THE UNITED STATES AND SAMOA 271 



closed by the provisional government, and the orders of the 

 chief justice posted at the courthouse torn down by armed 

 troops of the government, the chief justice, supported by 

 the United States Consul General and Her British Majesty's 

 Consul, under the protection of the armed forces of the Por- 

 poise, will hold a court to-day at noon. If resistance is met, 

 which it is hoped will not be the case, fire will be opened to 

 support the rights of these two great powers." 



Thereupon Herr Raffel, no doubt recalling the words of 

 Louis XIV, declared himself to be the Supreme Court, and en- 

 couraged by the German Consul, he took formal possession 

 of the building in the name of the provisional government. 

 According to his threat, Captain Sturdee sent ashore his 

 marines, who accompanied Mr. Chambers to the courthouse 

 and assisted him in taking forcible possession of the prem- 

 ises. In this attempt to oust the Germans, personal encount- 

 ers between high officials took place, and Mr. Chambers 

 resumed his seat amid the mingled cheers and jeers of the 

 divided spectators. An indignant German resident violated 

 the sanctity of the courthouse by wilfully smashing its 

 windows, whereupon Justice Chambers ordered him to be 

 arrested, fined and committed to jail. Herr Raffel there- 

 upon released his compatriot, and the German Consul pro- 

 tested against the action of the American judge in fining 

 a German subject. The American and English consuls 

 returned sharp answers to Herr Rose, and thereafter even 

 the semblance of peaceful relations ceased between the rival 

 factions. As among the natives themselves, war between 

 the whites in Apia was virtually declared, and the marines 

 from the English and German gunboats in the harbor were 

 quite ready to respond to any call. In the meantime, Mat- 

 aafa with a force of several thousand warriors held Mulinuu, 

 the royal seat, and bade defiance to all who should seek to 

 dislodge him. In Apia a reign of terror was inaugurated; 

 throughout the island a season of riot and pillage began. 



When tidings of this new Samoan upheaval reached the 

 outer world, the three treaty powers seemed at a loss to know 

 just how to act. The occasion was an auspicious one for the 



