The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-26

Author OF by Rect ana PdiM. @e'
have always had a great admiration
and affection for the Samoans. Practically
I began my island career In Samoa.
More than o SCORE OF years before Robert
I,ouis Stevenson went to die on the YER
di,red slopes Of vailima Mountain, where
he now rests, ] was gaining my living py
running O small trading outer between the
beautiful Islands Of Upolu, savaft end
Tutuila, and the people ever had my strong
sympathies In their struggle against Ter
many for independence.
Even 90 far back a. 1895, German agents
were at work throughout the group, sowing
the seeds Of disoord, encouraging b ohlels
Of King 'Malietoa to rebel, so that they
could set up Q German puppet In his place.
And, unfortunately, they have succeeded
only too well, and Samoa, with the ex-
ception Of tho island Of Tutuila, 10 now
German territory. and the liberties OF the
people are gone forever.
The Samoans were always Q wariike
race. When not unitedly repelling In
weston by the all conquering Tongans'
who sent fact after feet to subjugate the
country, they were warning among them
selves upon various pretexts-sucoessions
to chiefly titles. land disputes. abuse OF
neutral territory, and often upon the most
trivial p~retexts.
In my own time I witnessed q ~sanguinary
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 Upolu. Isaw sixteen severed
heads brought on shore, and personally
attended many Of the wounded.
And all this occurred through The Lepa
people having, at q dance In their vtllagei
sung a song In which O satirioal allusion
was made to the Manono people having
once been reduced to eating she'll fish.
Tho result was an immediate challenge
from Manono, and In all nearly ono hum
bred men lost their lives, villages were
burnt, canoes destroyed Thousands
Of oocoanut and bread fruit trees out down
and plantations ruined.
Sometimes In battle the Samoans were
extremely ohivalrous, at others they were
demons incarnate, as meroiless, cold blooded
and cruel as the Russian police, who to-
day slaughter women and children IN the
streets of the capital of the Great White
Gear, and I shall now endeayor to describe
one such terrible act, which after many
years Is still spoken Of with bated breath;
and amidst suppressed sobe and falling
tears.
On the north coast Of Upolu there 10 q
populous town and district named Fash
to'otai. It is part Of the A'ana division OF
Upolu, and is noted even In Samoa. q para
disc OF Nature. for it's extraordinary fertility
and beauty.
The A'ana people at this time were suffer-
ing from the tyranny OF Mapono, q small
island which boasted Of the fact Of It's being
the birthplace and homo OF nearly all Of the
ruling chiefs Of Samoa, and the extraordi-
nary respect with which people Of chiefly
lineage are treated by Samoans generally
led them to suffer the greatest indignities
and expressions by the naughty and war
like M~anonoans, who enacted under threats
q continuous tribute Of food, fine mats and
canoes.
Finally, q valorous young chief named
Tausaga-though himself connected with
Manono-revolted, and he and his people
refused to pay further tribute TO Manonoi
and q bloody struggle vas entered upon.
For some months the var continued.
No mercy was shown on either side to tho
vanquished and there is now q song which
tells OF how Palu, q girl Of II, with q spear
thrust through her bosom by her brotber-in-
law, a chief Of Manono, shot him In the
chest with a muszle loading pistol. breaking
of the spear, knelt beside the dying a
kissed him as her brother and then de-
oapitated him and threw the head to her
people with a cry Of triumph-andadied.
At first the A'ana people were victorious
and the naughty Manonoans were driven
of into their fleets Of war canoes time and
again. Then Manono made alliance
With other powerful chiefs Of savaii and
Upolu against A'ana and 1000 Of them
after great slaughter occupied tho town Of
Fasito' otai. and the A'anA people retired to
inland fortresses, resolved to fight to the
very last.
Among the leaders Of the defeated people
were two white men, an Englishman and an
American, whose valor was 90 much adj
mired even by the Manono warriors that
they were openly solicited to desert the A'ana
people and come over 10 tbe other side,
where great honors and gifts Of lands
awaited them. To their honor, these two
unnamed and unknown men rejected the
offer with soorn and announced their in
tention to die with the people with whom
they bad lived for 30 many years.
At their instance many Of the Manono
warriors who had been taken prisoners
had been spared and kept prisoners instead
Of being ruthleesly decapitated In the usual
fashion and their heads exhibited
with much ignominy from one village to
another as trophies.
For two years the struggle continued, the
Manonoans generally proving victorious In
many bloody battles.
Fasito'otai was surprised In the night and