Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-17
A GERMAN ACCOUNT

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OF the Recent Warlike Scenes at Apia,
Samoa.
THE WRITER CHARGES THAT NO
NOTICE WAS GIVEN THE GER
MAN COMMANDER, BY EITHER
AMERICANS OR ENGLISH, OF
THE INTENDED BOMBARDMENT
AND THAT ONLY THE INTERPO-
SITION OF PROVIDENCE PRE-
VENTED WHITE PEOPLE FROM
BEING KILLED.
Washington, April ia correspond
ent in this city for leading German
newspaper has received an interesting
private letter from Apia concerning
events there in March, as viewed en-
tirely from the German side of the
question. The letter was written by a
prominent German, and is of interest
in that it gives for the first time the
German view of the state of things now
existing in the Samoan islands.
The letter begins with a complaint
that no regard whatever is shown by
the British and American forces to-
wards the Germans. The lombard
ment had been announced to begin on
Wednesday, March 14th, at p. M, but
no notice. says the letter, was given
the Germans, and the German consul
general
is STILL WAITING
for the official communication of the
commencement of the bombardment.
The commander of the German warship
Fake was notified by an officer of the
Philadelphia only quarter of an hour
after the firing had been opened. The
numerous whites living in the vicinity
of the town had no opportunity to take
any measures for their personal safety,
and were not aware of what was going
on until shrapnel exploded in their
neighborhood. 1t is due, continues the
letter, only to merciful Providence
that no white was killed or wounded.
In Vaitele, a cocoa plantation belong
ing to the German Trade and Planta-
ton Company, on the afternoon Of
around the house. One struck through
the roof of the veranda and rent asun-
der the floor just on the spot where
scarcely a minute before the manager
of the plantation, Herr Tiedemann, had
stood with an overseer.
The same afternoon three bombs
were thrown upon the Voca mountain
south of Apia, where the French mis-
sion has a school for native children,
one she'll falling close to the house of
the fathers, and another exploding in
the immediate vicinity of the house OF
the sisters.
On March 10th a shell fired from the
Philadelphia
EXPLODED TOO SOON,
and nineteen-pound piece of it was
thrown into the building of the Ger
man consulate, wrecking a part Of it.
This event, it is stated, taught the firing
parties to use a little more caution in
the future.
On March 18th part of the town
and the grounds in the rear, the letter
says, were searched by an Anglo-Amer-
lean landing party, strengthened by
about a hundred friendly" natives,
under the command of Captain Sturdee.
of the warship Porpoise.
The expedition landed in the Matuate
quarter of the town before the house
of wealthy French merchant, and
after a few aimless volleys the Tanu
men occupied the house of the French
man and battered down, under the
eyes of the English officers, doors and
windows and, the letter asserts, helped
themselves freely to whatever from the
store they could in the hurry lay hands
upon. Then the grounds were search
ed, though in vain, for Mataafa's war
riors. The letter follows this state
ment with bitter and sarcastic per-
sonal attack on Captain Sardee
1t then proceeds to
ENUMERATE THE REASONS
that led to the establishment of the
provisional government, which, it is
said, was to remain in existence until
an agreement of the signatory powers
regarding the future form of the polit-
zeal conditions of Samoa had been
brought about. The letter continues:
I'm the meanwhile the provisional
government, under the able leadership
of Mataafa, had maintained such order
and security as under no former gov
eminent Everybody felt secure of his
life and property, the Copra production
in the country commenced again and
there were Signs of prosperous times
coming back to the white traders. No.
body who represented material in
tereSts wanted change of the existing
conditions, the British consul and his
aide, Mr.. Sturdee, of course, excepted,
who, in order to give vent to their dis
satisfaction and to demonstrate the al
legged insecurity, maintained strong
guard in the British consulate and did
not give shore leave to the crews of
the warships, not to speak of
OTHER RIDICULOUS MEASURES