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Mr. REEDER: I do not know what you call a large crowd. It is only a guess; there might have been 1,200 to 1,300 people there.
The CHAIRMAN: Did you see any military array, any troops drawn up in line under arms?
Mr. REEDER: No.
The CHAIRMAN: Was the crowd to which the Queen was speaking excited?
Mr. REEDER: I do not know; they did not seem to be; there was a good deal of earnestness about it.
The CHAIRMAN: Did the Kanaka population exhibit any more excitement than the balance of the people?
Mr. REEDER: I did not see it. The truth of it was there was nothing but the Kanaka population there, I guess.
The CHAIRMAN: Have you any special knowledge about what occurred in Honolulu during the period of that revolution? I would like to know what you know about it; what your observations were.
Mr. REEDER: At between 2 and 3 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon the proclamation was read. Now I was not there at that, but I was out where I could see a good deal of a crowd. There was only a handful there, comparatively, to me. And then following that the marines came up and took their station near the premises, or near, between the two houses a little away from the gates. There were three roads that came up from the west end of the town, and is a pretty large three-cornered square, is there, and they took possession of the square---- each of the three roads up into the city. That was on Monday.
Senator GRAY: In the afternoon?
Mr. REEDER: Afternoon---- close to 5 o'clock---- late in the afternoon. They took their position there.
Senator FRYE: You did not see any marines paraded on Tuesday?
Mr. REEDER: Tuesday?
Senator FRYE: Yes.
Mr. REEDER: They were there on the grounds.
Senator FRYE: Did you see any marines paraded on Tuesday when the proclamation was read to take possession of the building?
Mr. REEDER: My memory is not clear on that point.
Senator FRYE: Where did you see them?
Mr. REEDER: On the grounds; but I can not say that they paraded or not. They were right there on the grounds.
Senator FRYE: What were they doing?
Mr. REEDER: I do not know whether I saw them paraded or not; but they were there.
The CHAIRMAN: That is the point in the case, whether you saw them paraded. I understood you to say that you did not witness the reading of the proclamation.
Mr. REEDER: I was not right there.
The CHAIRMAN: Where were you?
Mr. REEDER: I was not far away.
The CHAIRMAN: How far away?
Mr. REEDER: Right across the block---- maybe two blocks.
The CHAIRMAN: Were you in full view of the audience---- the crowd?
Mr. REEDER: Oh, yes.
The CHAIRMAN: At that particular time or before that time?
Mr. REEDER: Before what time!
The CHAIRMAN: Before the proclamation was read?
Senator GRAY: On Tuesday?
The CHAIRMAN: At the time the proclamation establishing this Provisional
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Government was read, did you see any United States marines drawn up in line, armed, etc?
Mr. REEDER: I do not know whether I saw them right in arms, but they were there. I could see them. I was up a square or two. I could see them there before the Government house.
Senator FRYE: How do you mean you saw them? Were they in line? Or do you mean to say you saw some straggling soldiers?
Mr. REEDER: I do not know whether they were in line, drilling.
The CHAIRMAN: In line of battle, drawn up ready to fight?
Mr. REEDER: I could not tell that; I saw them there.
Senator GRAY: Do you know where the troops were quartered, in Arion Hall, a building back of the Opera House?
Mr. REEDER: Yes.
Senator GRAY: Was it there you saw them?
Mr. REEDER: Yes; close in the vicinity of the Opera House.
Senator GRAY: Were they not in the rear of Arion Hall, inside the fence?
Mr. REEDER: I saw them scattered all around the hall and near the opera house.
Senator GRAY: Do you mean that the marines were out beside the Government building, where you could see them and anybody could see them?
Mr. REEDER: Yes; I saw them there. They were not in the grounds of the Government building.
Senator GRAY: Quite a body of them?
Mr. REEDER: Yes.
Senator GRAY: Did they have arms?
Mr. REEDER: I could not tell exactly whether they had their arms. I was within a block or so of them.
The CHAIRMAN: Pretty large crowd at the time that proclamation was being read?
Mr. REEDER: No; there were only a few.
Senator GRAY: Did you see the troops when they were landed on Monday afternoon?
Mr. REEDER: I did not see them during the time they were landing; no.
Senator GRAY: You saw them march through the streets?
Mr. REEDER: Yes.
Senator GRAY: Did you have any previous information that they were to land?
Mr. REEDER: No; I had not anything.
Senator GRAY: You said the first you knew of any troops from the Boston being ashore was seeing them on the streets, marching?
Mr. REEDER: Yes.
Senator GRAY: From what direction were they marching?
Mr. REEDER: They were marching up from where the Boston was landed, up through one of those streets.
Senator GRAY: What was the public impression, so far as you were able to gather it? You were out there and in contact with the people, were you not?
Mr. REEDER: Yes.
Senator GRAY: What impression did you gather as to the object of those troops landing; what was the popular impression?
Mr. REEDER: I did not know and do not know anybody else who did know. I was just waiting developments there and seeing what I could see.