Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-17
THE. PEOP|[ SAMOA
RICHMOND MAN SAYS NO cANN1BALs
ON THE ISLANDS.
NOR ARE THERE ANY OYSTERS
re Di.credits Part of the Story Told
by e. NJ. Taylor, the Man Who Re-
turned to swansboro, Few Days
Ago After Five Years, Absence.

To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
read with considerable interest a
story in the Sunday Dispatch, haaded
Modern John Smith, and purporting to
give an account of the experiences (?)
of Mr.. E. NJ. Taylor, Of Swansboro, in
Samoa. I am sure that one other man in
Taylor to a Dispatch representative
can almost see this other gentleman,
after reading the account of Mr.. Tay-
lor's experience, as his face lights up
with that kind indulgent smile of his
which has made so many warm friends
for him since he has been resident Of
our city. I refer to Captain tHarrie Web
ster, United States navy, now inspector
for the United States navy, at the Will
litm R. Trigg ship-yards.
Both Captain Webster and myself spent
several years in and around the Samoan
Islands, during which we each had
abundant time and opportunity to study
the islands, the people, and the natural
products.
Both Captain Webster and myself are
survivors Of the great shipwreck in those
1SlaHQS Oh Tie LIN OdS VI Ndd1Cu 4co',
when six men-of-war (three American
and three German warships) were wreck
ed, and over 600 lives were lost. We.
therefore, have pretty good cause to re-
member Samoa, and the Samoans well.
and their native customs and habits.
Mr.. Taylor's account of the inhabitants
of these islands says they are Gambia
listic If So they had abundant oppor-
tunity to feast on human flesh for many
months after the shipwreck, as FeTe
were over 1900 officers, seamen. =
rires from the American and II
.nen-of-war, pretty we'll scattere er
the Island of Nopolu. and the eight ada
cent islands of the Samoan group. du-
ring the succeeding three or four months.
KIND AND HOSPlTABLE.
Of the Americans, who were among
this number. there is not one living to-
day, but that does or should speak of the
atives Of these islands as kind. hos
pitable people, and in feelings of deepest
gratitude So Captain Cooke, the note1
English explorer. found them in the
forties. and SO nearly 1000 American OIL
GERS, seamen, and marines found them IN
1859, and 1891. The history of the United
States navy, up to date, records but one
instance up TO within the past two years
where an armed man. from an American
man-of-war, was ever landed, on any of
these islands. This instance was in jan
uary 1885, when detachment OF blue
Jackets and marines were landed at Apla
the capital of the islands, to protect the
Samoans from the invasion of the Ger
mans, who held the King, Maleatoa,
prisoner. So much for Mr.. Taylor's &C
count Of being landed to quell disturb
ances in those islands
Again Mr.. Taylor speaks of being
hnn
angs Such a weapon is unknown to
these people Their native weapons, be-
fore learning of and owning the Spring
field rifle, were war clubs and spears,
made of the cocoanut tree, covered al
most with sharks teeth, fastened on
with woven cocoanut FIBRE So far as
l could learn by my travels in the South
Seas, the boomerang is utterly unknown
except to the natives or "bushmen," OF
Southern and Western Australia.
THEIR COSTUME.
AS to the costume of the Samoans,
Captain Cooke. in nls account Of them.
says he found them wearing the "lava-
lava"-a covering reaching from the
waist to the knees. made of the beaten
bark of species of mulberry tree STAIN
ed in weird and fantastic patterns. This
was the costume I found them wearing,
| except around the many missionary set
! Elements scattered throughout each OF
| the nine islands of the group. Around
| these villages. the women during the
| dry season, wear the long, loose. flowing
mother hubbard, so familiar to many OF
| US here at home. AS for the wooden
shoes, Mr.. Taylor speale Of, in all my
| travels among these and other Islands IN
| the South Pacific ocean, never saw or
heard of a native who wore a shoe OF
any kind, and I wildly recall my trying
| to teach the two daughters of Suamana-
| tafa, Maleatoa's '.chief talking man." to
wear slippers, but utterly failed.
| Again Mr.. Taylor says he swan two
| miles to an '*oyster sloop," and made his
escape. No waters in the world are more
| thickly-infested with the terrible man
eating sharks than are the waters around
these islands. I saw abundant evidence
of their number and ferocity III the dis
membered bodies of both American and
German men and officers, washed on the
beach after that awful shipwreck. Now
| for the ''oyster sloop.'' What an oyster
! vessel of any kind was doing in those
| waters is beyond my ken, as oysters are
unknown in the South Seas. and while l,
with many others. searched the shores
/ of these islands many times for edible
shell FISH, to relieve the monotony OF
| canned beef and hard tack, our routine
diet no one Of US ever found anything
in that line to reward us for our trou-
| BILE.
In conclusion would say that I have
| travelled all over the world and can ado
| my testimony to that Of Captain Cooke,
| who, half a century before, found the
| natives of the Samoan Islands, one OF
| the most hospitable and friendly races OF
| people, to utter strangers in the world,
| and in this I feel assured that Captain
| Webster will bear me out, as during our
sojourn in Samoa, they literally .idolized
1 him. w. r. 5.
/ Richmond, Va, September 18th.
Tnsnectfon Next Week