Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-01-14
SAMOA IN AN UPR0AR.
Lives of Whites Threatened by the
Natives.
DISAGREEMENT OF CONSULS.
English and American officials at
Odds With the Representative
of Germany Rival Kings
Causing Lots Of Trouble.

San Francisco Jan. 14.-A letter re-
ing was the situation when the steamer
Mariposa left Apia for this city. The
letter, which is dated at Apia, Dec. %,
says that civil war has been narrowly
avoided, and for the first time In Sa-
moan history the lives Of white resi-
dents have been threatened by the ma
tives. Armed guards protect the resi-
dences of Chief Justice Chambers, an
American ctizens and that of Mr.. Guerr,
the leading English lawyer of the town.
The correspondent says that the
whole trouble has arisen through the
injudicious action Of the three treaty
powers in bringing the deported Ma
taafa back TO Samoa. At the time that
America England and Germany agreed
to Mataafa's return Malietoa's death
was not anticipated; otherwise the
home coming of the exiled king would
certainly have been delayed.
The climax was reached when Ma
taafa and his chtafs actually discharged
the chief justice, who is appointed un-
der the Berlin treaty by the three pow
ers. OF course such action was purely
farcical, and the chief justice notified
Mataafa that he must wait for the de-
cision of the court before he could le-
gally declare himself king.
Germany Plays Double.
The most serious element in the af-
fair is the disagreement between the
consus. The German consul has been
playing double with his colleagues, and
the English and American officials are
naturally indignant. 1t was understood
that there was to be no foreign inter-
ference in the royal elections, yet
throughout it all an undermining cur
rent of intrigue has been at work with
the Mataafa people until they have
been reused to aggressive action, have
openly declared against all white con-
troll and announced the intention OF dis
regarding entirely the Berlin treaty.
To show the extent of the feeling
aroused Suatele, religious fanatic,
who is one of Mataafa's most prominent
adherents, is quoted as saying:
"Samoans, you must fight strong.
When you fight, kill; when you meet
white man, cut him up; when you meet
a missionary, cut him up; when you
meet a deacon cut him up when you
meet a odIOGIl, cut Hiiii up We "iii
break through the, bounds Of the treaty;
we viii laaua NJ .,,aunicinality."
Deciding the I<ingship.
Chief Justice Chambers commenced
his examination into the merits of the
rival candidates on Dec. 10 in the pres
ence of great crowd of natives. and
under the Berlin treaty the chief justice
is the final referee in this matter. An
eXcit ng scene occurred when it was
discovered that Mataafa- came from
race of princes which had been cut off
by an ancestral curse from the line of
succession.
Natives burst out crying in court and
were promptly elected. Outside the
crowd of Samoans raised a great tu
multi and their leaders could only with
difficulty restrain them from coming to
blows.
The captains of both the German and
English men-ofwar were in court
When the row was at it's height, the
German canta'n invited the Englishmen
outside War IS certain" he said. But
the English consul did not see it in that
light. He told the German that he
would stand by his ship and be ready
to make it warm for any one who made
trouble.
The Wheeler Inquiry.
Washington, JON 1.-THE inquiry as
to the status of General Wheeler and
.,,o~,Io,c tho bo,,So who q,