The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-28
TAKE GERMAN FLAG
Landing Party in Apia
Hauls Down Kai-
ser's Ensign.
NEWS OF FIGHTING.
Brave Band Headed By
Lieut.. Gaunt Attacks
Natives.

Ackland, N. T., April 27.-The rebels
are Selling the traders rifles, cartridges
and stores and the traders are fleeing
to Apia. Business is at a standstill and
a strong land force is urgently needed.
Won Buelow, formerly a lieutenant in
the German army, and the man who
organized the forces of Mataafa here,
armed with a sword, gun and cart
ridges, proceeded to Savan with 1S
boats and 400 rebels, and the German
warship Fake sailed on a secret mis-
sion, with Herr Rose, the German con-
sui, on board. Capt. Leslie c. Stuart,
commander of the British third-class
cruiser Tauranga, in the absence Of Ad-
miral Kautz, who was coaling the
Philadelphia at Pago-Pago, wrote to
the German consul, urging him to Sc
cure Won Buelow, and the next day the
Fake returned with Won Buelow on
board.
The offer of New Zealand to send
troops to Samoa caused enthusiasm at
Apia. The inhabitants are almost una
nimous in the belief that the treaty is
a failure, and there is a strong feeling
in favor of annexation. Prominent
American citizens and British subjects
say that unless Mataafa is subdued
another war is inevitable within a year
The British third-class cruiser Por-
te. cit God in n1InifiWe
cruises. On April Is battle was
fought at Mangia, 15 miles eastward OF
Apia.
About 1000 rebels attacked the Gaunt
landing party, consisting of about 10(
men. The latter were subjected to q
hot fire and retreated to the shelving
beach, where they defended themselves
bravely for a time and afterward swan
off to their boats under heavy fire
At Muliangi u friendly natives refused
to retire and charged into burning
village, driving a number of rebels be
fore them with splendid, reckless
bravery. Gaunt and party then re-
turned to the assistance of the friend
lies and the whole party retired, with
four men wounded and after several OF
the party had had miraculous escapes
The cutter belonging to the party
fired all it's Nordenfeldt ammunition
during the fight, and the Porpoise fire.
quently shelled the bush. The rebels
had eight men killed and many wound
ed. Onlyoneof the blueJackets in thecut-
ter was wounded. A trader fled towards
the warship and succeeded in escaping,
although six rebels took deliberate aim
at him as he was rowing off. On April
II a second battle was fought at vail
lena. The fighting was desperate, the
rebels holding strong fortif1catlons,
which were ineffectively shelled by the
ships.
The friendlies advanced to the attack
with Falioalele and Dana on the left,
Gaunt in the centre with 120 men, and
Tuamasanga on the right Gaunt
party delivered such heavy fire that
the rebels retreated to a second and
stronger fort about $50 yards back. The
Tuamasanga friendlies bolted, but
Gaunt crawled out to the firing line and
drove them back at the point of his
revolver. They then advanced to at
tack the second fort but found the po-
sition too strong and lost several men
killed and wounded.
Ten shells from the ships burst close
behind the rebels lines and the rebels
sang a war song after the exposion
of each shell. Gaunt again returned
to the attack. and heavy and contin-
uous firing on both sides followed, dur
ing which the attackers suffered fur
Their loss. Gaunt succeeded in crawl
ing to within so yards of the fort, but
found it too strong to capture, as the
friendly supports were unreliable.
The party then retired in good order,
with 4 men killed and Is wounded, OF
which number three were mortally
wounded. The rebel loss was not as
certained, but was probably small. The
Tauranga and Porpoise shelled the po-
sition at shutdown, but the result of the
firing is not known. Gaunts brigade
and a portion of the friendly supports
stood the fire splendidly. During the
engagement Gaunt succeeded in cap
turing a German flag, which was fly
ing over the first fort.
The British consul. E. B. S. MaXsie,
and DR.. Ardell, surgeon of the Phila-
delphia, were under fire all day long;
a further attack was to have been made
the next day. On the return of the
landing party, Capt. Stuart Of the Tau
ranga signalled, "Well done, Gaunt S
brigadei" the Americans and British
cheering the returning party, whose Vi
vandiers (sutlers) were proudly carry
ing the captured colors.
Seautelle, the principal rebel chief,
ran away and told his people hundred
British had been killed. Mataafan de-
serters assert that Germans sent cart
ridges in bags of rice and sugar along
the coast in December. Admiral Kautz,
it is asserted in the advices, fired a
blank shot on April 8 across the bows
of a German schooner. which was
leaving Apia without reporting.
The rebels who were in possession of
the late Robert L. Stevenson house
and some forts, were attacked in the
rear by some Tamasse friendlies, who
killed three of them and wounded
others. One friendly native was killed
in the fight.
About two thousand women and
children have sought refuge at the Ma
luit station of the London Missionary
Society.
Further details of the deaths of En-
sign J. r. Monaghan of the United
States cruiser Philadelphia, and Lieut.
P. V. Lansdale of the same vessel have
been received. They show that AIonag-
han was beheaded before he was dead
A deserter from the Mataafan forces
says Monaghan and Lansdale were re-
treating when they were discovered by
a chief and his wife, who were looking
for dead men. They gave the alarm and
Monaghan was shot while continuing
the retreat. Later, it appears, the rebels
returned and killed Iansdale. Monag-
han fought until he was wounded
and he was then beheaded. The doc
tors examination of the remains con-
firms the statement made.