Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-02-02


In 1873 General Grant was 20 Impressed
with the abilities Of Albert Barnes Stein.
bergor, OF Pennsylvania, the son OF an iron
master who had failed in business, that bo
sent him to Samoa, to report on the measures
necessary TO stimulate our trade. steinber-
ger found Malietos, the king who was after
wards stolen by the Germans, struggling
with Tupus for the Samoan throne and he
managed very speedily 10 have tho busi.
moss OF settling matters handed over to him.
He produced and established constitution
providing for short term kings TO be chosen
Stsinberger was OF course tho premier and
he WAS also chief Justice He only re.
NAMED In Samoa for . year, however, a.
the founding OF empires had not been 0
part Of the duty entrusted to him, and on
his return he submitted report which was
ouly excelled as work OF art by the stories
he told OF his adventures While living
by his wits In Baltimore he received .
message from Hamburg drm, asking how
much he would tak0 to come over and give
them information about Samoan trade. He
replied 5000 aud expenses, was told to
come, aud was sent to Samoa TO represent
the powerful trading firm OF J.. Caesar
SUoINOy u W. Jouu AotkOUce VI bAltl~
more, went with him, and . dinner wss
given to tbom in Baltimore before sailing,
at which General Grant, Mayor Lstrobs
aud other noted men were pres.
ent. Ga his return to Samoa he
was at once made prime minister and
sppointei John Lstrobe chief Justice, aud
then captain general. Steinberger pursued
lingo foreign policy, but the commercial
interests OF the islands prospsred smaz-
iugIy under the administra tion of the
Americans. American Consul Foster, how.
ever, didnt spprove Steinberger's policy,
and was particularly suspicious OF the
Peerless, the SHIP that had brought the
Pennsyivan!sn to Samoa, and which con-
tinusd to cruise around the is.andA An
English n-oi wal, the Barracuda, shortly
appeared, sent for the express purpose OF
discovering whether the United States
wanted to annex Samoa, though Of course
nothing was said about that Captain
General LatIobe went aboard one day, gor-
geously s,tired, as became his dignity q the
head OF the combined military and naval
forces OF Samoa, he wasn't received with
much respect by the English captain,
Stevens, aud not long after General
Lstrobs had his revenge, whom, setting
under his orders, two samoan sentinsls
stopped Captain Stevens, the British
consul, and lieutenant OF the
Barrsceuts, while they were riding along
/ thsroad, and, despite furious English oaths,
refused to allow them to proceed further.
The matter was reported to Consul Foster,
and the first step leading to the downfall OF
Prime Minister Stein berger was the ssz are
OF his vessel, the Peerless, for violating the
law OF neutrality by carrying arms This
seizure Was made by Consul Foster, with
the assistance OF Captain Stevens Early In
ls76 Steiubergsr was seized by . squad oi
marines, taken on board the BArrsceuts,
transported to the FIJI islands and turned
loose without other capital than his wits.
Lstyobe then left Samoa. Stein berser
returned to Baltimore and unsuccessiully y
prosecuted the English government for
false imprisonment He IL now In Canada.