The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1889-02-05

The correspondent speaks at
length of the rumors that the Ger
mans were going to fire over the
town of Apia into the bush. Consul
Blackjack was informed by Consul
Knappe in reply to note that the
latter was not aware of such lnten
ton. At this stage of the proceed
ings, it is asserted, Capt. Hand
of the British warship Royalist
showed the first signs of awak-
ening to the slightest realiza
ton of the actual condition of af-
fairs since his arrival" Capt Hand
is charged by the correspondent
with having scoffed at Americans
and Englishmen who suggested his
intervention for the protection of
his countrymen, with having refused
sails and oars for the hospital tent,
with regarding the Samoans as
worthy of no more respect than the
negroes on the West Coast Of Africa,
and with ungracious demeanor to-
ward his country's Consul and PEG
pie. 1t is also remarked, neither
had Capt. Hand made the slightest
move when the two English flags
were fired upon at Laulii by the
German ship" The Captain now,
however, sent a guard of four mar
ines under Lieut.. Plumer to the
British Consulate, and ION the same
night the Royalist put her electric
search light in operation, much to
the disgust of the officers of the
German men-of-war
STARTLING PROCEEDINGS.
Many American and English resi-
dents, as previously reported in this
paper, had taken alarm and gone
aboard their respective national yes
sells for protection. It is no news
here, either, about the German de
mand on Mataafa and his warriors to
surrender themselves on board the
German warships, But much more
serious developments are related IN
Klein's letter.
Consul Knappe issued proclama-
ton in Samoan, German and Eng
lish, dated December Dist, and saying
that, unless Mataafa's forces submit
ted, the German man-of-war would
fire into the village of Matafagatele.
Upon Consul Blackjack receiving a
copy of this proclamation, he i'm
mediately wrote to the German Con
sui, protesting in the name of the
United States against the German
Consul's action, at the same time
notifying him that Captain E. L.
Hamilton, an American citizen who
has lived for many years in Samoa,
owned three houses in the village of
Matafagatele, and that the American
flag was flying over them, and, furth-
er, that if this property was dam
aged by the German forces, the lat
ter Government would be held re-
sponsible for the act. These houses
were built in the American style, the
cost of one being $1,000
Notwithstanding the American
ConsuPs protest, the vessel threw
shells into the town at 9:15 o'clock
the same morning. twenty-five
shells were fired, after several boat |
loads were landed and two-thirds
of the village burned, including the
three houses belonging to Capt. |
Hamilton and house which was
the property of an English subject. !
Capt Hamilton went to Matafaga |
tele and found his houses destroyed. |
Part of the large American flag was
found partly burned near one of the |
houses. The remnant Of the flag |
was secured and Consul Blackjack
sent it by last mail to Washington.
During the day another meeting
OF Cousuls was held at the invitation
of the German, when the United |
States Consul stated distinctly that
he could not consent to any basis of
that included establish
ing ramasese's rule, as such would
be contrary to his instructions. He
further stated, in reference to a re
port that Mataafa's troops in the re-
cent battles had been under the com
mand of an American, that he had
the matter and had dis
covered that the reports were utterly
groundless.
About 5 o'clock in the evening of
the same day, firing was heard on
the water front. Captain Hand and
Lieut.. Plumer OF the Royalist, Lieut..
F'illette of the United States Marine
Corps, Consul Blackjack and Mr..
Klein were at the United States Con
sAlate and all ran to see what the
trouble was. Sailors in boat from
the Eber were pursuing and firing at
a boatload of Mataafa men. Several
shots were fired at the latter as they
jumped ashore. Thirty native wo-
men and children were bathing near
the spot, ard Europeans were being
ferried across the river The ferry
was operated by Charles Brown, a
by birth, who was natural
led in New York city in 1875 and
who served for many years in the
United States Navy. Shots were
endangering everybody, some of
them flying close to Browns head.
Captain Hand requested Brown to
go out to the German boat and ask
The officer in charge to come ashore
and explain his conduct The Ger
mans took Brown a prisoner and held
him on board the Olga until Captain
,Vol1;g oy,;rod Coroo ,o,,,,,-,.;o.