The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-02-09
LATEST FROM SAMOA.
The Famous War Correspondent
Klein interviewed.
Left the Troubled Region for His
Life.
STRANGE PROCEEDINGS ALLEGED
AGAINST THE GERMANS.
War Proclaimed and Martial Law
Declared.
LATEST FROM SAMOA.


ed her passengers when our reporter on
the deck was informed that Mr.. Klein,
the Examiner and World special cores
pondent to the Samoan war, was on
board. The gentleman, who has sud-
denly awoke to international fame from
being accused by German official papers
of leading an armed force of Samoans
against German naval landing party,
was found at the port rail, preparing to
embark with an officer of the U. S. S.
Alert in a boat for the latter ship. He
was pretty well recovered from the Samoa
fever Of which he reported himself low
in his correspondence, but still bore traces
of the suffering in his face. There was a
terrible state of affairs in Samoa when he
left. War was declared and the islands
were under martial law, while he had to
leave the country to save his life. Mr.
Klein made an appointment with the
reporter for an interview in the evening
and afterward called at this office to a o.
point The time and place. The story OF
events, from the date of his letter to the
Examiner summarized in this paper up
to the time of his departure, was given
by MIR. Klein substantially as appears
below.
\ LOSING CAUSE.
On January Sd, Amatuani, one of the
high chiefs of Tamasese, deserted to the
Malietoa camp, with four hundred of his
followers, some of whom Joined Mata-
afa's forces and others went 10 their
homes. German officers were in the
agfi Of oil Hn
boats, 10 see what Mataaia's men were
doing. On the Sth some rebels came in
from Tamasese's camp in canoes and
had a long talk with Capt. Fritze on
board the German warship Adler. That
afternoon some deserters came in from
Tamasese and said they were going 10
attack Mata9fa's men and have the as
sistance of the Germans.
A DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.
Shortly after midnight on the morning
of the 9th an American sitting at the
door oe the American Consulate heard
shouts OF fire and saw DANES at Mata-
fele, the lower part Of Apia. Lieut.. Fill
lette OF the Nipsic being notified took
four or five men from the guard at the
Consulate, and on reaching the place
they found the residence OF the German
Consulate burning. Two bodtloads of
sailors each were sent ashore by the
Nipsic and the EOyalist. Several boat
loads of Sailors soon followed lrem the
German Warships, all the men armed
with rifles and Iul cartridge belts. The
English and American sailors did most
Oh the work in suppressirg the flames
and saving the contents OF the stores and
houses TO W hich the fire extended. u
). Vice-COnsul Blackjack worked like
Trojan in the same service, and Mr.
Klein also bore a hand. The latter re-
ferred our reporter to the Samoa Times
account oi the fire, which puts the total
loss at lully 100000. Messrs. Crews
muhl & Co.'s store and contents would
be about so ono. All Sues loss is about
SO 600, the Central Hotel about 5000,
and the Consulate, DR.. knappe's resi-
dence and Mr.. ROsenberg's store, which
belonged to the Deutoche Handles &
Plantagen GeselEschait, about SO
besides the damages sustain ,,-t,.
ing down the Court - ,,ad Inv mil,
cottage ----y- mouse, Mr.. Nelson's
OF t..d the wrecking of several
I'd her dwellings would July make up the
balance to 100000. There was $50, 600
insurance on Messrs. Grevsmuhl q
Co.'s property.
INsiNUATIONS OF INGRATEs.
At the first the German Consul stated
that there was no dOubt in us mind that
the fire was accidental. (This was lii
fact telegraphed to Berlin and received
i'm Honolulu by last San francisco mail.)
Next dav he swore that the Americans
and English were responsible for the
casualty, attributing to those nltiOnali-
ties the double motive OF damaging Ger
man property and destroy ing the German
archives. Grevsmuhl, part of whose
property was saved by the English and
Americans, is said 10 have helped to
start this sinister report. The day alter
the fire it was found out that the Gama
sese party really intended to attack Apia,
but were prevented by the occurrence OF
the fire. On the It'll the German war
ship Eber sailed for Auckland TO take the
news OF the burning of the Consulate.
s'lERN JU.r.CE OF MATAAFA.
As an instance of Mataafa's sense of
Justice the following incident is related;
\ native of his side insulted gentleman
connected with the German Consulate
near Mr.. Moors' store and was tried by
a council convened by Mataafa, which
ordered that the offender be publicly
logged for his exhibition of blackg' ard
ism toward foreigner. The sentence
was carried out the day alter the Eber
sailed, by the application OF several
lashes from a cat-O'-nine-tails in the
presence of Europeans. This is noted as
in contrast with the inaction of the Ger
man Consul and Captains when their
sailors committed outrages on shore
few days previously.
WALK INTO MY PARLOR.
The German Consul, Dr. Knappe, on
January 18th sent word to Mataafa that
he wanted to have a talk with him, but
the King declined the invitation unless
the Consul put his desires in writing, as
otherwise he feared that he would seTi-
ously compromise his own position.
Another rebel came in several days
afterward, and said Tamasese's party
had been notified by the German Consul
that unless they came down and at
tackled Mataafa tine Germans would go
and fire upon themselves. 1t was also
rumored that the German Consul had
sent bill to Tamasese for 50 800, for
having shel!ed several of Mataafa's viii
lagos in December. Another report was
that the strongest endeavors were being
made to get Braudeis, the German Pre-
mier for Tamasese, out of the way.
SUSPICIOUS MOVEMENTS.
On the 18th several Tamasese canoes
were observed going to the Adler, one of
the party coming ashore TO the German
Consul's to see that official The Cap
tain Of the Adler was on shore at the