Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-04-17

Auckland, N. e., April 13.-Further
advices from Apia. Samoa, say that on
the arrival of the British cruiser Tau
ranga at Apia, the British and Ameri-
can consuls issued proclamation to
give Mataafa a last chance and that
the French priests also used their in
fuence, but all efforts failed and the
rebels continued their depredations.
Property was destroyed and bridges
and roads barricaded. March 10Th the
enemy was sighted at Maguigi and ma
chine guns and a seven FOUNDER were
used. The ''friendlies'' also attacked
the enemy during the latter's retreat
and several rebels were killed and
wounded The 'friendlies' carried one
head through Apia, which made Cap
tain Stuart so furious that he went to
the king and threatened to shoot any
man found taking heads. The king
issued a proclamation forbidding the
practice. The German consd1 wrote
Kautz asking if two great christian
nations approved of this inhuman, bar
barous practice against the laws Of
chritianity and the decree Of the SUI
preme court. The admiral replied
agreeing with the consul as to the in
humanity of the practice and pointed
out that had the German consul upheld
the decree of the supreme court of jan
uary there would have been no blood
| shed. That custom was an old Sa-
moan one, but was first made known
to the world ten years ago, when the
"heads of honest German soldiers were
cut off by the barbarOus chief,
Mataafa, whom the representa-
tive of the great christian ma
ton of Germany is now supporting"
Expeditions in armed cutters belong
ing to the Tauranga and the PorpOise
are doing considerable execution
against Matafa's strongholds. along
the coast. The British forces
are being assisted by hundreds of Sa-
means. About 46 of Mataafa's boats
and several villages have been des-
| troyed. Meantime flying columns are
being sent daily along the road and
through the bush near Apia.
On April /, force Of 214 British and
Americans and $50 ''friendlies' were
surprised in ambush at the German
plantation of Vallejo. A rebel force
| opened fire on the rear and left flank
and front of the AnglO-American force.
! The 'friendnes" bolted, but the ma
rines and blue Jackets stood their
ground splendidly, the Americans and
British firing shoulder to shoulder. A
colt automatic gun with the party be-
came damned and the Americans and
British were practically at the mercy
of the rebels But ~"retreat" was
sounded three times before the marines
and blue Jackets retired. Lieut.. Angel
H. Freeman, 1st lieutenant of the
Tauranga, who was in command of the
allied force, was shot through the
heart. Lieut. Phillip Van Horn Lans-
! dale, of the United States cruiser Phila-
| delphia, had his. leg shattered while
endeavoring to fix the damned gun.
Seaman Hunt, of the British cruiser
| Porpoise, had an extraordinary escape.
He remained with Lieut.. Lansdale I'M
! til dubbed over the head and knocked
senseless. The blue Jacket revived" as
the natives were cutting off his right
ear and were turning him over in order
to cut off the left ear. At this june
ture a shell from the British cruiser
Royalist burst on the battlefield, scar
ing the rebels and Hunt succeeded
in escaping to the beach, although Sc
verely stabbed in one foot. The same
night "friendlies" found the bodies of
all the officers, headless. The bodies
were buried with all .honors at Null
nuu Easter Sunday. The heads were
subsequently brought in by French
priests and the graves reopened and
the heads buried with the bodies. The
officers who returned are Liei1t.
George E. Cave, Of the Porpoise, and
Lieut.. c. M. Perkins, Of the Philade!-
phia All behaved splendidly. Lieut..
Cave took command of the retreat,
Captain Sturdee of the Porpoise was
away on an expedition with his cruiser
and Gaunt's brigade was also absent
on duty. The loss of the enemy IS