The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-05-31
STRANGE STORY OF A FLAG.

 } Soon after Judge Chambers, who i. : now member of the Spanish wal claims commission, was sent to Samoa by President Cleveland he attended ono
 of the great gala festivities and feasts
 so famous among the natives of thes;
 Pacific islands. These feasts are nev-
 CT to be forgotten by those who once
 attend. The natives come from many
 milesaround the islands, Most of them
 reach Apia, where the feasts take place
 In boats. Sometimes there are over five hundred boats, with from two to eighty
 four oars each, and containing persons
 enough to fill them. The scene is one
 of the most picturesque to be found in
 any part of the world. Before the
 feasts boat races and aquatic sports take place i'll the harbor of Apia and up to the time theislands were partitioned
 the representatives of the foreign gov ernments were interested spectators, and the natives considered the presence
 of the foreigners a great and important honor.
 The feasts might be callel picnics, for they are held in the open air. but in-
 stead of pies, pickles, cakes, sandwich es and lemonade, the customary re- l treatments at picnics, the natives kill l and roast hundreds of pigs, geese, l chickens and other fowls, besides hav- l ing many varieties of fish Some beau 1 tiful grove is the only table, and the 1 ground where the food is spread is COW
 cred with the rich green leaves of the
 banana tree. The greatest hospitality I is always evidenced. the natives paying especial attention to their guests. At l the conclusion of the feast it is the cus- l tom to divide the remaining food among the people, it being proportioned &C., cording to position-the higher a man | stands the larger the amount of left over food he has sent to his house. In this, as during the course of the feast, there is the greatest precision in the
 management At no time is there a scramble. The occasion is delightful
 one to people upaccustomed to it.
 All the native chiefs bring flags of some kind when coming to the feasts' and take the greatest care of them"
 said Judge Chambers in describing
 Samoan feast to group of friends the
 other day. They are fond of any kind
 of flag Those chiefs who cannot secure the flags of nations use fancy pieces of cloth and tattered garments. He is ai
 poor man and unmportant chief who
 does not own a flag. Looking out on
 the beautiful scene in the harbor of
 Samoa on this gala day that I have
 spoken of I noticed a boat flying a flag that could not make out. took a glass and saw what I thought was Confederate flag. I could not believe 1t possible, however, and waited until the boat came nearer Then I saw plainly that 1t was a genunirle flag of the Confederacy. naturally was greatly interested and sent one of my servants to ask the chief to come to see me.
 When he came I began questioning him about the flag but he would give me no information. He was man of good features and was apparently chief of consequence in his neighbor- hood. I, of course, wanted to get pos- session of the flag, and did not SUD- pose that I would have the least trou- ble in doing so, particularly as the na- tives were fond of exchanging flags and that of the United States was a favorite with them, the flag of Eng land being next and of Germany next.
 T offered the chief a flag of the United States for his Confederate flag. He said quietly that he could not make the exchange. l then offered him a new flag of England or of Germany, He refused these also and I suspected that he was trying to drive shrewd bargain with me. I next offered him a bolt of cloth worth considerable money. and when he refused that I of fered him a barrel of meat. the most 1 tempting and costly thing in the mind l of native. As nothing could induce 1 him to make the exchange asked him l his reasons for refusing.
 Tn reply he said that one day long | ago white man came to his hut. He | the man had come from | Apia. He had several bundles in his | and preserved them with | the utmost care. The stranger, the | chief told me. was q man of great dig l nifty and of an amiable disposition The natives soon came to love him much and took pleasure in providing 1 him with every delicacy they could ob- tain. The chief himself became deep- | ly attached to him and when the white | mans health began to fail there was regret among the natives When the stranger saw that his end was near he called the chief to him and directed that one of the bundles in his possession be opened. Then there was displayed a beautiful sllSen flag, but worn by handling.
 "'See that fag?' said the stranger; well, it was the flag of my nation-a great people. It went down iN defeat, put I decided that it should never be So left home, kinsmen md friends and came here with it. I I'm going to give it to you. Never let ] white man have it in his hands
 That was the dying injunction of he stranger and the chief had sworn hat the flag should always remain with him, He had made his tribe wear to keep it and never part with {; that when he died the succeeding hlef should take 1t and bury 1t where 10 human being would ever find it.
 "The chiefs story was told in sim 'le but affecting words. I made many I ther offers to secure the flag, but he 1 vas firm to the end and went away l hat afternoon with the flag in his oat. l instituted some inquiries later nd sent several trusted natives to the