebels had commenced to cut ofl the other when a shell from the Royalist exploded near the natives. He regained his senses and rushed down to the beach, where he was picked up by an armed Royalist boat, and now, though lacking an ear, is doing well in the Auckland Hospital. It is not definitely known how many of Mataafa’s people are killed. It is thought at least SO rebels were killed, and twice that number wounded. It is commonly reported among

tbe British and American sailors f" that two white men, both said to be Germans, were assisting tbe rebels during the fight. On Monday, the Philadelphia, Tauranga, Porpoise, and Royalist began to shell the localities near Apia, where the rebels are supposed to be, for some hours. Every bouse in Apia shook with the thunder of the big guns. It is not known what damage was done by the bombardment, for no one can go into the rebel country, though it is only on the outskirts of Apia. Three Malietoa men who escaped from the rebels declare that Mataafa intends to make a sudden raid on Apia. The present stale of affairs at Samoa is serious. Nearly all the Europeans are gathered in Apia. The rebels come nightly close to the town, and there is not sufficient force of Europeans to hold more than a portion of the town against a sudden night attack. There are now three British and one American warship in the harbor, and they are capable of blowing every Samoan in the whole group to pieces in the space of about half an hour, providing the Samoans could be seen in sufficient numbers, but the rebels take very good care to keep out of sight, and they may go on for an indefinite time potting English and American guards at night time, or laying ambuscades for expeditions, burning and looting European bouses, and making attacks on undefended parts of Apia. The authorities have outlined a plan of future operations which shows that they recognise the serious position of affairs. The Royalist is to go to Tututlo and Falealili to pick up every Malietoa supporter capable of bearing arms. Those are to swell tbe army of friendly natives. Another warship is to be asked for to bring arms and ammunition for the friendlies, also to request the services of officers and men from Sydney or Auckland. It is calculated that in a short time it will be possible to put 1000 armed Malietoa warriors in the field, and if these are assisted by officers trained to bush warfare it will be possible to make short work of the rebels. Harry Hunt, A. 8., of the Porpoise, and Corporal Foxworthy, of the Boyalist, who were in the engagement of the 12th, are now in the Auckland Hospital. Foxworthy says that Lieut. Freeman had given him a drink, and was giving a drink to another wounded man frem his water bottle when he was killed. The natives captured the Colt quick-firing gun, and handed it over to Captain Faike, the German Commander, at once, who returned it to the Philadelphia.