The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-05-06
aOSAgaAN's BRAVERY
The Ensign Was Killed While
Assisting y Wounded
COmrade.

san Francisco. May 5-The regular
correspondent Of the Associated Press
( writing from Apia, Samoa under date
Of April 10Th gives a detailed account
OF the fight In which Lieutenant Lansdals
and Ensign Conaghan Of the American
navy and Lieutenant Freeman, Of The
British navy lost their lives
On April /, a leading party made up OF
sixty American sailors and marines and
sixty two English sailors and about 1li
natives proceeded to Valnele 20 break
mp an assemblage OF rebels who had
been committing depredations In the viol
nifty The party was under command OF
Lieutenant Angel Ere man, FIRST ofneer
of she Tauranga. and with him wero lieut.
cnants Cave. OF the Porpoiso and Hlck.
man Of the Rayalist. The Americans were
under command Of Lieutenant Lansdale.
who had with him Ensign Monaghan and
Lieutenant Perkins OF the Marine corps.
Dr. Lung. os the Philadelphia. also ac-
companicd the expedition When the
party mad reached the German plan.
tatlon, Lieutenant cave asked CAPTAIN
Tlufnagel, the German manager 90 there
were any Samoans in the vicinity. The
manager said that none ha1 been there
that day. Az that very moment. and
within few hundred yards of the eN.
petition. was a large body of rebels HUI.
ragel advised that return home Doe made
by way of tho main road through the
plantation. as everything was quite safe
@ rmans were with Iiufn1gd ana heard
81.
h 20 tshger. The return march to the
}. .,.. yas commenced and no sroncr
hau The men got out of the plantation
when at a bend in the road 400 ,rds
away. large numbers of Sehels were
seen. A Colt automatic gun, of which the
natives have great dread, was brought
forward IL refused to act. The rebels
got off clear and a halt was made to fix
the gun This took half an hour aud tnen
Lieutenant Lansdaie fired q few trial
shots. The gun worked all right and the
march was resumed, with the friendly
natives in the lead Mislcd by the infor
nation of Hufnagel, it was decided TO
return by the main road. The open space
VIII re the Germans had been massacred
By Mataafa years ago was passed and
the troops marched down the road 10 "a
narrow gully. the sides of which We're
covered with Hunalo grass. on top OF the
slope, just after the last OF the troops
had begun to march through the gully
the rebels fired upon them The line was
about 300 yards IN length The rebels
We're lying In the long grass while some
were in the tops Of cocoanut trees The
Colt gun again refused 20 act ana whlN
Lieutenant Lansdale was trying to fix It
he was wounded In the knee. Al the be-
ginnitg of the fight Lieutenant Freeman
was shot through the chest ana fell
dead. The friendly natives retreated at
the first fire and the white force was too
weak to cope with the rebels and the
whole force was thrown into confusion.
To retreat was imperative and the auto
matte gun was accordingly abandoned
after the ammunition had been Scattered
and the breach taken away, rendering 1t
still more useless. The allied foes were
surrounded On three sides. Through the
scrub and grass the sailors retired, Lans-
dale being assisted by his men. The hr-
ing OF the rebels was severe. Lansdale,
who was being assisted by Ensign Mona
CHAN and two men. seeing that he could
not get away, urged them 10 leave him to
his fate. one Of the sailors was shot
and the other. seeing he could not save
his officer. retreated and escaped. Mona
ghan refused TO go and stayed by his fel-
low officer Next morning their headless
bodies were found on the battlefield. Mon.
aghans revolver was empty as was also
Lansdales. Between them lay the dead
~.
fore the last man left him, shot the chief
Aiono dead, as he was advancing on Lans-
dale. Deserters from Mataafas side relate
how Monaghan stood over Lansdale un
dl that officer was shot dead and then
tried to escape himself. but was unable
10 do so. When the main party reached
the beach it was found that four men were
missing besides the officers.
They were Edsell and Butler, Of the
Philadelphia, and Long and Prout, from
the British ships.
GERMANS UNFRIENDLY.
DR.. Lung. VINO had been conspicuous
for his cooness and bravery. under FIRE.
took command OF the American forces,
and on the approach OF the reinfrcements.
the rebels retired. Several OF the Male
toa natives lost their lives. The decap-
itatd bodies OF the three officers were
recovered next morning on the field and
on Easter Sunday they were buried. with
the heads. which had been recovered. All
the leaoding American and British resi-.
dents and officials were present. The
Germans were conspicuous by their alb.
sence the only one attending being Pastor
Margraf, who had known Lansdale In the
United States. Tho German warship
Fake had her nag at half mast. and her
officers sent ashore TWO wreaths entwlned
with the German national colors. In the
fight there were killed on the Mataafs sid
i3 and 60 were wounded. complete llsl
/ f.Ifaue.