The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-06
MAIL ADYICES FROM SAMOA
LIMB BUSC4DING OF THE BRITISH
AMERICAN FORCE.
Strong Evidence that Captain Humase''
the German Plantation Manager, DID
Not Act HOnestly-Said He Had Seen
No Rebels and Soon After the Attack
Was Made-His Arrest.

| NOT ACT honestly y-Sulu ne hhN 9o0A
No Rebels and soon After the Attach
Was Made-His Arrest.
San Francisco, May 5.-The regula'
correspondent of the Associated Press
writing from Apia, Samoa, on Aprl
Goth, gives a detailed account OF the
| fighting in which Lieutenant Lansdal'
and Ensign Monaghan of the American
navy and Lieutenant Freeman of the
British navy lost their lives. On Apr
l landing party made up Of sixty
American sailors and marines, eighty
two English sailors, and 120 natives
proceeded to Vaiele, to break up an as
sembage of rebels, who had been COM
mtting depredations. The party was
manded by Lieutenant Freeman, first
officer of the Tuaranga, and with him
were Leutenants Cave of the Porpose
and Hickman of the Royalist. The
Americans were commanded by Lieu
tenant Lansdale, who had with him En-
sigh MOldSudl anu l<ICutSAdit Sihii'
of the marine corps
DR.. Long of the Philadelphia accom-
panied the expedition. When the party
reached the German plantation, Lieu
tenant Cave asked Captain Hufnagel,
the German manager, If there were any
Samoans near The manager said none
had been there that day. AT that very
moment, few hundred yards away,
was a large body of rebels. Hugnagel
advised that a return home be made by
the main road through the plantation
as no rebels had been about. Three
other Germans heard this conversation.
No one gave any warning of danger.
The return march to the beach was
commenced and no sooner had the men
got out of the plantation when, at a
bend in the road four hundred yards
away, large numbers of rebels were
seen A Colt automatic gun was
brought forward 1t refused to act. The
i-beis got off clear and a halt was made
and the gun was fixed. The gun then
worked all right and the march was re-
sumed, with the friendly natives in the
lead. Misled by the information of HUFF
nagel it was decided to return by the
main road The open space where the
Germans had been massacred by Ma
taafa's men years ago was passed and
the troops marched to narrow gully,
the sides of which were covered
with Buffalo grass. On the top Of the
slope, Just after the last Of the troops
had begun to march through the gully,
the rebels fired upon them. The line
was 300 yards in length. The rebels
were lying in the long grass while some
were in the top Of cocoanut trees. The
Colt gun again refused to act and while
Lansdale was trying to fix
it he was wounded in the knee. At the
beginning of the fight Lieutenant Free
man was shot through the chest and
fell dead. The friendly natives retreat
I'd at the first fire, the while force was
too weak to cope with the rebels and |
The whole force was thrown into confu-
sion, To retreat was imperative and
The automatic gun was abandoned af- |
.er the ammunition had been scattered |
and the breech taken away, rendering
t useless.
The allied forces were attacked from
hree sides Through the scrub and |
grass the sailors retired, Lansdale being
assisted by his men. The firing of the
'ebels was severe Lansdale, who was
being assisted by Ensign Monaghan
md two men, seeing that he could not
set away, urged them to leave him. One
If the sailors was shot dead and the
'ther, seeing he could not save his off,
er, retreated and escaped Morfaghan
tayed by his fellow officer. Next morn
ng their headless bodies were found on
he battleheld Monaghan's revolver
vas empty, as was also Lansdaie's. Be-
ween them lay three dead rebels. Mo-
aghan, before the las. man left him,
hot the chief Aino, dead as he was
dvancing on Lar sda'e Desarters from
fataafa's camp relate how Mona CHAN
tocd over Lansdale until that officer
las shot dead, and then tried to escape
imself, but was unable to do So When
he American party reached the beach
was found that four men We're miss
1g besides the officers. They were Ed
ell and Butler, Of the Philadelphia. and
ong and Prout from the British ships.
DR., Long, who had been conspicuous
,r coolneSs and bravery under fire, took
of the American forces, and
n the approach Of reinforcements the
ebels retired. Several of the Malietoan
atives lost their lives. The decapitated
odies of the three officers We're recov-
red next morning, and on Easter Sun
ay they We're buried with the heads, 4
hich had been recovered by a French .
riest All the leading American and
ritish residents and officials were pres
1t. The Germans We're absent, the ,
1ly one attending being Pastor Mar G
aft, who had known Lansdale in the :
nited States. The German warship
alike had her flag at half-mast and =,
er officers sent ashore two wreaths
ltwined with the German national col .
s. In the fight forty-three men We're =
lied on the Mataafa side and fifty :
ere wounded. A complete list of the !;
hite dead and wounded follows: :,
Dead-Lieutenant Philip
ansdale Ensign r. Monaghan, Cox ,
vain T. Butler, Electrician Norman E.
1sell, Privates Thomas Holloway, John , ,,
Nudge of the marine corps. i.
Wounded-Coxswain j. H. Welling-
n, shot in elbow; Fireman E. A. An
ews, right leg; Landsman J. c. John
n, left shoulder Landsman J. w.
lird, left hip Marine John M. McCar-
Y, right wrist. y
English: Dead-First Lieutenant E. =
Freeman, Seaman T. Fl. Thornbury,
imund Holloran, ordinary seaman: