St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-15
THE F0OH-BAH OF SAMOA.
Funny Incident in the Social
Sphere of the South Pacific.

Auckiand, N. u, Observer
Samoa is a funny place and curious
Things happen there almost every week
There is an Observer man there. as
there is at almost every place OF note
throughout the colonies, and among
the isles of the South Pacific, and we
cannot do better than allow him to tell
his story:
Recently he says, there was a
society scandal here. A German CAV
Lothario paid frequent and marked
attentions to the wife of brother
Teuton. The husband CHALLENGED him
to duel, and a. court Of honor to
deal with the matter was held on a
German war ship which happened to
be In port at the time. A German
functionary here sat as one of the
court, ranking thereon as captain. The
gay Lothario declined to accept the
challenge or submit to the court OF
honor, and in accordance with Ger
man etiquette he was forthwith os-
trac1zed. Some little time after the
local functfonary mentioned above
Whom L shall term Herr Sauerkraut
was seized with grave miseivinss as
10 the prepriety of his taking part in
the proceedings. BY virtue of his Office
ne Is the chief German judicial func
uonary here, and all charges of this
nature against Germans would. there
lore, come before him 1t seemed to
MIN that the matter was sufficiently
serious for his tribunal to deal with.
Herr Sauerkraut therefore laid a
charge against Capt. Sauerkraut-in
other words, against himself-before
Local Functionary Sauerkraut (aIso
nlmSelf), and the matter came up for
trlat Local Functionary Sauerkraut
investigated the case very patiently.
ana gave due consideration to all that
capt Sauerkraut had to urge in de-
tense and eXtenuation, but the charge
was clearly proved, and Capt. Sauer-
kraut was convicted, fined f5 and Or
oereo to be confined in the house for
seven days. Local Functionary Sauer-
kraut taea care to sse that the sem
tence WIS rigidly carried out. How
would that do for Gilbert and Sui
Ivan opera? First-class we should saw.
ana we pass the hint to any budding
l1brettist who may be seeking inspira-
tioh Tor sweet thing in comic
operas"
1t may be added on private informa-
ton that the facts stated in the above
go, but the whole story is not told
and 1t is not quite correct to saw that
the sentence was rigidly carried out"
AS q, matter of fact. the person re-
ferred to under the suggestive appel
lation employed is M. Biermann, late
imperial German consul at Apia, and
the story goes that after enduring tie
confinement to the house which he
had imposed on himself as part of the
punishment he found the imprisonment
in that warm climate a little too severe.
and of this fact in his own behalf he
made due representation to himself.
These representations were taken into
indulgent consideration, as may be as
sumed, and while the functionary was
inclined to favor the appeal of the
offending captain, still duty stood in
the way. However, the appeal in the
end was so efficacious that the func-
tlonary modified the Imprisonment to
the extent of allowing the offending
captain to leave his house in the even
ing to enjoy the air and visit his
friends; but nothing could induce any
relaxation of that part of the SEN
tence applying to the day time, when
the imprisoned official would in all
probability not care to go about in the
heat.