The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-05-06
Complete List of Dead
and Wounded.
Dead Body of Officers Found
Decaptitated.

San Francisco, May 5.-The regular
correspondent of the Associated Press
writing from Apia, Samoa on April Goth,
gives detailed account of the fighting
| in which Lieut.. Landsale and Ensign
| Monaghan of the American navy and
Lieut. Freeman of the British navy lost
their lives.
On April 1, q landing party made up of
sixty American sailors and marines,
eighty two English sailors and 100 natives
proceeded to Vailels, to break up an as
semblage Of rebels who had Leen commit
ting deprsdations. The party WIS COM
manded by Lieut.. freeman, first officer
of the Tauranga and with him were
Lieutenants Cave of the Porpoise and
Hickman of the Royalist The Ameri-
cans were commanded by Lieut.. Lansdale
who had with him Ensign Monaghan and
Lieut.. Perkins Of the Marine corps. DR..
Lung of the Philadelphia accompanied
the expedition. When the party reached
the German plantation, Lieut.. Cave asked
| Captain Huffnagel, the German manager
II there were any Samoaps near. The
manager said none had been there that
day. At that very moment a few hundred
yards away was large body of rebels.
Huffnsgel advised that return home be
IN ade by the main road through the plan
tation as no rebels had been about. Three
other Germans heard this conversation.
| No one gave any warning of danger. The
return march to the beach was COM
menced, and no sooner had the men got
out of the plantation when at the bend of
the road, 400 yards away, large numbers
of rehe Is were seen. A Colt automatic
gun was brought forward. 1t refused to
work. The rebels got of clear and halt
was made and the gun was liked. Inc
gun then worked all right and the march
was resumed, with the friendly natives
in the lead Misead by the information
of Hunffsgel it was decided to return by
the main road. The open space where
the Germans had been massaored by Ma
teafa's men years ago was passed and the
troops marched to narrow gully, the
sides of which were covered with Buffalo
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 300 yards in length.
The rebels were lying in the long grass,
trees The Colt gun again refused to
act and while Lieut.. Lonsdale was trying
to fix 1t he was wounded in the knee AT
the beginning of the firing, Lieut.. free
man 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.
| To retreat was imperative and the auto
matte gun was abandoned after the am-
munition had been scattered and the
breech taken away, rendering 1t useless.
| tha
has been arrested for completely In the
fight. He is on board the Fake, under
| pledges from her commander to return
him to Captain Stuarton on demand. Ali.
davits have been made by men engaged
In the Vailele fight that a white man was
with the rebels directing them through
out the engagement. hufnagel answers
the description of this man, exactly.
Deserters from Mataafa's forces say that
on q previous occasion Hufnagel had mar
Iowly escaped being shot while encorag-
ing the rebels to attack.
Won Buelow, a Prussian cavalry officer
has been deported to Sydney by the Ger
man commander. he was seen ON April
II in command of 800 men on the way to
reinforce Mataafa.
The elied forces were attacked from
three sides. Through the scrub and grass
the! sailors retired, Lansdale being assisted
by his men. The firing Of the rebels was
severe. Lansdale who was being assisted
by Ensign Monaghan and two men, see
ing that he could not get away urged
them to leave him. One of the sailors
was shot dead and the other seeing he
could not save the oft Ger re,reated and
escaped.
Monaghan stayed by his brother oili-
Ger. Next morning their headless bodies
were found In the battlefield. Both
their revolvers were empty.
Between them lay three dead rebels.
Monaghan before the last man left shot
the Chief Ano dead as he was advancing
camp relate how Monaghan stood over
Lansdale until that officer WAS shot dead
and then tried to escape himself but was
unable to do So
When the American officers reached
the beach it was found four men were
missing besides the officers. They were
Edsell and Butler of the Philadelphia
DR.. Lung who had been conspicuous
for GOODNESS and bravery under fire took
command of the American forces and on
the approach of reinforcements the rebels
etired.
Several of the Malietoan natives losi
their lives. The decapitated bodies OF
the three officers were recovered the next
morning and on Easter Sunday they
were buried with the heads which had
been recovered by French priest A II the
leading British and American residents
and officials were present. The Germans
wers absent the only one attending te-
ing 81 r)n Margraf who bad known Lhns
dale in the United States. The German
warship Fake had her flag at half mast
anu her officers sent ashore two wreaths
entwined with the German national col
ors. In the fight 10 men were killed Oh
the Mataafa sido and $50 wounaed. A
complete list Of the dead white and