Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-09-14
astistellaneous 8satlins.
THE PIT OF MAoTA.
Climax Of q Mereiless War Betwesn
Samoan Tribes.

/ oE mNStS.
Climax Of q MereiIess War Between
Samoan Tribes.
I have always had great admira'
ton and affection for the Samoans
Practically I began my island career
in Samoa More than a score OF
years before Robert Louis Stevenson
went TO die on the verdured slopes OF
Vailima mountain, where he nov
rests, was gaining my living by run.
ming small trading cutter between
the beautiful islands Of Upolu, Sa-
vaiI and Tutuila, and the people
ever had my strong sympathies In
their struggle against Germany fol
independence.
Even so far back as 1865, German
agents were at work throughout the
group, sowing the seeds of discord
encouraging the chiefs Of King Nal
ietoa to rebel, so that they could sci
up a German pupper in his place
And, unfortunately, they have sue
ceeded only too well, and Samoa,
with the exception Of the island OF
Tutuila, is now German territory,
and the liberties of the people are
gone forever.
The Samoans were always a war
like race. When not unitedly repell-
Ing invasion by the all conquering
Tongans, who sent fleet after fleet to
subjugate the country, they were
warning among themselves upon va
rious pretexts-chiefiy SUGGESTIONS to
titles. land disputes, abuse Of neutral
territory, and often upon the most
trivial pretexts.
In my own time witnessed a SAN
culinary naval encounter between the
people Of the island Of Manono and q
war party OF ten great canoes from
the district of Lepa on the island of
Upola. saw sixteen severed heads
brought on shore, and personally at
tended many of the wounded.
And all this occurred through the
Lepa people having, at dance In
their village, sung song in which a
satirical allusion was made to the
Manono people having once been re-
duced to eating shell fish. The result
was an immediate challege from
Manono, and in all nearly one hun
dred Of the men lost their lives, vii
lagos were burnt, canoes destroyed
and thousands Of cocoanut and bread
fruit trees cut down and plantations
ruined.
Sometimes In battle the Samoans
were exceedingly chivalrous, at 9TH
ers they were demons incarnate, as
merciless, cold blooded and cruel as
the Russian police, who today slangh-
ter women and children in the streets
of the capital Of the Great White
Car, and I shall now endeavor to
describe one such terrible act, which
after many years Is still spoken OF
with bated breath and amid sup
pressed sobs and falling tears.
On the north coast Of Upolu there
Is q populous town and district nam
ed Fasito'otai. 1t is part Of the A'al1a
division of Upolu, and is noted even
In Samoa, a paradise Of nature, for
its extraordinary fertility and beauty.
The A'ana people at this time were
suffering from the tyranny Of Man
ono, a small island which boasted Of
the fact Of its being the birthplace
and home Of nearly all Of the ruling
chiefs of Samoa, and the extraordi-
nary respect with which the people
of chiefly lineage are treated by Sa-
means generally led them to suffer
the greatest indignities and oppres-
sions by the naughty and warlike
Manonoans, who. exacted under
threats a continuous tribute Of food,
fine mats and canoes.
Finally a valorous young chief
named Tausaga-though himself con-
nected with Manono-revolted and
he and his people refused to pay
further tribute to Manono, and
bloody struggle was entered upon.
For some months the war continued.
No mercy was shown on either
side to the vanquished and there Is
now a song which tells of how Palu,
a girl Of seventeen, with a spear
thrust through her bosom by her
brother-in-law, a chief of Manono,
shot him in the chest with a muzzle
loading pistol breaking off the spear
knelt beside the dying man, kissed
him as her brother" and then de-
capitated him and threw the head
to her people with a cry Of triumph
and died.
At first the A'ana people were VIC
torious and the naughty Manonoans
were driven off into their feet or
war canoes time and time again.
Then Manono made alliance with
other powerful chiefs of Savaif and
Upolu against A'ana and 1000 OF
them after great slaughter occupied
the town Of Fasito 'otai, and the A'ana
people retired to the inland fortresses'
resolved to fight to the very last.
Among the leaders Of the defeated
people were two white men, an Eng
lishman and an American, whose
yalor was so much admired even by
Manono warriors that they were
openly solicited to desert the A'ana
people and come TO the other side,
where great honors and gifts Of lands
awaited them. To their honor, these
two unnamed and unknown men re-
jected the offer with scorn and an
nounced their intention TO die with
the people With whom they had lived
so many years.
At their Instance many OF the
Manono warriors who had been
taken prisoners rad been spared and
kept prisoners instead of being
ruthlessly decapitated in the usual
Samoan fashion AMI their heads ex-
hibited with much ignominy from
one village to another as trophies
For two years the struggle contin-
ued, the Manonoans generally prov
ing victorious in many bloody battles.
Fasito' 'otai was surprised In the
night and two-thirds of its defenders,
including women and children, were
| Iclouphtarad cl Among thoea who died