Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-12
In ANAMBUSH
The American and British
Forces Caught at Apia
BY THE MATAAFA MEN
Several Dead We're Left Oh
the Battlefield.
THEIR BODIES MUTlLATED
In the List Of Casualties a Number OF
| Officers Are Included--A
German Arrested
THEIR BODIES MUTILATED

Further advices from Apa, Samoa, say
| that on the arrival of the British cruiser
Taranga at Apia the British and Ameri-
can consuls issued a proclamation to
give Mataafa a last chance, and that
French priests also used their influence,
but all efforts failed, and the rebels con-
tinued their depredatlons. Property was
destroyed and bridges and roads were
barricaded.
On March 80 the enemy was sighted at
Maguigi, and machine guns and a seven
FOUNDER We're used. The friendlies also
attacked the enemy during the latter's
retreat and several rebels were killed or
| wounded The friendies carried one
head through Apa, which made Captain
Stuart so furious that he went to the
king and threatened to shoot any man
found taking heads. The king then
issued a proclamat ton forbidding the
| practice.
The German consul wrote to Admiral
kautz asking if two great Christian ma
| tiOns approved of this inhuman and bar
barous practice against the laws of
| Christianity and the decree of the su-
! preme court.
| The admiral replied, agreeing with the
| consul as to the inhumanity of the prac-
tice, and pointed out that had the Ger
man consul upheld the decree of the SUI
|
been no bloodshed, that the custom was
an old Samoan one. but first made known
| to the world ten years ago, when heads
| of honest German sailors were cut off
by the barbarous chief, Mataafa, whom
| the representative of the great Christian
nation, Germany, is now supporting.
! Expeditions in armed cutters belonging
! to the Taranga and Porpose are doing
| considerable execution against Mataa-
| fas strongholds along the coast. The
| British forces are being assisted by 100
! Samoans. About 46 of Mataafas boats
and several villages have been destroyed.
| In the meantime flying columns are be-
ing sent daily along the roads and
| through the bush near Apia.
| On April l a force of 214 British and
! Americans and $50 friendlies We're sur
prised in ambush at the German planta-
| ton of Vaslao. The rebel force opened
| fire on the rear, left flank and front of
! the Anglo-American force. The friend
lies bolted, but the marines and blue
| Jackets stood their ground, the Ameri-
| cans and British firing shoulder to shoul-
der. Colt automatic gun with the
landing party became jammed, and the
Americans and British We're practically
| at the mercy of the rebels. But re
treat was sounded three times before
the marines and blue jackets retired
! Lieutenant Angel II. Freeman, first lieu.
tenant of the Taranga, who was in COM
mand of the allied force, was shot
| through the heart. Lieutenant Philip
| Lanshorn Lansdale, I. S. n, had his leg
shattered while endeavoring to fix the
jammed gun.
Seaman Hunt, of the British ship Por-
poise, had an extra cap. He remained
with Lieutenant Lansdale until dubbed
over the head and knocked senseleSs. The
blue Jacket revived as the natives We're
cutting off his right ear and were turn
i,1cr him in order off his left
ear At this juncture a shell from the
British cruiser Royalist burst on the
battle field, soaring the rebels and Hunt
escaped to the beach, although severely
stabbed in one foot The same night
friendlies found the bodies of all the
officers. headless. The bodies were buried
with all honors at Mulinuu on Eastel
Sunday. Their heads were subsequently
brought in by some French priests anG
the graves were reOpened and the heads
buried with the bodies. Leutenants
Freeman and Lansdale were capable and
popular officers.
The officers who returned are Lieut.
George L. Cave. of the Porpoise, and
Lieut. Perkins, of the Philadelphia. Al
behaved splendidly. Lieut.. Cave took
command of the retreat. Captain SturdeG
of the Porpoise was away on an eXpedi-
tion with his cruiser and Gaunt's brigade
was also absent on duty.
The loss of the enemy is not known but
probably 80 rebels We're killed and many
wounded. The bodies of three rebels
were found near where Lieutenant Lans-
dale and Ensign Monaghan of the Phila-
delpha We're killed. Priests buried IS
and much blood was seen on the roaG
over which the Mataafans had beer
dragging away their dead and wounded
There were also pools of blood behind
cocoanut trees, the bullets from Ameri-
can and British rifles going right through
thick trees and killing men hiding behind
them. Some of the rebels fired from the
tops of cocoanut, palms. The rebels open
ed fire near town last evening. / is pro.
posed to summon another warshiD tc
distribute more arms among the friend
lies and to import additional friendlies
fro,, Tut1ia,I