The morning call., 1892-05-01
DIR. BYRON AD0NIS.

Death of Man who Was an Enigma.
Something About a Newspaper Scrap.
In the daily papers few days since ap-
peared brief notice conveying the infor-
nation that Byron Adonis had died in this
city on last Monday at the age of 55.
Byron Adonis was very tall individual
with rather sharp features. who wore a
reddish mustache and sometimes an i'm
perial, and who always wore his hair. a light
brown, down TO his shoulders. He had
bright eyes. an intellectual face and was
very intelli gent man, but he was very
eccentric and kept himself to himself as to
his past life. He was at times pleasant
companion and very entertaining con-
versationallst, but he became first a student
of spiritualism, then he turned his atten-
tion from that to theosophy and then en-
braced the Buddhist faith. There was
always deep mystery about his move
ments and his speech, and to those who
came in contact with him and sought to
ascertain who he was his unvarying an
swer was: 81 am Byron Adonis; where
came from cannot interest you, and
that which concerns me before you
met me is safest within my own
keeping" During his residence in lSan
Francisco he engaged in literary work.
established paper called the Free Thinker
and subsequently The Jewish Times. He
became chef of an order Of Buddhists. an
of late years turned his attention to that
almost altogether. For long time he was
tho sworn enemy Of womankind, but about
eight years ago he met young lady named
Bruce, the daughter of retired sea captain,
and she it seems turned him from his fixed
determination on the woman question. In
short, he, like many others who vowed never
to marry, fell in love and was to have been
married after courtship of four years. but
something occurred TO prevent him from
becoming benedict. and the young lady
dismissed him. Shortly before his death he
was taken sick, and when he saw that there
was not hope for him. he directed that his
body sho uld be sent to the crematory at Los
Angeles and that it be committed 10 the
flames according to the Buddhistrites. This
was done on last Friday. and, after the NOR
tai remains had been reduced to ashes,
these we're cast to the winds.
"To many" said gentleman to repre-
sentative of The CALL yesterday, byron
AdOnis was an enigma. but to nv certain
knowledge he was an Irishman. His name
was Stephen Byron Donohue. | first be-
came acquainted with him In 1867, when he
was introduced to me as DIR. Byron AdoniS,
special correspondent of the New York
Herald He was very modest and actually
blushed when the party introducing him
praised him for piece of newspaper work
he had done and OF which he had reason TO
be proud. He had been detailed from the
Herald TO accompany the officials who
were sent from Washington to take posses
sion Of the Territory of Alaska, which had
been purchased by William Ii. Seward,
then Secretary of State. for the United
States. Besides the officials who were to
receive the Territory from the officers of the
Russian Government, and DR.. Adonis, there
were other journalists sent out by the New
York Tribune, Times and other papers, and
each had strict Instructions to get the news
and never mind the expense. The parting
injunction 10 DR.. Adonis from the Herald
was BE sure to send us the first news
"He had been travelling correspondent for
the Herald for some time and prior to that
was during the civil war correspondent
from the front to the Chicago Tribune.
"Well, he was present ct the ceremony of
raising the American flag over the newly
acquired territory of Alaska, and he like
the others on the return trip prepared their
copy to hand to the first telegraph operator
he could reach, and it was to be rush TO
get the first copy on the operators desk.
Each had laid out his plan, but no one told
the others what he intended TO do. The
steamer on which they came down had to
lie to off Nanaimo, Is. c., and while there Dr.
AdoDis, un0bserved by his fellow jocrnal-
lists, got off the vessel and swan ashore.
He expected to find telegraph Office, bat
was disappointed and then he hired boat
and crossed TO the American side, where he
met with another disappointment as there
was nc telegraph operator there. He