Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1899-05-11
SAMOAN RULERS PAY WITHHELD
BY CONSUL OSBORNE,
SUIT TO FORCE PAYMENT
Supreme Court Asked to Compel Gus
todian of Funds TO Pay Details of
Fighting in Which American Of
ficers Lost Their Lives Kautz
Says All Is Quiet.

States consul general, Osborne who is
acting president. and as such is custo-
dian Of the revenue, is ordered by the
money on the order of the Samoan
government, The government through
the secretary of state has drawn an
order on the custodian of the revenue
for the amount of King ranus' salary
for the month of January, but Osborne
have been taken against him by way
Of a petition to the supreme court to
compel payment.
A correspondent of the Associated
f1'ess, writing frUld Apia ridtier tidso u
April 20, gives detailed account of
the lighting in which Lieut.. Lansdale
and Ensign Monaghan OF the American
navy and Lieut.. Freeman of the Brit
ish navy were killed On April ] a
landing party made up of 90 American
sailors and marines and 90 English
sailors and 120 natives, proceeded to
Vailele to break up an assemblage
of rebels who had been com
hitting depredations in the yicIn-
ity. The party was under the
command of Lieut. Freeman
first officer of the Tauranga, and with
him were Lieutenants Cave of the Por
poise and Hickman OF the Royalist.
The Americans were under the com
mand of Lieut. Lansdale, who had with
him Ensign Monaghan and Lieut., Per-
kins of the marine corps. Or. Lung
also accompanied the expedition. When
the party reached the German planta-
ton, Lieut.. Cave asked Capt. Hufnagel,
German manager, If there We're any
Samoans in the vicinity. Tue manager
said that none had been there that day.
At that very moment and within few
hundred yards of the expedition was a
large body of rebels. Hufnagel advised
that the return home be made by way
of the main road through the planta
ton, as everything was quiet and safe
and no rebels were about Three other
Germans were with Hufnagel and
heard the conversation. No one gave
any warning of the danger. The re-
turn march to the beach commenced
and no sooner had the men got out Of
the plantation then, at a bend in the
road large numbers OF rebels were
seen. A colt automatic gun was i'm
mediately brought forward. 1t re-
fused to work. The rebels got off clear
and a halt was made to fix the gun.
This took half an hour and then Lieut..
Lansdale fired a few trial shots.
The gun worked right and the march
was resumed with the friendly natives
in the lead Misled by the informa-
ZION of Hufnagel, it was decided to re-
turn by the main road. The open
space where the Germans had been
massacred by the Mataafas was passed
and the troops marched down the road
to a narrow gully. On top of the slope,
Just after the last troops had begun
the march through the gully, the rebels
fired upon them. Lieut. Lansdale was
wounded in the knee. AT the begin
ming Of the fight Lieut.. Freeman was
shot through the chest and killed. The
allied forces were surrounded on three
sides and being too weak to cope with
the rebels the sailors retired Lans-
dale, who was being assisted by En-
sign Monaghan and two men, seeing he
could not get away, urged them to
leave him to his fate Monaghan re-
fused to 90 and stayed by his fellow
officer
When the American party reached
the beach it was found that there were
six missing Philip Lansdale, Ensign
Monaghan, Coxswain T. Butler Elec-
trician Norman T.. Edsell Priyates
Inomas Holloway and John Z, Nudge
of the marine corps. The wounded
were. Coxswain J. H. Wellington
elbow; Fireman y. A. An
drews. right leg; Landsman
|J. G. John, left shoulder
| Landsman J. w. Laird left hip Ma
rine John NJ. McCarty, right wrist
The English dead we're: First Lieut.
/ Z. A. Freeman, Seaman A. S. Thorn
/ berry, Ordinary Seaman Edmund Hal
| Ioran. Ordinary Seaman Montague
Rogers. Leading Seaman John Long;
/ Leading Seaman John prOut. The
wounded were Marine Foxworthy;
Marine Robert Hunt The last named
was knocked sonseless during the am
bush. The natives thought him dead
and cut off one ear. The shock brought
him TO and he escaped
Captain Hufnagel, the German man
eyer. has been arrested FOR completely
4 r. the fight Of April J. lie is held on
/ board the German ship Faulke under
pledge from the commander TO return
4 him to Capt Stuart on demand. A.
( fdayits have been made by men en-
gagged In the Vailele fight that a white
man was with the rebels directing
/ them throughout the engagements
{. Hufnagel answered the description o'
4 this man exactly He was son az the
station and gave misleading informa.
ton to the troops as they passed bis
/ house on the way out, but when the5
returned be was not % be seen. De
M.