The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-30
A SAMOAN EPIC.
From Golfers Weekly,

From Golfers Weekly.
The scene of the calamity on the Ger
man plantation is one of singular beauty.
The plantation in question is about three
miles from Apia. Recently a fine road
was constructed, and as an evidence of
the extreme fertility of the soil of the
island il may be mentioned that a ditch
dug on either side of the road to a depth
of five feet became in an Incredibly short
time. filed up its entire length, with self
planted pineappes. Back of the German
plantation a dense thiclet of banana and
cocoanut trees fences in a large stretch
of open ground. 1t was undoubtedly In
this clearing that the bloody conflict took
place between the Mataafans and the land
ing party. What really occurred when the
natives attacked the sailors we shall prob
ably be some time in finding out for the
mails from Samoa are few and far be-
tween, and The dispatches thus far are
vague. We must exercise patience until
we are told why, when fifty of the enemy
had been killed. with a loss of but seven
men on the part of the expedition, Lieut.
Lansdale and Ensign Monaghan were
abandoned to their fate. And now we come
directly to the story of this most deplor-
able disaster.
The landing party consisted Of l05 men,
presumably well armed, and carrying wltn
them a machine gun, a weapon In Itself
equal TO fifty soldiers. A number OF Ma
netoa Tauus "hghting men" accompanied
the expedition; 1t seems that their part III
the engagement consisted in taking TO thelf
heels when the firing began.
When the Mataafans, numbering apou'
800, poured in their fire, 1t was found thal
the mechanism of the machine gun mad
gotten out of order; the gun was Jatntheo
and useless. Nevertheless, there sun re-
manned one hundred of supposedly the
best fighting men on earth, opposed 10
much superior force, of islanders, TO be
sure. but well armed. This, then, is what
occurred: At the first volley the com
mander of the party, Lieut. Freeman o.
the British cruiser Tauranga was sho'
through the heart. Lieut. Philip o. Lans'
dale of the American cruiser Philadei'
phia while endeavoring TO clear the clog
gled machine gun, was shot in the leg
Coxswain James Butler and seaman Nor
man E. Edsal of the Philadelphia were
killed. and five of their shipmates wound
ed. Besides Lieut.. Freeman, two British
sailors lost their lives Lastly. there was
another life lost, under circumstances
which send a thrill of pride through An
| gio-Saxon veins, and do much to redeem
what looks like an ugly affair.
Ensign John r. Monaghan Of the Phila'
delpbia sprang to the assistance OF Lieut.
4 Lansdale when the latter was brought
4 down. we are not told what the sailors
| still nearly one hundred strong, were do
| ing when Monaghan went to the assist
| ance of his lieutenant. But we are told
In the dispatches, CURLY AMI without com
ment, that He remained by the side Of ths
fallen officer and was shot" He at least
remained.
As wars move In parallels, even In theil
smallest details, this Samoan epic brings
| UP memories Of Isandula and 70. All the
world knows OF England's unfortunate OPP
| erations an Africa when many times tbs
lives of her soldiers were spared by :ni
cIemency of Cetewayo. a British force
was surprised by a Zulu impi. vastly it!
| superior In strength. Maybe II was at Isan
dula, and Lord Chefnlsford's army, or i
| NAV have been elsewhere in Africa, but
| at any rate, during the Zulu war, after al
| engagement in which the British troops
we're defeated by Cetewayos black sol
| diers and were compelled to fly for theii
| lives, an English caValryman who's.
| scraggy little pony hmped from an asse
| gal slash, detached himself from the re
treat and galloped back upon The charg
ing Zulus A glance over his shoulder hal
shown him a dismOunted comrade, wound
ed exactly as Lieut.. Lansdale was, stumb
| ling painfully along trying to jam SOM
cartridges into his clogged revolver. WheI
the troopers pony trotted up the Zului
were almost upon the two soldiers; forum
ately they had discarded their spears ant
were mshandling captured carbines. Now
in a melodrama, or In realistic novel edi
flying to schoolgirls the language Of these
| two gallant soldiers, one to the other
there amid the Squeezing Zulu bullets
would have been noble, lofty, inspiring ant
| Godlike. This is what they really said:
Get out O. this, Bill, We bloomln' ijit-
the black beggarsn skewer youl" gaspec
| the wounded man.
"You climb up on this 'orse or I'll punch
your damn head offr' was the reply from
the trooper.
And IL Is delightful TO be able TO cay thai
he did climb up, and they both escaped
from the black beggars," and the trooper
/ got the Victoria Cross.
With poor Lansdale and Monaghan tn,
| outcome was different. but the story Of IN,
young ensigns heroism Is "a glorious epi
taph, better than all the decorations OF al
/ the monarchs on earth.
Greater love hath no man than this
that a man lay down his life for BIZ
/ fffeuds"