St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-04-05
UPRISING In SAMOA.

somewhat startling information of
a serious uprising of the natives IN
Samoa and our readers will be inter
ested in liberal extracts from these
dispatches.
NEWS OF THE OUTBREAK.
Copyrighted, 1894, by the Associated Press
AUKLAND, NEW ZEALAND,
March 80.
The steamship Alameda, from
Samoa, brings news of a most serious
outbreak in those islands which
would seem to indicate that the
United States, Great Britain and
Germany will be called upon to take
prompt action.
According to the reports brought
here by the Alameda, the outbreak
was caused by the action of Mr..
Henry Ide, the American chief
Justice, who succeeded Chief Justice
Cedarcrantz on Sept. 6, 1893.
Chief Justice Ide is charged with
fning and throwing into Jail the
chiefs of the rival factions in Samoa,
and with compelling them to work
on the roads like convicts of the
lowest order.
The natives protested strongly and
made all kinds of threats but the
chief justice appears to have disre-
garded the menaclng attitude as
sumed by the Samoans, and event
ually the latter broke out into armed
rebellion.
The followers of the native chiefs
disputed the right of the Europeans
to interfere in what they classed as
purely native affairs, while making
no actual opposition to the state of
affairs by which the United States,
Great Britain and Germany, through
Chief Justice Ide, practically main
tain protectorate over Samoa.
Eventually, however, things as
sumed such a serious aspect that the
ehief justice was compelled to take
steps to disarm the natives, and the
latter made prepare tons to resist
this so-caled interference with their
rights.
The fighting began by the rebels
killing a man in the employ of the
government, who was caught near
their camp.
The reigning sovereign, King
Malietoa, seems to have remained
thoroughly loyal to the chief justice,
for, upon being called upon to do so,
he promptly sent strong force of
his Samoan warriors to attack the
rebels.
Several sharp encounters between
King Malietoa, warriors and the
natives commanded by the rebellious
chief followed. During these en-
gagements 80 men were killed and
about SO were wounded.
Throughout the fighting up to the
time the steamship Alameda left
Samoa, the advantage was mostly
on the government side. The
natives are said to De taking steps
looking to wholesale uprising
King Malietoa's troops are
charged with having terribly multi
ated a prisoner who fell into their
hands, with having burned the
houses of inoffensive natives and
with having outraged a number OF
native women, whose male relatives
had taken part in the rebellion.
The troops of the king are also
charged with a number of other
atrocities, in which the beheading of
the dead is said to have been a COM
mon occurrence.
The foreign population Of Samoa
is in a state of the grea test uneasi-
ness, as the natives are making all
kinds of threats against Foreigners,
and the arrival of warship of some
nation is most anxiously awaited.
Of course, in the statements made
against Chief Justice Ide, the fact
must not be lost sight of that they
probably emanate from people who
are possibly opposed to the Amer
lean representa- tive, and it is believed
here that when the whole affair has
been thoroughly sifted, it will be
found that the action of Chief
Justice Ide has not been as severe as
his enemies assert.
STATE DEPARTMENT UPHoLDs JUDGE
WASHINGTON, April 1. 1t is out of
the question for the United States to
send any warship to Samoa to as
sist in preserving order there, as
every available vessel is needed else
where. 1t is likely, in case ship is
absolutely needed in Apia. that
Great Britain will have to come to
the rescue.
Officials at the state department
say that Judge Ide was fully within
the law in treating recalcitrant chiefs
to the same justice that he would
have administered to other natives
for similar arrangements of the law,
and that the wisdom of President
Cleveland's protest against further
entangling alliances is again vindi'
Gated in the present instance.
british COMMENT ON THE AFFAIR
LONDON, March 31.-James Francis
Hogan, M. P, one of the best au
thorities In ENGLAND on colonial