Ken Conklin at 04:29, 25 June 2007

2007-06-25T04:29:25Z

Jere Krischel at 06:00, 3 February 2006

2006-02-03T06:00:02Z

Jere Krischel at 05:24, 23 December 2005

2005-12-23T05:24:29Z

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Jere Krischel at 04:54, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T04:54:33Z

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896 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
Mr. STEVENS. I think I did not. it is barely possible I sent him a
note speaking of the danger on shore; but I think not, because the
naval officers were as well aware of that danger.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you send him any request?
Mr. STEVENS. None except that which is on file.
The CHAIRMAN. And which you took with you ?
Mr. STEVENS. I think I took it with me; I have no recollection of
sending it by any person. That is my memory.
The CHAIRMAN. IS that the paper which you prepared and presented
to Capt. Wiltse and upon which the discussion arose as to a more
enlarged scope of the order which he gave to Capt. Swinburne?
Mr. STEVENS. That is all: and perhaps it was not more than two
minutes' talk. After I carried my note, we compared them and found
out the difference.
The CHAIRMAN. Tour attention was called to the fact that Capt.
Wiltse's order
Mr. STEVENS. Went further than mine.
The CHAIRMAN. Upon what precedent had you formulated the
order which you took with you on board the ship?
Mr. STEVENS. I had been in a revolutionary country before as minister,
and 1 had gotten used to the formula, and the request that I carried
to Capt. Wiltse was the formula I was then familiar with. The
files of the legation show that. I knew that Mr. Bayard's instructions
went further; but they had passed out of my recollection. When I
sawr Capt. Wiltse's order, I remembered that Mr. Bayard's went further
than mine.
The CHAIRMAN. Where were you a minister before?
Mr. STEVENS. In 18G7,1870,1871, and 1873 in Paraguay and Uruguay.
Uruguay was in civil war nearly all the time.
The CHAIRMAN. You were minister there?
Mr. STEVENS. Had charge of the legation.
The CHAIRMAN. HOW long did you stay there ?
Mr. STEVENS. Three years. Paraguay had just gotten through that
struggle with Brazil, and Uruguay was in a state of war for two years
and a half, which was settled during my residence there.
The CHAIRMAN. SO that you had gotten familiar with the duties of
U. S. minister under the circumstances you have given?
Mr. STEVENS. Yes; and the responsibilities of a naval commander,
which made me exceedingly careful on every point.
The CHAIRMAN. Had you returned on shore before the troops left
the ship ?
Mr. STEVENS. Before the troops left the ship.
The CHAIRMAN. Where did you go?
Mr. STEVENS. TO the legation.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you give any orders or advice as to the manner
of landing the troops, the streets through which the troops were to
proceed or march, the place at which they were to be posted, or the
place where they were to be encamped ?
Mi. brEVfiNo. At first we arranged that a portion should go to the
United States consulate.
The CnAiRMAN. Who arranged ?
Mr. STEVENS. Capt. Wiltse and I.
The CHAIRMAN. Where was that done?
Mr. STEVENS. On board the ship. And as many at the legation as
we could take. If our grounds could take any more, we would ; but
we could not encamp more than 15 or 18. I assumed that the marines
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 897
had their camp utensils, and I then learned that they needed a hall for
the first time
The CHAIRMAN. Why did you request that any troops be sent to the
legation ?
Mr. STEVENS. Why did I?
The CHAIRMAN. Yes.
Mr. STEVENS. For the reason that the state of anarchy in which the
city was, and knowing that the only government which existed there
was that committee of safety and the citizens back of it, and the military
force that we had—knowing that the legation is the one of all
other places around which there should be some men, and that was a
more important part of the city where a dozen men could be sent this
way or that way to take care of the contingencies of fires. By stating
a little more in this connection you will understand it better. The only
two things that were new to me on the part of the request of the naval
officers was this: So soon as we found that they were to land I learned
from Capt. Wiltse and his officers that they must have a hall no stay
in and maps of the city for use in case of fires. So that from the time
I struck the legation, at 4 o'clock, up to nearly 10 o'clock, my entire
time was consumed in finding maps and a hall for the officers and men
for the night.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you go out in town ?
Mr. STEVENS. I stayed at the legation and sent a messenger.
The CHAIRMAN. Whom did you send?
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. Pringle.
The CHAIRMAN. Your aide-de-camp?
Mr. STEVENS. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you, at the time you left the ship and made
this arrangement with Capt. Wiltse, have any apprehension that
there was any danger of life and property at the American legation?
Mr. STEVENS. I knew this, that there was a liability of a crank—or
irresponsible persons—liable to come there and alarm my family.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you expect that the Queen's government or
any mob ot citizens of Hawaii would possibly or probably attack the
American legation?
Mr. STEVENS. NO. What we alluded to were irresponsible parties
in the night setting fire to property.
The CHAIRMAN. YOU apprehended that danger?
Mr. STEVENS. We appiehended that danger.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you apprehend that danger?
Mr. STEVENS. I apprehended it, or I would not have consented to
the landing of the troops.
The CHAIRMAN. Did you apprehend it as an attack on the legation ?
Mr. STEVENS. I did not apprehend that the representatives of the
Government or the Queen would have anything to do with that.
The CHAIRMAN. YOU also agreed that Capt. Wiltse should send a
detachment to the consulate ?
Mr. STEVENS. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Had Mr. Severance requested the presence of any
troops there ?
Mr. STEVENS. Prior to my visit on board ship, without my knowledge,
Mr. Severance had communicated his fear to Capt. Wiltse.
The CHAIRMAN. Did Capt. Wiltse so tell you ?
Mr. STEVENS. Capt. Wiltse so told me. And, still more, Capt. Wiltse
had the note, and while I was on board the consul telephoned Capt.
Wiltse that he would give a signal in case there was an outbreak.
'S. Doc. 231, pt 6 57

@@ Line 133: / Line 133: @@
 any mob of citizens of Hawaii would possibly or probably attack the
 American legation?
 Mr. {{sc|Stevens.}} No. What we alluded to were irresponsible parties
 in the night setting fire to property.

@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
 two things that were new to me on the part of the request of the naval
 officers was this: So soon as we found that they were to land I learned
-from Capt. Wiltse and his officers that they must have a hall no stay
+from Capt. Wiltse and his officers that they must have a hall to stay
 in and maps of the city for use in case of fires. So that from the time
 I struck the legation, at 4 o'clock, up to nearly 10 o'clock, my entire

Template:896-897 - Revision history

Ken Conklin at 04:29, 25 June 2007

Jere Krischel at 06:00, 3 February 2006

Jere Krischel at 05:24, 23 December 2005

Jere Krischel at 04:54, 12 December 2005