Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-21
An IMPROBABLE REPORT.
Story That the Commander Of The
German Warship Fake,

AT APIA. SAMOA, HAS BEEN AR
RESTED BY THE COMMANDER
OF THE BRITISH NAVAL
FORCES, ON THE CHARGE OF
FURNISHING ARMS TO MATAA-
FA-GERMAN OFFICIALS AT
WASHINGTON SAY THE REPORT
is AN ABSURDITY-THE NEWS
DISCREDITED PARTICULARLY
BECAUSE OF THE WAY 1T is
SAID TO HAVE COME.
st. Paul, Mimi, April pa special
dispatch to the Free Press from Vic
toria, B. c., says:
The steamer Aorangie, from Aus
tralia, brings news of the arrest of the
commander of the German warship
Fake, at Apia, for supplying arms to
Mataafa. The arrest was made by the
British commander.
JSoCtAC, w dclA', fAplil n llnCS
special from Victoria, B. c., says that
the steamer Morangi from Australia,
brings advices that the commander of
the German man-of-war Fake, at
Samoa, has been arrested by the Brit
ish and is now held a prisoner on the
vessel Porpoise. He was surprised by
0f Drif ich IT
arms and ammunition to Mataafa' S
men. The report was brought to Aus
tralia by the passengers on the steamer
Upola.
After the arrest of the Fakes COM
mander a conference was held between
Captain Sturdee and Admiral Kautz,
steamed in position on the other side
of the Fake. Orders were then sent
aboard that if she made move of any
kind she would be blown out of the
water. No one is allowed to go aboard
or leave the German slip of war with
out permission written and signed by
or Admiral Kautz.
Fighting continues between the
forces of Mataafa and Malietoa Tanus.
Bush fights, with slight loss of men,
are daily occurrences, and business is
practically at a standstill. There is
considerable sickness among seamen of
the Porpoise and Philadelphia. Three
of the Porpoise's crew died from fever
Lieut.. Garnet, of the Porpoise, is
among the sick. Mataafa's cause is
waning.
April is the date on which the re-
ported arrest was made.
Washington, April 20.-The state
ment that the commander of the Ger
man cruiser Fake had been arrested at
Apia by the British naval commander,
was at once secuted by the officials to
whom it was referred here. Both Sec
rotary Hay and Secretary Long express
ed their disbelief in the accuracy of the
report. Attention was directed to the
fact that the Navy Department had
heard from Admiral Kautz by cable
from Auckland at later date than that
upon which the steamer just arrived at
Victoria must have sailed from Apia on
her long eastward voyage. Admiral
Kautz's dispatch was dated April 4, and
1t was forwarded from the nearest cable
station-Auckland- II. 1t is re-
garded as extremely unlikely that a
steamer could have made the trip from
Apia to Victoria since April 4. 1t is
suggested as an explanation of the
story that the steamers crew had heard
of the arrest of the German manager of
the plantation where the American and
British sailors were ambushed, and of
his being taken aboard the British war;
ship, and had jumped to the conclusion
that the person arrested was the Ger
man commander
1t is pointed out in official German
quarters that the arrest of the COM
mander of one warship by the COM
mander of another ship is an absurdity,
and, moreover, cable advices have
reached the embassy much later than
those which a steamer could have
brought to British Columbia, in which
no such action was disclosed. The
British embassy also is without any in
formation of such an occurrence.