St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-24
The Killed and Wounded So
Far Number Nearly Four
Hundred.
Two-ThirdS of the People
Have Elected Mataafa as
Their Ruler,
But the German Consul In
siStS That TamaSeSe Shall
Be King.

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 23.-The
oceanic steamer Zealandia, arrived here
late last night from Sydney and Auck-
land via Samoun islands and Honolulu.
The special correspondent of the Asso-
ciated Press at Apia, Samoa, writes as
| follows, under date Dec. z: Since the
last oceanic steamer left this place for
| San Francisco month ago, two battles
of Importance. and numerous skirm-
ishes have taken place between
the forces of MalietOa Ma
taafa and Tamasese. the rebel
chief and the pretended king. About
12o men have been killed and $50
wounded, many of the dead having
been barbarously mutilated. The state
of affairs on the islands seems due to
| the continued action of the German
consul, DR.. Knappe, supported by the
men-of-war, Adler and Eber, and the
German Planting & Garden company,
who insist that TamaSese shall be king,
although two-thirds of the Samoan peo-
| pie have elected Malietoe Mataafa as
their choice, while the Germans oppose
him. knowing he Will not consent to
their rule of the islands. By Nov. 6
the town of Apia was almost deserted
by the natives except such persons as
were either too young or too old to go
to the front. Mataafa took up his head
quarters at SAUL, small village about
six miles from Apia. and situated
ON THE SHORES OF A BAY,
entrance to which is about a mile wide.
Tamasese had his headquarters in the
large fort built on the top of hill at the
eastern extremity of the bay. This fort,
which is almost impregnable, is built in
three sections, the first being made of a
well-built stockade, twelve or fifteen
feet high, blocked by baskets of cocoa
nut leaves, plated together and filled
with earth. Twenty or thirty yards
back is the second section, which con-
sists of stone breastworks and rife
pits. The inner section is the
stockade. The entrance to these
sections is just wide enough to allow
four men to pass abreast. The sides of
the hill, upon which the fort is situated,
are almost precipitous and has been
cleared of trees and brush, thus giving
those within the fort clean range of
the attacking party. Another rough
stockade was erected by the Tamasese
men about five miles back in the brush.
Mataafa'S men numbered about 1000,
while Tamasese's force was 1,700. The
rebels were stationed in a big fort in
the brush and in the stockade, while a
few were located IN a number of small
villages. Mataafa's soldiers were dis
tributed throughout the bushes for a
distance of three or four miles. On the
afternoon of Nov. 6, the men belonging
to Mataafa'S army began an attack on
the stockade.
LOCATED IN THE BUSH.
After a sharp fight the rebels were
driven out and retreated up the side of
a steep mountain, where they hastily
made clearing and threw up stock
ade. The sides of this mountain are so
precipitous it was barely possible for
the men to stand erect, but the attack
ing party charged up the side of the
hill, having to pull themselves up by
shrubs and branches of trees, while
the rebels fired down upon them. The
latter were driven out, however, and
were compelled to make stand
| further up the mountain. Tamasese's
loss in this fight was two killed
and twelve wounded. Mataafa lost four
killed and fifteen wounded. Mataafa's
wounded were taken to Apia during
the evening, where the British consul,
Coetlogan, United Safes vice consul,
Blackjack, Capt. Leary, of the United
States steamer Adams, and Capt. Pelly,
of the English steamer Lizard, aided by
number of prominent citizen of Apia,
erected hospital tents in front of the
British consulate for the accom-
modation of the wounded. Notice was
posted stating Tamasese's wounded
would also be cared for freely, but none
of these were brought to the hospital
tents, but were taken to big
FORT ON THE HILL,
where their injuries were looked after
! by a surgeon of the German man-of-War
Adler and another German physician.
| The United States man-of-war Nipsic,
| Capt. d. w. Muellen. arrived here from
Callao Nov. Z to relieve the Adams.
Nov, 9 the Mataafa's men succeeded in
fighting their way to within twenty-five
yards of a strong Tamasese fort which
had been built in the bush. The Ger
man steamer Subeck arrived from sgd
ney Nov. 10. bringing DR.. Huaphe, the
new German consul. to relieve Consul
Becker. A schooner armed by Ger
| mans continued to make daily trips
from Apia to Saluafata, carry
| ing ammunition for the use of
the Tamasese men. Brandeis. the
German, vino is the rebel kings
adviser and premier, gave it out to
the soldiers in large quantities. The
rev German consul called officially upon
| the British consul and captain of the
| British man of war on the 18th, but did
not call upon the American vice CONSUL
| or upon Capt. Seary. a day or so later
| the German man of war Adler appeared
| off the harbor, and the German consul
came ashore. and demanded that
Mataafa comply with the instructions
| in his letter of the previous day, order
| ing HIM to leave his encampment ON ac-
count of the alleged depredations.
Mataafa informed the consul that none
of his men had committed depredations
upon German plantations or fred upon
the German vice consul. as alleged. If
Tamasese's men had done this for the
purpose of
FIXING THE BLAME
upon Mataafa's men, he knew nothing