Jere Krischel at 05:16, 11 January 2006

2006-01-11T05:16:31Z

Jere Krischel at 01:02, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T01:02:21Z

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G8G HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
one of the ministers, Mr. Parker, that all the native members of the
Legislature were willing to have this cabinet out, and they expected
to get one or two of the whites to go with them, and to vote them out
very shortly.
Senator FRYE. That was Parker?
Mr. YOUNG. Sam Parker, yes; a former minister of foreign affairs.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you communicate that to Oapt. Wiltse!
Mr. YOUNG. Yes; I told him that myself.
The CHAIRMAN. But the minister did not believe there would be a
disturbance of the cabinet, and he went away on this cruise?
Mr. YOUNG. Yes; he did not believe there would beany disturbance
at all.
The CHAIRMAN. And took his daughter with him?
Mr. YOUNG. Yes; he believed that the ministry had come to stay
and they could not be removed.
Senator GRAY. What was the date of this cruise?
Mr. YOUNG. Fourth of January when we left Honolulu.
The CHAIRMAN. Did Minister Stevens have any other part of his
family with him?
Mr. YOUNG. Yes; his wife and another daughter were in Honolulu.
The CHAIRMAN. They did not go with you on the cruise?
Mr. YOUNG. NO; they remained at home.
The CHAIRMAN. Where did you first go?
Mr. YOUNG. The first to Hilo, the port of entry, situated on what is
known as the island of Hawaii, the largest of the group, and we
returned to Lahaina, on the island of Maui. An intimate friend of
mine came on board near midnight from the island steamer that had
left Honolulu the afternoon preceding and communicated to me that
the Wilcox ministry had been voted out the day before and another
one appointed in its stead. I told Captain Wiltse and Minister
Stevens. At the time we were getting up steam to return to Honolulu
in obedience to orders the evening before that we might arrive there in
the daytime.
The CHAIRMAN. IS there any telegraphic communication between
those islands ?
Mr. YOUNG. NO ; they attempted to construct an inter-island cable,
but it soon corroded and was rendered useless.
The CHAIRMAN. YOU have to depend on steamers for communication
between the islands?
Mr. YOUNG. Yes, the inter-island steamers. They make their trips
twice a week. One is the Widler Company and the other is the Inter-
Island Steam Navigation Company.
The CHAIRMAN. HOW many days were you getting into Honolulu
from Hilo?
Mr. YOUNG. We left Hilo and returned to Lahaina and were there
two days. We left Lahaina at 12 o'clock on the 13th of January, and
we arrived in Honolulu at 10:30 o'clock on the morning of the 14th of
January—Saturday.
The CHAIRMAN. Did Minister Stevens immediately go ashore?
Mr. YOUNG. I am not sure about it. I was sent for by the captain,
at least, I was off duty and he requested me, which was equivalent to
an order, to put on full dress uniform and accompany the consul-general
to the ceremonies of the prorogation of the Legislature. Before
the ship was secured even, I left the ship.
The CHAIRMAN. Who was the commander of the Boston troops that
landed ?
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 687
Mr. YOUNG. Lieut. Commander Swinburn; he is down at Annapolis.
The CHAIRMAN. Had you been invited to attend the ceremonies of
the prorogation of the Legislature?
Mr. YOUNG. We had been invited; yes.
The CHAIRMAN. That is customary?
Mr. YOUNG. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. A matter of ceremony?
Mr. YOUNG. Yres.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you attend the prorogation?
Mr. YOUNG. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Were you with any troops?
Mr. YOUNG. There was no one but myself; I was in full-dress uniform.
The CHAIRMAN. DO you know whether Minister Stevens left the
ship before you did?
Mr. YOUNG. No. My impression is I left before he did.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you go immediately to the Government house?
Mr. YOUNG. I went first to the consul-general's and we drove
together to the Government building.
The CHAIRMAN. That is not Iolani palace?
Mr. YOUNG. NO ; it faces it, some little distance from it.
The CHAIRMAN. About how many yards ?
Mr. YOUNG. I should say about 400 yards.
The CHAIRMAN. AS much as that?
Mr. YOUNG. It may be less—about 300 yards. The palace is situated
in a large square, and King street passes in front of the palace. There
is a kind of yard in front of the Government building, I should say
between 300 and 400 yards very nearly.
The CHAIRMAN. Had you seen the consul-general before that day?
Mr. YOUNG. NO; I went to the consulate to meet him.
Senator FRYE. Who was the consul-general?
Mr. YOUNG. Mr. Severance. I went direct to the consul-general's
office, and we together went to the Government building.
Senator BUTLER. YOU mean the consul-general of the United
States?
Mr. YOUNG. Yes.
Senator BUTLER. Was this Government building where the legislature
met?
Mr. YOUNG. Yes, sir; that is where the Legislature sits, but it was
also the su|)reme court chamber and the other offices in the same
building; but the large hall was the legislative hall. The Legislature
was composed of nobles and representatives sitting in joint session.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you proceed immediately with the consul-general
to the Government building?
Mr. YOUNG. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. What was going on when you got there?
Mr. YOUNG. When I got there there was quite a crowd around the
rear end of the building, and two or three leading Americans and
Judge Hartwell, who was one of the leading lawyers of the place and
minister under Kalakaua, informed me that the Queen contemplated
the promulgation of a new constitution immediately after the adjournment
of the Legislature, and asked me if I would not go on board ship
and inform Captain Wiltse. I went in to speak of it to Consul-General
Severance, and he laughed and said, "I do not believe a word of it."
I went in and was shown the seat assigned me in the legislative hall,
a little to the left and in front of the rostrum where speaker used to

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Jere Krischel at 05:16, 11 January 2006

Jere Krischel at 01:02, 12 December 2005