The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-06
DAILY. SO A YEAR
CENTS A COPY
WEEKLY 2-TIMES-A-W WEEK 81 A YEAR
FELL INTO THE REBELS TRAP.
HOW HUFFNAGEL MIsLED BRITISH
AND AMERICANS.

Fire Gun Would Not Work-At-
tRcl<ing Pnrty Had to Retreat,
Leaving Behind the Officers Whose
Heads We're Cut on.
San Francisco. May 5--The regular corr
respondent OF the Associated Press, writ
ing from Apia. Samoa. under date of April
20. gives a detailed account of the fight
ing in which Lieut.. Iansdale and Ensign
Monaghan of the American navy, and
Lieut. Freeman OF the British navy lost
their lives
on April /, a landing party. made up OF
sixty American sailors and marines and
Sslxty-two English sailors and about 100
Inatives. proceeded to Vale TO break up an
asssmblage of rebels, who had been COM
nlitting depredations In the vicinity.
The party was under command of Lieut..
Angel Freeman, first officer of the Tau
Eanga, and with him were Lieuts. Cave OF
the Porpoise and Hickman of the RoyalIst.
The Americans were under the command
of Lieut. Lansdale who had with him En-
sign Monaghan and Lieut.. Perkins of the
marine corps.
DR.. Lung OF the Philadelphia also ac-
companied the expedition. When the par-
ty had reached the German plantation
Lieut. Cave asked Capt Huffnagel. the
German manager, II there were any Sa-
means in the vicinity. The manager said
that none had been there that day. AT
that very moment and within few hum
dred yards Of the expedition was a large
body of rebels.
Huffnagel advised that return home be
made by way of the main road through
the plantation, as everything was quite
safe, and no rebels had been about. Three
other Germans we're with Huffnagel and
heard this conversation. No one gave any
warning Of danger.
Game Upon Rebels.
The return march 10 the beach was COM
menced. 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 OF which the ma
tIves have great dread, was Immediately
brought forward 1t refused to act The
rebels got Off clear, and a halt was made
to fix the gun. This took half an hour,
and then Lieut.. Lansdale fired few trial
shots The gun worked all right, and the
march was resumed, with the friendly ma
tives in the lead.
Msied by the Information of Huffnagel.
II was decided to return by the main road.
The open space where the Germans had
been massacred by Mataafa's forces years
ago was passed and the troops marched
down the road TO a narrow gully, the sides
OF which were covered with buffalo grass.
On top of the slope. just after the fast of
the troops had begun to march through
the gully, the rebels fired upon them. The
line was about 800 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.
Freeman Was Shot Dead.
AT the beginning Of the fight Lieut. Free
man was shot through the chest and fell
dead. The friendly natives retreated at
the first fire. the white force was too weak
20 cope with the rebels, and the whole
force was thrown into confusion.
The retreat was imperative and the au-
tomato gun was accordingly abandoned
after the ammunition had been scattered
and the breech taken away. rendering Il
useless. The allied forces were attacked
from three sides.
Through the scrub and grass they retir-
ed Lansdale being assisted by his men.
The firing of the rebels was severe. Lans-
dale who was being assisted by Ensign
Monaghan and 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 off,
GER retreated and escaped
He Remained to His Death.
Monaghan refused to go and stayed by
his fellow officer. Next morning their
headless bodies were found on the battle
field. Monaghan's revolver was empty, as
was also Lansdale's. Between them lay
the dead bodies Of three rebels Mon
aghan, before the last man left him, shot
the chief Aino dead, as he was advancing
on Lansdale
Deserters from Mataafas 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
beside the officers They were EdselI and
Butler Of the Philadelphia and Long and
Prout from the British ship.
DIR. Lung Took Command.
DR.. Lung, who had been conspicuous for
his GOODNESS and bravery under fire, took
command OF the American forces and on
the approach of reinforcements the rebels
retired. Several of the Maletoan natives
lost their lives.
The decapltated bodies Of the three Of
ficers were recovered next morning on the
field, and on Easter Sunday they were
buried with the heads which had been
recovered by a French priest
All the leading American and British res
idents and officials were present. The Ger
mans were conspicuous by their absence,
the only one attending being Pastor Mar
graf, who had known Lansdale In the
United States. The German warship
Fake had her flag at half-mast, and her
officers sent ashore two wreaths entwined
with the German national colors.
In the fight there were killed on the
Mataafa side 4S, and 50 were wounded.
complete list Of the white dead Is as fol-
lows.