The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-05-06
AND LED THEM ASTRAY
STORY OF LANSDALE AND FREE
MANS FATE.
HOW THEY AND THEIR MEN WE'RE TRAPPED
Attacked by Samoans from Ambush, they Aban.
don Useless Gun and Retreat. He
roc Men Die Rather Than
Desert Commander.

San Francisco, Cal, May 5.-The
regular correspondent of the Asso-
ciated Press, writing from Apia, Sa-
moan Islands, under date of April
goth, gives Il detailed account of the
fighting in which Lieutenant Lans-
dale and Ensign Monaghan, of the
American Navy, and Lieutenant Free
man, of the British Navy, lost their
lives.
On April 1st a landing party made
up OF sixty American sailors ami .na-
rines and siXty-two English sailors
and about 120 natives, proceeded 10
Nailele, to break up an assemblage
of rebels, who had been committing
depredations in the vicinity. The
party was under command of Lieu
tenant Angel Freeman. first officer of
the Tauranga, and with him were
Lieutenants Cave, of the Porpoise and
Hickman of the Royalist. The Am
orleans were under command of Lieu
tenant Lansdale. who had with him
Ensign Monaghan and Lieutenant Per-
kins, of the marine corps.
DIR. Lung. of the Philadelphia. also
accompanied the expedition. When
the party had reached the German
plantation, Lieutenant Cave asked
Captain Hufnagle, the German mana
ger, II there were any Samoans in the
vicinity. The manager said that none
had been there that day. At that very
moment. and within a few hundred
yards of the expedition, was a large
body of rebels. Hufnagle advised
that return home be made by way
of the main road through the planta-
ton, as everything was quite safe and
no rebels had been about. Three 9TH
er Germans were with Hufnagle and
heard this conversation. No one gave
any warning of danger. The return
march to the beach was commenced
and no sooner had the men got out of
the plantation when, at a bend i'm the
road, 400 yards away, large numbers
OF rebels were seen. A Colt automatic
gun, of which the natives have great
dread, was Immediately brought for
ward. 1t refused to act. A halt was
made to fix the gun. This took half
an 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. Misled by the information
of Hufnagle, it was decided to return
by the main road. The open space
where the Germans had been massa-
cred by Mataafans years ago was pass
ed and the troops marched down the
road to narrow gulley, the sides of
which were 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
300 yards in length. The rebels were
lying in the long grass, while some
were in the top of cocoanut trees.
The Colt gun again refused to act, and
while Lieutenant LansdaIe was try
ing to fix it he was wounded in :hc
knee. AT the beginning of the fight
Lieutenant Freeman was shot through
the chest and fell dead. The friendly
natives retreated at the first fire, The
white force was too weak to cope with
the rebels and the whole force was
thrown into confusion. The retreat
was imperative, and the automatic
gun was accordingly abandoned after
the ammunition had been scattered
and the breech taken away. The al
lied forces were attacked from three
sides.
Through the scrub and grass they
retired Lansdale being assisted by
his men. The firing of tt, + bells was
severe. Lansdale, who was being as
listed by Ensign Mona"han ami 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 he could not save the
officer, retreated and escaped Mona
CHAN refused to go and stayed by his
fellow officer. Next morning their
leadless bodies were found on the bat
tlefield. Monaghan's revolver was
empty, as was also Lansdales. Be
tween them lay the dead bodies of
three rebels. Monaghan, before the
asst man left him shot the Chief Aino
lead, as he was advancing on Lau5-
lale. Deserters from Mataafa's camp
'elate how Monaghan stood over Lans
lale until that officer was shot dead
md then tried to escape himself, but
VAS unable to do so. When the Am
arican party reached the beach it
vas found that four men were miss
ng beside the officers. They were
Idsell and Butler, of the Philadelphia,
Continued on Sixth Page.l