The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-03-18
JOY TURNED TO GRIEF.
Odd Scenes in Honolulu When
Kalakaua's Body Arrived.
The People Had Prepared to Wei
come Their Ruler Home.

A correspondent who was on toard the
United States cruiser Charleston as it en-
tered the harbor of Honolulu with the body
of King Kalakaua describes the remarkable
scenes which followed. He says:
The yards of the Charleston we're cock
billed and the flag of Hawaii was floating al
half mast above our own ensign. fresenely
tho Admiral, who had been on the bridge
since daybreak ordered signals to % maze.
The Mohican, which was within the naroor,
recognized the sigua.s and answered them as
, we began to move slowly down the channel.
Nevertheless, the people on shore saw IN all
this nothing but a proclamation tnat tne
|, King whom they hat not expected I'LL oat,
urday, was with them three days before, ana
presently the fort began to fire royal sa'
fnte Ten guns had doomed out welcome,
when suddenly they stopped, as II the
. men who fred them knew that something
! was not right Meantime the Mohlcan mad
Buickly cocSbile1 it's yards and put on the
earb Of grief Its. flag at half mast sent
down the ensign on the British gunooat
Nymphe. A flagstaff near the water front
followed the example, and soon the Govern
p ment building was in the fashion. Tbs
wharyes began to throng with people.
Through the glass one could see on the tower
of the Government building anxious watch
ers. At the boat landing we saw q half
completed tr;umphal arch, bearing the IN
scription in Hawaiian: Return to thy
throne and remain forever with thy people"
A boat driven through the water by the
sharp quick stroke OF the native rowers'
dashed alongside our gangway, ana up tne
s:taps sprang Edward Macfarlane. Follow
inc him. at slo gait, came old John Cum
rnins, the Prime Minister,
WWhere is George?" demanded Macfar-
lane. and then shrank back as he saw the
coffin Of the dead King stretched beneath It's
canopy of Grape. T.,
seen five or six young girls, all In white, with
flowers and leaves about them. They were
chatting and laughing-a strange contrast
to the ominouS lul on the wharf below. iney
were the Kings dancers, the women whom
he delighted to honor while he lived. They
had seen their summer and they dld not
know vet that it was over. They waved
their handkerchiefs and garlands gayly with
light hearts They glanced at the throngs
moon the ships and wharves, and as II
ashamed that the welcome should be so
rmeayre redoubled their beckonings and waV-
jnps Finally canoe with two natives shot
past their shady haven. A word or two III
the native tongue was shouted. troE tne
lips of the women came qulck, furlouS 70
tort. The words were repeated, and there
Was no reply-only dull silence. Toe canoe
went on its way and the women were left to
|. their wild, hysterical bitterness:
After landing, and as the coffin was being
lifted into the sable hearse, there was most
extraordinary incident. Bursting through
the crowd, rank after rank, came a gaunT,
dishevelled woman Of great stature, though
,sbent with old age. Her arms hung down IN
front. swinging with the motion Of her body.
The face was haggard and her eyes were
bleared and had the expression OF an OK
struck down in the shambles. She danced
up and down the line, and then uttered a
strange unearthly cry. 1t was answered
from some point far away: She hoWiea
again and, with swaying OF body ana hang,
ing arms like the pendulum OF clocK' sue
began death chant. To describe the crea
= ture's voice and manner would be impossible
The words caught in her open throat all
-proiuced a curious tremolo. the voweI
sounds were predominant and formed an i'll
+ .definable ululation. Along the line, on tn,
wharves in the vessels shrouds, the chant
was taken up, and the scene grew barbara
drizzling rain set in, and as column altei
column fell into line with the hearse the Haau
started the Dead March, and the cries an
chants of the populace grew in wildness an
intensity.
Just as the hearse entered the gateway the
+ setting sun burst forth as if to give last
salute while above the towering pail, at tn:
+ back of the city, was seen a giant ralnoo"
set IN Jn6 SKY, "lpu duOluSI Ae'
people cried out as if it were portent. Int
wailinr increased and the mourners were
frantic.
Forth from an upper window in the palac'
on to the great porch which crowns the en-
trance rushed woman in black. She wa
fronzied with grief and shrieked loudly to th'
people. 1t was Queen Kapiolani widow o.
the dead monarch Her attendants dashei
through the window and seized her by The
Il l,oe fn met
the balcony to the pavement below. AS hel
unearthly cries resouuded through the palace
they were answered by the thousands be
meath and the scene was pandemonlum.
THE Hawaiian band burst into the air o
sNearer My God, to Thee" as the coffin wa
carried up the stairway, AMI a universe! CRY
from the people without went up as it dlSap
peared within the door.
1t is the custom for the Hawaiians to shaw
the right side of the head or beard at th
death of the King and many Of the kahai
bearers around Kalakaua's bier beautife'
themselves in this fashion. One old chap
who crouched in q corner of the room, ha
his beard chopped fancifully, so that the re
pulsiveness Of his countenance was magn;
fled. He was what the natives call ksu
or prophet, and belonged to the rae. O
Kahunas. There was a number OF thes
gentry in the room constantly, and the,
managed to make their voices heard in al
the wailing. Kalakaua was several sorts o
Kahuna himself, and wrote on the subjec
at great length. 1t seems that shortly afte
heasccnded the throne he was much terrified
to learn that the Kahunas or medicine men,
were endeavoring to ''pray him to death,
whereat he hastened to declare himself tn
chief priest of all the Kahunas, and after tina
he'd monthly meetings in his boat house
which he named the "House Of Wisdom.
At these meetings, which were held behin
curtained windows and amid the creates
secresy, species of Eleusinian orgy was car
ried on. There were present the Kahun;
maoli, or priests, the Kahunasnaana, o
sorcerers, the Kahuna uhane. or ghost doc
tors, and the Kahuna pele or doctors of vol
canoes.
The day after the Charleston's arrival
Queen Kapiolani sent for Admiral Brown te
come to the palace. She wished to hear from,
him description Of her husbands last days
When the Admiral arrived the scene was
affecting in the extreme. The poor woman
had had the lid Of the coffin removed, anG
there, wan and shrunken, were the features
of the late King. She seized the Admiral by
the hand as he entered the room and al
most dragged him to the bier. II can hardly
believe it is he" she cried. Had he changed
SO much when he diedg' The Admiral ex
| planned the incidents Of the Kings last ILL
ness and strove to pacify her, but she per