The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-17

street side of the court house was sur
rounded by German officials and SUB
| jects. The marines We're left on the pier
| while the two consuls and myself adj
| vanced about a hundred yards to the
court house, the British and Americans
backing us up. We walked straight to
| the German lines and pushing the gates
aside, stepped on the veranda support
! ed by the two consuls and Lieutenant
/! Parker.
THE German officials wished to dis
cuss the situation, but we Indignantly
refused and l demanded the keys of
the court house from President Raffel,
denouncing him as a traitor to the
treaty and usurper. He refused to
surrender them, and thereon called up
on the bystanders to assist me to make
a forcible entry.
There was a general response. but
the man who reached the veranGa first
was an American carpenter named
Willis and then a British boat builder
named Mackie. Willis and Mackie Sc
cured sledge hammer and soon the
doors fell in. Lusty cheers were given
for the chief justice and the supreme
court and the flag was then hoisted
by Britisher who climbed to the top
of the pole.
THE marines had in the meantime
been marched up and formed in line
inside the court Enclosure, and as the
flag went up they gave 1t a salute The
United States and British consuls both
made vigorous speeches and | expressed
my indignation at the insult that had
been heaped upon the court and myself
and at the gross insults which had been
shown the American and British flags,
thanked the people for their loyalty
and lowered the flag with my own
hands and pledged my life even in it's
defense.
THE wealthiest and most prominent
German merchant, F. A. Groesmuhl,
after threatening the United States
supreme court building and smashed all
of its windows. Upon hearing this l
went ashore. He had been arrested by
an American half-caste policeman NAM
ed Scanlon. The man was brought before
me and admitted that he committed
the offense through contempt of court,
and being in contempt during his trial,
fined him 500 and sentenced him to
100 days imprisonment. The same aft
ernoon, Won Bulow, the German law
yer who had represented the Mataafa
people in the trial. gathered a crowd
of natives and made an assault on the
Jail, brandishing an ak and threaten
ing to break into the Jail. Clerk Den
vers appeared on the scene and dis
ii
President Raffel, who has charge of the
municipal police. went to the jail and
released Groesmuhl and took him to
the German consulate. I am now de-
mandng his return to the Jail, and I'M
less my demand is complied with to-
morrow, I will issue writs for his ar
rest and summons to the president to
show cause why he should not be pun
ished.
THE farce cannot be continued much
longer Either America or England
must annex these islands. AS an
American eXpansionist, l would natur-
ally like to see the stars and stripes
run up over these islands, but l am
not certain that it would be best. The
English outnumbered us here 10 to
one and their commerce with the ISL
ands is vastly greater than ours. I
believe the majority of the Americans
would be just as content with British
annexation as American.
Our Pago Page right should in any
case he insisted upon and any arrange
ments that America and England
might arrive at there is no question
that England would fully guarantee
all we wish The likelihood is that
contrary to her traditions and practice
elsewhere, England would prefer that
our government take over the ISL
ands." S= E"ef EI& '-'-