Jere Krischel at 22:25, 7 January 2006

2006-01-07T22:25:15Z

Jere Krischel at 07:39, 23 December 2005

2005-12-23T07:39:02Z

Jere Krischel at 04:57, 12 December 2005

2005-12-12T04:57:40Z

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928 HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.
Hopkins at any time. After he had left the legation my daughter said
it was Mr. Hopkins.
Senator PRYE. John F. Oolburn testified that Thurston had an
interview with them (him and Peterson) January 15, at 6 o'clock a. m.,
Sunday, and desired him and Peterson to depose the Queen; that in
the course of the conversation he said that he could inform us that Mr.
Stevens had given the committee of safety the assurance that if we
two signed a request to land the troops of the Boston, he would
immediately comply and have them lauded to assist in carrying out
this work.
Mr. STEVENS. Who put that question!
Senator FRYE. John F. Colburn testifies that Thurston in an interview
with him and Peterson said that Stevens had given the committee
of safety the assurance that if we two (that is, Colburn and Peterson)
would sign a request to land the troops of the Boston he would
immediately comply and have them landed to assist in carrying out
this work.
Mr. STEVENS. Nothing of the kind; as perfectly romantic as if born
of another age. I am sure Mr. Thurston never said anything about it;
he is a man of too much sense.
Senator FRYE. Mr. Colburn says further that immediately on the
landing of the troops he and Parker had an interview with you.
Mr. STEVENS. Parker is the one who came with Mr. Cleghorn to
protest.
Senator FRYE. And he says that he (Colburn) had an interview with
you; that in the course of that interview you said that there were a
number of women and old men in town besides children, who were
alarmed at the rumors of a revolution, and you wanted to offer them
protection; whereupon Colburn said, "You want to annex the country,"
and you replied, "So, those troops are ashore to preserve the Queen
on the throne, you gentlemen in your office, and to offer protection to
the community at large."
Mr. STEVENS. That is absolute, pure fiction.
Senator FRYE. Mr. Colburn says further: "We had under arms 600
men with rifles, 30,000 rounds of ammunition, 8 brass Austrian field
cannon, and 2 Catling guns."
Mr. STEVENS. Why did they not use them?
Senator FRYE. Did they have such a force1?
Mr. STEVENS NO; they would have used it on Sunday and Monday,
if they had had any such force. You have to look at the facts. I have
answered that before. There was a complete collapse of the Queen's
Government from Saturday afternoon of January 14. There was only
one attempt at an exhibition of authority, which was by a policeman
attempting to prevent two men carrying arms and ammunition up to
the Government building. They had two men only. That is the only
resistance they dared to make. Wilson knew every step that was
taken, knew that the Provisional Government was being organized,
just as you gentlemen would know of a railroad meeting in your town.
The CHAIRMAN. If there had been any force of 600 men under arms
and under the control of the Queen would you have known it?
Mr. STEVENS. There was nothing of the kind, or I should have known
it. The royalists party had two or three factions, one made up with the
Robert Wilcox element. So far as it was possible for me to know—I
used all the judgment and experience I had—1 was kept posted of the
purposes and intentions of the various organizations that were opposed
to the Queen and those in her favor; aud just as I have stated before,
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 929
there were two distinctive parties amongst the natives about the
Queen.
The CHAIEMAN. I wanted to know whether your sources of information
and the diligence of your inquiries made in regard to the actual
situation in the islands gave you an opportunity to know satisfactorily
to yourself whether they had as many as 600 armed force, or whether
they had any organization of a military character that was considered
dangerous?
Mr. STEVENS. My information was directly the contrary; the only
force that I understood they had was the native police force under the
marshal and the Queen's guard of 70, men made up of native boys, not
equal to 10 white soldiers. Ten American soldiers were equivalent to
the whole of them. They never made any resistance, and did not dare.
Senator FRYE. The Queen's ministers delivered an address which is
given by Mr. Blount in his report, in which they stated that Mr. Colburn
and Mr. Peterson reported that a committee of safety had been
formed at the house of Mr. L. A. Thurston and had made overtures to
them to assist in dethroning the Queen, and they intended to go ahead,
and that your assistance, together with that of the United States
Government, had been guaranteed to them. Is there any truth in that?
Mr. STEVENS. None; I never knew of it until I saw it in that report.
I never heard of it before. I never heard of it until I saw it in that
report, as also that other inquiry about my promising Soper. You
might ask me if that is in there.
Senator FRYE. Mr. Wundenburg further says that Mr. Soper was
offered the position of commander-in-ehief; that he hesitated to take
it; that he and others went over to see you, and then came back, saying,
"I understood them to say that Mr. Stevens had told them that if
they would take possession of the Government building and read their
proclamation, he would immediately recognize them and support them,
or, failing to get the Government building, any building in Honolulu."
Mr. STEVENS. 1 never heard anything about it until I saw it in
Blount's report. It is pure fiction, absolute fiction, as well as that
other statement that Soper wanted to take military command. I did
not know that Soper was to have the military command until I saw his
appointment in the newspapers. Soper never came to me to ask me
anything about it. The first I knew of Soper being appointed to the
command was one or two days afteward.
Senator FRYE. Kaulukou in his affidavit says that Minister Stevens
wrote a letter, which he gave to Charles L. Hopkins, in which he said
he would back and help the Provisional Government and not her
Majesty the Queen's Government.
Mr. STEVENS. That is all fiction.
Senator FRYE. Did anything like that ever occur?
Mr. STEVENS. NO. I maintained one fixed policy.
Senator FRYE. And that was utter impartiality between the two?
Mr. STEVENS. Yes. To the representations made to me before to
have the men landed, my answer was always the same, " The emergency
must be a striking one, and then only for the protection of life
aud property."
Senator FRYE. Paul Neumann, in his testimony, says that on Tuesday,
the 17th of January, Mr. Peterson and Mr. Parker, about 3 o'clock,
informed him that Mr. Stevens had told them categorically that he
would support with the United States forces a provisional government
if such were proclaimed. Did you ever tell Peterson or Parker anything
like that?
S. Doc 231, pt G 59

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 Mr. {{sc|Stevens.}} Why did they not use them?
-Senator {{sc|Frye.}} Did they have such a force1?
+Senator {{sc|Frye.}} Did they have such a force?
 Mr. {{sc|Stevens}} No; they would have used it on Sunday and Monday,

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Jere Krischel at 22:25, 7 January 2006

Jere Krischel at 07:39, 23 December 2005

Jere Krischel at 04:57, 12 December 2005