The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-05-12
TALES FROlI HAWAII.
A NAVY OFFICER FROM THE SAND
WlcH ISLANDS TALKS.
King ~anehaMe Ill and His Dislike Of
an American Lieutenant - Cultivatiny
the Good Nature of the Hawaiian Peu-
~ple-Yarns About Other kinps.


An officer of tho navy who recent
returned from a cruise of the Pacif
squadron. and who spent many month
cruising among the Sandwich Islands, Re-
lates an interesting story in connertio,
with the convivial habits of some of tn,
monarchs OF that kingdom. He savstha
the navy department. at the reouest o
the state department. has been speci6,
in its instructions since the civil wal
that commanding officers and other of
hcers Of the navy should as far as pos
sible caltivAtat lac most friendly aegaaint
anee with the Hawaiian people. He
went on TO say:
There was q time when it was mn.
parent that the people Of those islands
had not any desire 10 have friendly in
terconrse with American navy officers.
M was when Lieutenant later Rear
AdmiraD William REYNOLDS was naval
storeSeeper 1t Honolulu il is. and stail
theretwo or three years. He had a man
ner that made him many friends and
also many enemies, aad King Kane
hameta LII was espec lily offensive to-
ward the lieutenant. The king sought
every opportunity to now his dislike of
Lieutenant Reynolds
"At that time IL latter was ON the
reserved list of the navy. and the king
concluded that he was not Obliged 10
show nm the same amount of courtesy
that would be due to him if he were on
the active list. But in 1851 Lieutenant
Reynolds was. upon his own application.
put back on the active list. and after the
close of the war, III 1866, he was sent to
Honolulu in command Of the s~loop-of-
war Lackawanna.
'Ihe Laskawanna remained in Homo
lulu harbor for more than IA year. and
her long stay there excited the distrust
II King kamehameha. and he employed
q person detailed on the Lackawanna to
do a shrewd piece of detective work-to
secure copies of the dispatches of Can
tam Reynolds to the navy department at
Washington. The person employed for
this c~landestine work was enamored of
n OF h Hawaiian women of noble
birth and considerable wealth. and Bill
Ragsdale, a ksnaka and one of the smart
est politicians in the kingdom and a man
OF great power and influence in the royal
family, encouraged the lover in his ,e-
sire to marry the Young woman and
promised him ultimate success il he
should secure copies Of the confidential
correspondence between Captain Revn-
olds and the navy department.
The correspondence wa secured and
gwen TO h'assdale. who then Informed
upon the young indn who had PLAYED
false 10 his commander. and instead Of
marrying tne girl he was court martialed
sentenced Ia imprisonment on the no
or1ous Dry Tgrtugas. Ragslale after
ward had 10 be sent to the island Of Mo-
okal, where all lepers are exiled and
where he died a few years ago.
The Lackawanna VS. succeeded by
he sloop-of-Re3r Nohpueo. Of which the |
ate Rear Adm'ra! Edward Simpson WIS
ommandar, aud tn latter. by his dinlo- +,
matte tact and keen Judgment. soon won I
Alng hamehalneha over. and the officers I
! the Mohbnge became very popular at a
ourt and received every attention and
ourtesy during TIL dozen months that I
ne vessel WAS III Honolulu harbor. King
,ameiiameha wa succeeded cn the Ha-
'allan throne br his brother Lunalilo.
opularly known as Whiskers Billy. be- @
fuse OF his fondness for his beard. which 4
as of luxurious growth. Lunalilo also a
ld a fondness for that which would in .
,fiate. but as there was a 10 license il
Is, 50 far as selling liquor to IA o
Hawaiian was concerned - he "
ade 1t "A practice to visit friendly war G.
fps To satisfy his appetite. a
"Lunaliio lived only IA short time. Ka- Fl
took Lunalilo's place on the II
rome. and he was a fair successor and s.
cceeded pretty well in sustaining the
OF his predecessor as an anti
lie also was fond Of a
game of poker, and when simply k,
David he engaged in many an in III
game, Billy Emerson. the ne N
. minstrel, had as II of his gags r.
the stage i'll san Francisco that he yc
sat III a poker game with five kings. sr
ow 5 that said the middle man. Why. II
cid four and Dave was the other. said re
ly. This was a game in which it is co
d the minstrel held Kalakaua for a W,
4 amounting e 81 800. dc
In 1874 Kalakaua visited this country Fl,
ming to San Francisco on the war YES 70
Benicia. Upon the arrival of the pu
at San Francisco. Lieutenant Com to
lnder W. H. Whiting, recently on duty
the navy yard. and who has been or A
ed to command the Alliance. now at ca
nolulu. was detailed To take charge of he
royal party and escort it to San Fran Sc,
co. A good round sum was provided ST.
its entertainment by the state depart tt
and fine kinp and his Marty had a II
hit royal time. of
You viii no doubt recall the joke in
ich the officers have had on Lieuten-
William s. Cowles, who is now ma
attaehe at the London legation. Yer
the visit of the Queen Dowaser pc
TO This country a few years ev
J. He HID command of the iunketing 10,
L Disnate- Mhen tie nnean was taken ~