Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-13
SAMOAN FIGHTING TACTICS
natives Fearless of Death, but Easily
Dfspfrfted by n Wound.


From the New York Sun
me repeated use or the words ambush
anu amouscade' In the accounts of the
recent hsht IN Samoa makes 1t more than
httle difficult to grasp the circumstances
from Inc scanty details. If by ambush
Is meant what tho word has always meant
In Indian warfare then 1t does nor annI,,
FOR the Samoan does not fight that wav
His tactics in war are very sinnIe A. ~
beginning he establishes himself in soma
shelter which will protect his own skip
ms may be convenient stone wall or II
may ne samoan fort. The forts sra
usually buikheads OF tree trunks thrown
across some steep valley which has natural
protection against being turned or taken
IN reverse The wooden wall "a bacLad
by earth and at convenient intervaIs ~
pidces Where q good marksman might com,
mand the line of hostile approach. Pnt
when me combat has passed the early stage
OF resisting an attack the Samoans seek 70
carry the field by force of numbers and tho
impetuosity Of their rush 'N '-'e
In this there Is little of the real fdao op
an ambush and few samoans could restrain
themselves long enough to admit Of a 60
cessful ambuscade. The probable maanino
Is mat to the marines and sailors all hush
hghting with savages seems ambuscade In
the only other instance in which the Same
forces of whi terea to oppose the REGULAR
the German sailors in 1888 on the
beach at FangaIii-the result was due ,,e
10 the faulty Of the foreigners. who
coasted along within pistol shot Of
the beach, making themselves eonspic-
u"us by their white uniforms and
showing themselves so distinctly that the
fheIr sssrs OF the night was no veil over
savages In that way almost any sl.irnoisT
appears as an ambush
ihere are two German plantations on tba
o onesk'r.s or Apia, each the property of the
great German trading company. known 10
cai!y as the German firm. One is The nIan
tafion of Vailele. adjoining the plunirinaIity
on the east. and the other Is the VaiteIe
p pra n which Is just beyond the west
ern boundary Of the municipality. The
present accounts do not make II clear which
plantation was the scene of the confict
Iet as the two plantations are In a high
state or cultivation and intersectad IN every
direction by the only good roads in samoa
the conditions under which the battle was
given should have been altogether in favor
OF the naval forces and as far os noss,hia
removed from the conditions winch sarn-
ans would select for their fighting. There
appears TO be some likelihood that the com
osI was on the Vailele plantation, to the
east of the town, for that whole line of
coast seems to have Joined itself to the
Mataafa side The fact that the overseer
OF the plantation has been arrested on the
charge OF aiding the savages is still more
OF an argument for the same opinion The
vaitele plaptation is managed by Captain
Hufnagel. who had much to do with the
former troubles OF eleven years ago. The
Vaitele plantation Is under the administra-
ton of Herr Tiedemann, a man of another
type and far less likely to lay himself omen
to suspicion. Tedemann was promoted
from little clerkship to his present place
and carries with him the somewhat mild
manners Of the German commercial man
The manager Of the vaiieie plantation was
sea captain and served his time in COM
mand Of the slave ships or labor traders
with which the German plantations fiji their
barracks with black laborers. OF the two
men the former labor trader is much more
likely to be found urging the savages on
ward In the attack on white men.
The rushing tactics of the Samoans are
plainly disclosed in the brief story of the
hight. They illustrate a popularity of the
their behavior in the face of an enemy.
The Samoan Is an arrant coward in some