The San Francisco call., 1899-04-08

+ PA, Samoa, March 24.-King Ia
~ numafli Malietoa, accompanied
"a by High Chief Tamasese (who
L L will occupy the position of Vice
KING was crowned King of Sa-
moa at Mulinuu yesterday. Admiral
Kautz and Captain White of the Phila-
delphia, Captains Sturdee and Torlesse
of the Porpoise and Royalist, United
States Consul General Osborn, Consul
Maxse and Chief Justice Ide were
present at the ceremony, which was
attended by all representative Ameri-
cans and Britishers. Fifty bluejackets
from the United States warship and
fifty from the British vessels COM
posed the guard of honor. With them
were about 200 friendly troops. The
procession was through the whole of
Apia, preceded by the band of the flag
ship. Lieutenant Miller had charge of
the function. The flagship and the
Porpoise both fired a royal salute of
twenty-one guns when the Kings flag
was hoisted The German Consul Gen
eral and Vice Consul were conspicuous
by their absence, and the Fake lay in
the harbor as if she and her captain
had not the slightest interest in Sa-
moa.
When Admiral Kautz arrived he
spent a few days making inquiries and
then called a meeting of all the Con-
suls and the senior naval officers of the
warships in the harbor. The whole sit
uation was taken under advisement
and the outcome of the meeting was
the issuance of the proclamation of
March II.
This proclamation was taken to
Mulinuu by Flag Lieutenant Miller of
the Philadelphia and Lieutenant Gaunt
of the Porpose. 1t was read to Ma
taafa and his associated thirteen chiefs.
That night it was rumored around
Apia that German Consul Rose had de-
MED that he was a consenting party
to this proclamation. On the same day
the proclamation was read to the
chiefs the Royalist had gone to the ISL
and of ApolimaX and returned with a
number of the deported Malietoans.
Mataafa and his chiefs, after receiving
the admiral's notice, had quietly left
Mulinuu and gone to the western por-
ton of the municipality, and it seemed
and was generally understood that
they were about to obey the command
and retire to their homes. They were
in Vaimoso when the German Consul
issued a counter proclamation in the
Samoan language which was distrib
uted among the Mataafans The i'm
mediate result of this act was that this
rebels blackened their. faces, seized
their rifles and patrolled the back
streets of the municipality declaring
they would prevent any food supplies
being brought into Apia for the use of
the Malietoa natives.
On March u, the following day. the
whole of Apia was surrounded by the
Mataafan warriors. Admiral Kautz
had to provide for the safety of the
returned Malietoa prisoners. They
were all marched to Mulinuu and a
guard composed of Philadelphi a and
Porpoise men under the command of
Lieutenant Brown and Lieutenant Cave
took up a position at the neck of the
peninsula to protect them. A number
of the Malietoans had their rifles,
which had been in safe keeping on the
Porpoise. returned to them and this.
in addition to the guard, made the
Mulinuu defense one of considera BILE
strength.
The morning of March IS came and
there was no answer from Mataafa.
His men had surrounded the town and
Admiral Kautz's command was ignored
completely Under this state of affairs,
caused solely by the proclamation of
the German Consul. the admiral had
only two alternatives-either to enforce
his command or to submit to Mataafa
and his German colleague. About mid
day Flag Lieutenant Miller set out on
horseback with an ultimatum to Ma
taafa, who was at Vaimoso, inside the
municipality. He and Secretary Sell
lars of the flagship had only gone on
the main road to the first turning,
about half mile from the beach, when