New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-06
PRICE THREE CENTS.
MONAGHAN'S HEROICDEATH
REFUSED TO LEAVE HIS WOUNDED
FELLOW-OFFICER, LIEUTEN-
Ant LANSDALE.
DETAILS OF THE AMBUsCADE AND BATTLn
OF APRIL NEAR APIA-THE TREACH-
ERY OF HUFNAGEL.

San Francisco. May 5-The regular corre-
spondent of The Associated Press. writing from
Apia, Samoa under date OF April 20 gives de-
tailed account of the fighting in which Lieuten-
ant Lansdale and Ensign Monaghan OF the
American Navy. and Lieutenant Freeman, OF
the British Navy. lost their lives
On April / a landing party, made up OF sixty
American sailors and marines and sixty-two
English sailors and about one hundred and
twenty natives proceeded TO Vailele to break up
an assemblage OF rebels who had been commit
ting depredations in the vicinity The party
was under command OF Lieutenant Angel Free
man. first officer Of the Tauranga, and with him
were Leutenants Cave. OF the PorpOise and
Hickman Of the Royalist. The Americans were
under the command OF Lieutenant Lansdale,
who had with him Ensign Monaghan and Lieu
tenant Perkins OF the Marine Corps. DR.. Long.
of the Philadelphia also accompanied the expe-
dition
When the party reached the German planta-
/ tion, Lieutenant Cave asked Captain Hufnagel.
the German manager. II there were any Samoans
in the vicinity. The manager said that mono
had been there that day. At that very moment.
and within a few hundred yards Of the expe-
dtion. was a large body Of rebels. Hufnagei
advised that return home be made by way
OF the main road through the plantation; as
everything was safe and no rebels had been
| about. Three other Germans were with Huf-
nagel and heard this conversation. No one gave
any warning Of danger
The return march to the beach begun
and no sooner had the men got out Of the panta-
tlon. when. at a bend in the road. four hundred
yards away. large numbers of the rebels
seen. A Colt automatic gun. Of which the ma
tives have great dread. Immediately brought
forward. 1t refused to act rebels got OF
clear and a halt was made TO fix the gun. This
took half hour. and then Lieutenant Lans-
dale fired few trial shots. The gun worked all
right and the march was resumed, with the
friendly natives in the lead
FELL INTO THE TRAP.
Msled by the information OF Hufnagel, II was
decided to return by the main road. The open
space where the Germans had been massacred
by Mataafas men years ago, was passed. and
the troops marched down the road TO narrow
gully the sides Of which 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 about three hundred yards In
length The rebels were lying in the long grass.
! while some were in the tops of cocoanut trees
! The Colt gun again refused to act. and while
! Lieutenant Lansdale was trying to fix II ne was
! wounded in the knee.
/ At the beginning of the fight Lieutenant
! Freeman was shot through the chest ana feii
: dead The friendly natives retreated Il 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, ana
! the automatic gun was accordingly abandoned
! after the ammunition had been scattered ana
the breech taken away. rendering 1t useless
The allied forces were attacked from three
sides Through the scrub and grass the sailors
! retired Lansdale being assisted by MS men,
! The firing Of the rebels was severe Lansdaie'
ybo was being assisted by Ensign Monaghan
and two men, seeing that he could not get away
urged them to leave him to his fate. One Of the
sailors was shot dead and the other seeing nc
could not save his officer. retreated and es-
caped Monaghan refused to CO. and stayed py
his felIow-oficer Next morning their headless
bodies were found the battlefield Mona-
ghan's revolver empty. as was also Lahs-
da,e.s Between them lay the dead bodies OF
.brae reheIs Monaghan before the last men
,ft him shot the Chief Ano dead as he was ad-
vanc,ng on Lansdale. Deserters from MataAias
Damn relate how Monaghan stood over Lahs-
dale until that officer was shot dead' ana 'neh
tried to escape himself but was unable 70 40 80.
When the American party reached the peacn
uas found that four men were missing oeS'ues
49, omoors They were Edse and Butler, OF
49, phnadelnhia. and Long and Prout, from ths
British ships.
pr-R1A1 OF THE DEAD OFFICERS
Dr Long who had been conspicuous io' ms
coolness and bravery under fire. took co"'''iN"I
% tho American forces. and on the approach
sha
of the Malietoan natives lost their ives i"'
aooonitated bodies of the three officers were re-
oo,.orod next morning on the field. and on Easter
c,,,day thov were buried with the heads
.hicb had been recovered by a French priest
An tho leading American and British residents
ond officials were present. The Germans "ero
consnicuous by their absence the only one a'-
tending being Pastor Margraf who had Known
Iansdale in the United States Ihe herman
warship Fake had her flag at haiinlas'' anu
her officers sent ashore two wreaths eht"iheo
with the German national colors
In the fight there were killed the Mataafa
side forty-three, and fifty were wounded
cornlote list Of the white dead and wounded
IS as follows:
AMERICANs-DEAD.
Lieutenant PHILIP LANsDALR
Ensign j. r. MONAGHAN
coxswan T. BUTLER.
Electrician NORMAN Z. EDSELIA
Private THOMAS HOLLOWAY
private JOHN E. NUDGE. Of the Marine Corps
WOUNDED.
cox.va,n J. II WELLINGTON. shot in the elbow.
Fireman p ANDREWS. right leg.
randsman J. C. JOHN. left shoulder
Iandsman j. W. LAIRD. left hip.
Marine JOHN NJ MCCARTHY right wrist
ENGLISH-DEAD.
r-rs, Lieutenant z. A. FREEMAN
Seaman n. THORNBURY
Ordinary Seaman EDMUND HALLORAN
Ordinary Seaman MONTAGUE ROGERS
Leading Seaman JOHN LONG
Leading seaman JOHN PRoUT.
WOUNDED.