The times., 1899-05-18
ANOTHER VIEW OF SAMOA.
Remarkable Letter to Robert
Louis Stevenson's Stepdaughter.

Louis Stevenson's Sfepdaughter.
New York, May 17.-Isobel Strong, a
STEP daughter of Robert Louis Stevenson,
now resident in this city, has made public
letter recently received from Samoa The
writer is H. J. Moors, an American who
has lived in the islands for thirty years,
and is thoroughly acquainted with the
language and people of Samoa He writes:
When l went aboard Admiral Kautz's
snip he informed me that l was in pain
full minority. When l assured him that the
contrary was the case, and l was in an
overwhelming majority. he appeared to be
very much surprised Then / asked him II
he had talked matters over with anyone
except Tanu sympathizers. and he said he
had not. l endeavored to give him such
information as he would hear, but at every
turn / found him so set in his ideas, and
so intent on making up cause of quarrel
that finally / said, 1 hope, sir you will
not do any unjust thing or any cruel ac-
ton He said he had his orders, and In
tended to carry them out whether or no.
do not think Admiral Kautz, who had or
ders to investigate matters here, saw
single person outside those who were d.
rectly interested In aiding and abetting
the Chambers minority. There are white
people here besides ccnsuls; people who
hcmes and families here, who ardently
wish for some sort of good government,
and who feel that any sacrifice is cheap II
the rule of another Malietoa can be avoid
ed. do not think the Admiral even pre-
tended to enquire into matters. He is q
testy. dictatorial sort of old chap, and has
been hattered and goaded on to getting the
United States into one of the most coward
ly and scandalous of wars, without cause,
nr ,1,, I~t.
Captain White (of the PHILADELPHIA been
here in charge instead of the admiral,
there would have been no war at all; not
dollars worth of property would have
been sacrificed and no valuable lives lost.
THE Mataafa natives have shown a
brave and forbearing spirit. Up to now no
white mans property has been destroyed.
though they have been for days in possess
sion of Mr.. Gurr's. Mr.. Carruther's, and
Mr.. Chambers premises. They have fire.
quently faced the machine guns all night
at closeup range, shifting every minute,
so as not to be hit by sailors who were
lying in trenches not fifty yards away.
"on March 25 strong force of sailors,
both American and British, went up to-
ward Papaloloa with their machine gun.
They marched directly through an ambush,
past it. and on till they came within 800
yards of the big fort at Vailima. OF this
they learned. and stopped short, not feel
ing 1t safe to go further. Then they re-
turned again through the ambush, quar-
ter of mile lower down, and passed on
without seeing anyone. When the natives,
who were in ambush. returned, they said
they did not like to kill the white men. as
it would make the final settlement more
difficult. But on April l. when these same
soldiers and sailors went out toward
Vaitele, looking for a fight. they forgot
the fact that the Porpoise had a few days
earlier cruised up and down the coast,
shelling and burning the villages of Laulil
and Lotoanuw.
THE natives still occupy Maniani, VAL
lima, Tanugamanono. Loptopa, and other
points within the municipality, and. as
far as l can judge, after one months oper-
ations, the fleet has accomplished nothing
but destruction and needless slaughter.
All for what purpose? To uphold the de-
cision of a third-rate lawyer, which is evil
IDENTIFY and conelusively wrong on the face
of it, and force a missionary divinity stu
dent as king upon the country which is
unanimously in favor of Mataafa.
1T is endeavored to fasten the blame of
all this trouble upon the Germans. l know.
for fact, and no one knows better than |.
that they have had nothing to do with the
matter at all. They merely asked that the
ill the Powers could have time to investi-
gate. / know that Herr Rose has been
greatly maligned and lied about. | am no
friend of his. for l scarcely know him per-
sonalIy. l have not met him six times in
my life, and then on business: but he is
an able, conscientious man. who is strug
Cling in the tolls Of misrepresentation.
Our old Consul Osborn hardly counts. He
is good old boy who absorbs every story
that comes along, and feels bound to stand
up for the missionaries.
THUS the man-hunt goes: in this man
ner are these poor people land a braver.
kinder lot never lived as we know who
have been here half our lives1 driven on
to destroy one another, because of law
yer who has wrongly interpreted treaty,
and decided that a 80 per cent majority
shall not rule. We hear that thousands OF
New Zealanders are anxious to come over
and join in the slaughter. What have
these poor Samoans done to bring down
all this trouble on their defenceless
heads?"