Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-05-16

COLTS GUN GOT TANNED.
was Partial Cause OF American and
british Desess-Expediticn was
Projected By Cap. ssurdee.

the samoan ufnir M touchci thc NlA-
ing Of a number Of American sailors
by Mataafa adhercnts near Apia on
the nrst Of April. The report IN an
elaboration Of the description OF the
AFFAIR cablcd Mt the time by the AS
ISOLATED Press from Auckland. No
mention Is made at any point Of the
reported participation In the ARRAY Of
the German. iiufnaEci. the manager
u the plantation where the fsht oc-
,urrcd. II IL shown that the failure
u the Colt gun to work properly was
In a large measure the cause OF the
American and British defeat.
THE EXPEDITION.
Admiral RautE says the expedition
vas projected by Capt. Sturdec OF the
torpoire. For several nights pre-
c~dlng the pcntriea had been fired upon
by The natives. and II became neccs-
sary TO drive the aggrvsaora away.
Admiral KnutE says II was the opinion
u ali the officers who had the matter
IN charge that the force was ample 20
DO the work without risk. especially
a. II was to move out along the coast
and return tho same way under the
protection u ". ~. :. Royalist.
IL II safe IN say, says the admiral,
that after LlcutH. Freeman and I.ans.
dale had conferred together. they did
what they deemed best under the cir
cumstanccr. and the disaster that fol-
lowed could not have been forcaccn.
Admiral Knuta nppcnda the reports OF
the surviving officers OF the expedition.
which were tranamittcd BY Capt White
81 the Philadelphia.
coMMENDa SURGEON LUNG.
o.. - -. - ...........t..ta.. tH.. can.
tain commcnda In the strongest terms
the work OF Passed Assistant surgeon
u. A. Lung. lie says. AT times
when the fre from the concealed ma
uvca was the thlckcst and at all times
by his example he encouraged the
young and inexperienced men TO proper
performance Of duty. on the compile
ton ~ the work % his profession he
assumed command OF our blugJackctA
ana marched thom TO the United states
consulate"
CAPT. white describes at some length
the happenings ~ April LIST, as gath
"rrd from close examination OF u"
officers and men engaged In the lght.
He said that several excursions had
been made into the beach back of Apln
during tho last ten days of March.
Very few natives had been observed.
and when seen they always ncd when
nrcd upon by the Colt automatic gun.
Lieut. i.ansdal. Sst great store BY the
gun aud frequently operated I, him.
self. l..a
GUN WAS TANNED.
Says Capt. whltci "Iie appeared 90
depend greatly upon the KUN when the
party was anibunhed April is,. Twice
Il ala not work and time was lost In
uvcfhnulinR II. ana great delay was
consumed In trying 60 gst u through
the wire fence. Lieut. LnnHdale was
loath 10 abandon n. but the lrc was
20 Calling that before he was wounded
he WAS compelled 10 scatter the Import
ant parts aud leave u behind. fru-
dence Ted him 60 deploy his men In
open order. The thicket was 80 dense
that after the orders Tor retreat were
sounded u was impossible FOR the
Eroups 60 render each other mutual
support.
Lieut.. Ianudnic was wounded below
the knee soon nftcr tho Colt was nban-
doned and rondercd incapable OF
marching. iic was assisted by his
men. one Of them, y, \, EdHall ,ordi.
nary seaman was moriAlly wounded
while doing 40, II II not clear when
iA,nsdale received the wound In his
chest.
MoNAoIIAN's DEATH STRUGGLE.
1T II In evidence most clear that
when Ensign Monaghan discovered
that Lieut.. i.anAdnle was wounded he
used his best "ndeavorn 10 convoy him
10 the rcar, and. SELLING rifle from "a
disabled man, made brave defense,
hut undoubtedly he fell very shortly
after joining him. and tho hostilcH.
flushed with success, bore down on
our men IN this vicinity. The men
were not In sufficient numbers 10 hold
out any longer. and they were forced
along by a IRE which II WINS impossible
10 NaHl0 lmNa "A lon naHl all
stand. lie stood steadfart by his
wounded superior and fired. one rifle
against mnny-one brave man against
a Hcorr of nnVagea lie knew he was
doomed. lie could not yield. lie died
In heroic performance OF duty.
Private Henry g. iiurbcri. y. =, NJ
g.. informs me that he saw both Lieut.
LanHdnle and Ensign Monaghan after
they We're killed. that he had been near
few minutes before and that he had
assisted In covering their retreat. lie
IL mentioned by Lieut.. Perkins for
bravery and good conduct.
James Butler, coSnwain. was killed
Instantly while standing and hiring
against the enemy,
cool UNDER FIRE,
II have TO commend the Htcadineaa
% y. u. Fisher, In charge OF the colt
automatic Run, for coolnera ana Hteadi-
ness In twice dlHm0untinH ana over
hauling the gun under nrc, J. =. llnn-
let tordlnary seaman assisted Ensign
Monaghan In binding up Lieut.. l.nnH-
dalc'a leg with q handkerchief belong
Ing TO II. callaEhan, blacksmith. and
assisted In carrying him when hrAt
Wounded.
''rhe number of cartridges fired by
each Of the blucjacketH averaged nfty.
From what appears 10 be reliable nu-
thority, forty Of the assallants werc
killed and nifty wounded. This infor-
nation was obtained several days after
the engagement, Whenever our men
could get cover they turned and fired 3"
The british story IN chiefly told by
Lieut. q. u, Cave, In an inolosed re-
port made 10 Capt. stuart OF II, NJ. y.
Tounnga, and contains no informa-
tion beyond that set out In the report
or the American officers lie does not
say that the friendllea boiling through
the british and American lines rather
broke II up. that Lieut.. Freeman or
dered the retreat after the engagement
hhd been In progress some little time.
bcnuno the men were running short
OF ammunition and darkness was APP
preaching, lie declares "all ranks be-
hayed splendldly"
LIEUT.. PERKINS STORY.
First Lieut.. Perkins. United States
marine corps, In describing the firht,