The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-06
MONAGHAN A HERO
Died Trying to Save
His Comrade
Lansdale.
A GERMAN TRAITOR.
Hufnagel, the Plantation
Owner Lured Troops
Into Ambush.
A GERMAN TRAITOR.

San, Francisco, May 5.-The regular
correspondent of the Associated Press,
writing from Apia, Samoa, on April 20,
gives a detailed account of the fight
sign Monaghan, of the American navy,
and Lieut.. Freeman of the British navy
lost their lives.
On April 1 a landing party made up
of so American sailors and marines, 50
English sailors and 100 natives, pro-
ceeded to Vailele to break up an as
semblage of rebels. who had been COM
hitting depredations. The party was
commanded by Lieut.. Freeman, first Of
ficer of the Tauranga, and with him
were Lieuts. Cave of the Porpoise, and
Hickman of the Royalist. The Ameri-
cans were commanded by Lieut., Lans
dale, who had with him Ensign Mon
gahan and Lieut.. Perkins, of the Ma
rine corps.
Dr. Lung of the Philadelphia, accom-
panied the expedition. When the party
reached the German plantation, Lieut..
Cave asked Capt. Hufnagel, the Ger
man manager, if there were any Samo-
ans near. The manager said none had
been there that day. At that very mo-
ment, a few hundred yards away, was
a large body of rebels. Hufnagel ad-
vised that a return be made by the
main road through the plantation, as
no rebels had been about Three other
Germans 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 in the road, 400 yards away, large
numbers of rebels were seen. A Colt
automatic gun was brought forward. 1t
refused to act. The rebels got off clear
and halt was made and the gun fixed.
The gun then worked all right and the
march was resumed with the friendly
natives in the lead
Misled by the information of HUFF
nagel, it was decided to return by the
main road. The open space where the
Germans had been massacred by Ma
taafa's men years ago was passed, and
the troops marched to narrow gully,
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 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
Lieut.. Lansdale was trying to fix it he
was wounded in the knee.
At the beginning of the fight, Lieut..
Freeman was shot through the chest
and fell dead. The friendly natives re-
treated at the first fire, the white force
was too weak to cope with the rebels,
and the whole force was thrown into
confusion. To retreat was imperative,
and the automatic gun was abandoned
after the ammunition had been scat
tered and the breech taken away and
rendered useless
The allied forces were attacked from
three sides. Through the scrub and
grass the sailors retired, Lansdale be-
ing assisted by his men. The firing
of the rebels was severe. Lansdale,
who was being assisted by Ensign Mon
Afghan and two men, seeing that he
could not get away, urged them to leave
him. One of the sailors was shot dead
and the other, seeing he could not save
his officer, retreated and escaped. Mon
Afghan stayed by his fellow officer. Next
morning their headless bodies were
found on the battlefield. Monaghan's
revolver was empty, as was also Lans-
dale's. Between them lay three dead
rebels. Monaghan, before the last man
left him, shot the chief, Aino dead as
he was advancing on Lansdale. Desert
ers from Mataafa's camp relate how
Monaghan stood over Lansdale until
that officer was shot dead, and then
tried to escape himself, but was unable
to do so.
When the American party reached
the beach, it was found four men were
missing besides the officers. They were
| Edsell and Butler of the Philadelphia
and Long and Prout from the British
ships. DR.. Lung, who had been con-
spicuous for GOODNESS and bravery I'M
der fire. took command of the American
forces, and on the approach of rein
forcements, the rebels retired. Sew
eral of the Malietoan natives lost their
lives. The decapitated bodies of the
three officers Eere recovered next morn
ing, and on Easter Sunday they were
buried with their heads which had been
recovered by a French priest
All the leading American and Brit
ish residents and officials were present.
The Germans were absent, the only one
attending being Pastor Margraf, who
had known Lansdale in the United
States. The, German warship Fake
( had her flag at half-mast, and her Off
GERS sent ashore two wreaths entwined
with the German national colors. In
the fight 43 men were killed on the
Mataafa side and 50 We're wounded. A
complete list of the white dead and
wounded follows:
Dead: Lieut. Philip Eansdale Ensign
]. r. Monaghan, Coxswain T. Butler.
Electrician Norman f. EdseIl. Privates
Thomas Holloway, and John E. Nudge
of the Marine corps. Wounded: Cox
swain ]. H. Wellington, shot in elbow
Fireman E. Andrews, right leg; Lands
man J. c. John, left shoulder; Lands
man ]. W. Laird. left hip; Marine John
NJ Mccarthy, right wrist
English dead: First Lieut. E A. Free
man, Seaman T. H. Tnornbury. Ed
mund Halloran., ordinary seaman;
Montague Rogers. ordinary seaman:
John Long, leading seaman: John Prout,
leading seaman. Wounded: Marine Fox
worthy, Marine Robert Hunt The last
named was knocked senseless during
the ambush. The natives thought hin.
dead and cut off his right ear. Tie
shock brought him too. and he scaped.
Captain Hufnagel. the German mana
ger. has been arrested for completely in
the fight He is on board the Fake I'M
der pledge from her commander TO re-
turn him to Captain Stuart on demand.
Afidavits have been made by men en-
gagged in the Vailele fight that white
man was with the rebels directing them
throughout the engagement