Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-03
MORE ABOUT ADONIS.
THE DEAD BUDDHIST WAS A
NEWSPAPER MAN.
Man Who Met Him Tells More of His
Career-Some Creditable Work
For the New York Herald.

A gentleman who knows something
regarding the career of the late Byron
Adonis, who was incinerated here with
Buddhist rites, tells the following story
to the San Francisco Call; 3ni-
ITO many" said he, byron Adcnis
was an enigma, but to my certain
knowledge he was an Irishman. His
name was Stephen Byron Donohue. I
first became acquainted with him in
1857, when he was introduced to me as
DIR Byron Adonis, special correspon-
dent 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 pos
session of the territory of Alaska,
which had been purchased by William
H. 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
6OAO OOU Wy viiO ANOW AOAA
Tribune, Times and other papers, and
each had strict instructions to get the
news and never mind the expense. The
the Herald was, "Be sure to send us the
first news
ssHe had been travelling correspondent
for the Herald for some time and prio,
to that was during the civil war cores
pondent from the front to the Chicago
Tribune.
swell, he was present at the cere.
mony 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 operator's desk. Each had
laid out bis plan, but no one told the
others what he intended to do. The
steamer on which they came down had
to lie to off Nansimo. B. c., and while
there DR.. Adonis, unobserved by his fell
low journalists, got off the vessel and
swan ashore. He expected to find a
telegraph Office, but was disappointed
and then he hired boat and crossed to
the American side, where he met with
oAVoA0I uAcdpPOAutmcAts 66 tucTo WAS
no telegraph operator there. He
bought horse to ride twenty seven
miles to the nearest telegraph office, but
before he reached there the animal
gave out, go he bought another and
reaching his point Of destination turned
in his message, which was flashed across
the wires to this city and from here to
New York. From New York it was
wired back to this city and published
in the morning papers. The steamer
bearing the other correspondents
reached here and each hired hack
ana we're driven as fast ss horsefesh
could 80 to the telegraph office, and as
each laia down HE message with the
significant letters r. L. H., which every
operator understands, they were, to use
term Of today, knocked out to learn
that the news had been published in
New York and had appeared in the San
francisco papers twelve hours before.
The Herald appreciated this scoop and
sent Dr.. Adonis handsome present.
After that DR.. Adonis continued to
write for the Herald, taking in the
South Sea islands and Mexico. After
that he returned tn this citvo