Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-04-03
SAMOAN
CRISIS
American And English
War Ships Bombard
Natives.
Mataafa Defiant And
Supported by German
Consul.
Villages Burned, Blood
Flows And MalietOa
Seized.

[Bombardment of Samoan Villages. Copy
righted by Associated Press 1884,
Apia, Samoan Islands, March %, via
Auckland, N. T., March 30.-The trou-
bles growing out of the election of the
king of Samoa have taken a serious
turn and resulted in the bombardment
of the native villages along the shore
by the United States cruiser Philadel-
phia, Admiral Kautz commanding, and
the British cruisers Porpoise and
Royalist The bombarument has con-
tinued internationally for eight days
Several villages were burned, and
there have been a number of casualties
among the American and British sail
ors and marines. 1t is impossible to
estimate the number of natives killed
or injured. AS Mataafa and his chiefs,
constituting the provisional govern
ment, continued to defy the treaty at
ter the arrival of the Philadelphia, Ad-
miral Kautz summoned the various
consuIs and senior naval officers to q
conference on board the Philadelphia,
when the whole situation was carefully
canvassed. The upshot was resolu-
ton to dismiss the provisional govern
ment and Kautz issued a proc
lamation calling upon Mataafa
and his chiefs to return to
their homes. Mataafa evacuated
Mulinuu, his headquarters, and went
into the interior Rose, the German
consul at Apia, issued a proclamation
supplementing the one that he issued
several weeks before, upholding the
provisional government. AS result
of this the Mataafaans assembled in
large force and hemmed in the town.
The British cruiser Royalist brought
MalietOa prisoners from the Islands
to which they had been transferred by
the provisional government. The
Americans then fortified Mulinuu
where 10000 Malietoans took refuge.
The rebels-adherents of Mataafa-
barricaded the roads within the mu-
nicipality and seized the British house.
An ultimatum was then sent, ordering
them to evacuate and threatening them,
in the event of refusal, with lombard
ment to commence at 1 o'clock on the
afternoon of March Is. This was ig-
nored and the rebels commenced an
attack in the direction of the United
States and British consulates about
half an hour before the time for the
bombardment. The Philadelphia
Porpoise and Royalist opened fire
upon the distant villages. There was
great difficulty in locating the enemy
owing to the dense forest. But several
shore villages were soon in flames. A
defective shell from the Philadelphia
exploded near the American consulate
and the marines outside narrowly es-
capped. Fragments struck the leg Of
Private Ru0ge, necessitating amputa-
ton. Another fragment trayersed the
German consulate, smashing the crock
cry. The Germans then went on board
the German cruiser Fake. During the
night the rebels made hot attack on
the town, killing three British sailors
A British marine was shot in the leg
by a British sentry, another was shot
in the foot and an American sentry
was killed at his post. The lombard
ment continued and the inhabitants OF
the town took refuge on board the
Royalist, greatly crowding the vessel
Many people are leaving Samoa. The
Porpoise shelled villages east and west