Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-05-06
THE FATAL FIGHT IN SAMOA.
Enlargement in which Naval Omcers
We're kiiled-(;ermun Treachery.

writing from Apia. Samoa, under date OF
April 10Th. gives a detailed account of the
lighting in which Lieutenant Iansdale
and Ensign Monaghan, OF the American
navy. and Lieutenant Freeman, OF the
British navy. lost their lives.
ON April LIST landing party. made up
OF sixty American sailors and marines.
sixtytwo English sailors, and about 100
natives, proceeded to Vailele TO break up
an assemblage Of rebels who had been
committing depredations In the vicinity.
The party was under command of Lieu
tenant Angel Freeman, first officer OF the
Tauranga, and with him were Lieuten-
ants Cave. OF the Porpoise, and Hickman,
! OF the Royalist. The Americans were I'M
der the command Of Lieutenant Lansdale.
who had with him Ensign Monaghan and
Ensign Perkins OF the marines. DR.. Long,
Of the Philadelphia, also accompanied the
expedition.
NO WARNING OF DANGER.
When the party had reached the Ger
man plantation Lieutenant Cave asked
| Captain Hufnsgle, the German manager.
| II there were any Samoans in the vicinity.
The manager said that none had been
there that day. At that very moment,
within a few hundred yards of the expe-
dtion, there was large body Of rebels.
Hufnagle advised that return home De
made 10y way Of the main road through
the plantation, as everything was quite
safe and no rebels had been about. Three
other Germans were with HufHagle. ana
heard this conversation. No one gave any
warning of danger.
The return march 10 the beach was
commenced, and no sooner had the men
got out OF the plantation than Mt bend
in the road, 400 yards away, large num-
beers OF rebels were seen. A Colt auto
matte gun, of which the natives nave
great dread. was Immediately brought
forward. II refused to act. The rebelS
got off clear. and a halt was made 10 hN
the gun. This took half an hour. and
then Lieutenant Lansdale fired Few
trial shots. The gun worked all right,
and the march was resumed with the
friendly natives In the lead Misled by
the information OF Hufnagle, II was de-
cided 10 return by the main road. The
open space where the Germans had been
massacred by Mataafans years ago, was
passed. and the troops marched down the
road TO a narrow gully. the sides Of
which were covered with hQnalo grass.
THE DISASTROUS RETREAT.
on top of the slope. just after the last
of the troops had begun TO march through
the gully. the rebels fred upon them.
The line was about 800 yards in length.
The rebels were lying i'm the long grass,
while some were in the top OF cocoannt
trees. The Colt gun again refused to
act and while Lieutenant Lansdale was
irving TO fix il he was wounded in the
knee. At the beginning Of the fight.
Lieutenant Freeman was shot through
the chest and fell dead. The friendly
natives retreated at the first fire, the
white force was too weak to cope with
the rebels. and the whole force was
thrown into confusion. The retreat was
imperative. and the automatic gun was
accordingly abandoned. after ammunition
had been scattered and the breech taken
away, rendering it useless.
The allied forces were attacked rom
three sides. Through the scrub ard grass
they retired, Lansdale being assisted by
his men. The firing OF the rebels was
severe. Lansdale. who was being as
sisted By Ensign Monaghan and two men,
seeing that he could not get away, urged
them 10 leave him 10 his fate. one OF
the sailors was shot dead and the other,
seeing he could not save the officer, re-
treated ana escaped.
SOLD THEIR LIVES DEARLY.
Monaghan refused to go. and stayed by
his felIow-ofIicer Next morning their
headless bodies were found on the battle
field. Monaghan's revolver was empty
as was also Lansdale's. Between them
law the dead bodies OF three rebels. Mo-
naghan. before the last man left him,
shot the Chief Aino dead, as he was ad-
vancing on Lansdale. Deserters from Ma
taafa's camp relate how Monaghan stood
over Iansdale until that officer was shot
dead. and then tried to escape himself,
but was unable to DO so.
When the American party reached the
beach Il was found that four men were
missing. besides the officers. They were
Edsen and Butler. Of the philadelphia,
and Long and Prout, from the British
ships.
DIR. LONG IN COMMAND.
DR.. Long. who had been conspicuous
for his GOODNESS and bravery under nre'
took command of the American FORCES
and on the approach of reinforcemen's
the rebels retired Several of the Male
toa natives lost their lives. The decapi-
tated bodies Of the three officers were re-
covered next morning on the field. and on
yesterday they were buried, with the
heads which had been recovered by a
French priest. All the leading American
and British residents and officers We're
present. Germans were conspicuous by
their absence, the only German attend
ing being Pastor Magraf. who had Known
Iansdale in the United States. The Ger
man warship Fake had her nag at nan
mast. and her officers sent ashore TWO
wreaths, entwined with the German ma
tional colors.
In the fight there were killed on tis
Mataafa side 43. and SO were wounded. a
complete list of the white dead Is as fol-
lows:
THE WHITE MEN KILLED.
Americans-Iieutenant Philip Lansdale,
Ensign J. Monaghan, CoXswain i. Butler
Electrician Norman f. EdseH, Priyates
Thomas Hollway and John f.. Nudge, OF
the Marine Corps.
sh-First-Iieutenant Il. A. Free
man Seaman A. III. Thornberry; Edmund
Halloran. ordinary seaman; Montague
Rogers. ordinary seaman; John Long,
leading seaman; John Prout, leading sea-
man.
HUFNAGLE ARRESTED.
CAPTAIN Hufnagle. the German manager,
has been arrested for completely in the
fight Of April LIST. He is held on board
the German ship Fake. under pledge
from her commander TO return him -
Captain Stuart, on demand. Afidavits
have been made by men engaged I'm the
Vailele fight that a white man was with
the rebels. directing them throughout the
engagement IIufnagle answers the de-
scription OF this man exactly. He was
seen at the station. and gave misleading
information TO the troops as they passed
his house on the way out, but when they
returned he was not TO be seen. Deserters
from Mataafa's forces say that on pre-
vious occasions Hufnagle had narrowly
escaped being shot while encouraging the