The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-07-10
Mr., W. G. SMITHS CAREER.
sKF rCH OF HIS LIFE FROM TnE
JoURN ALIsT.
Escaped Death as n Child and
Greatness rs IL Man.


Journalist of New York for June 9th.
A full page picture Of MIR. Smith,
genial face graces the first page OF the
magazine and the following description,
whether published in earnest or fun, will
he fully appreciated by many here who
heard Mr.. Smith personally relate some
some of the episodes rehearsed.
Walter G.. Smith, editor OF the Homo
lulu STAR, and formerly reporter on the
San Francisco Chronicle, is the leading
orator OF the Provisional Government.
He is just now a candidate for a cabinet
position in the new government. lie is
backed by three thousand voters and by
the American League and annexation
clubs. Should a republic be formed
here, he will be in line Tor president,
with the best chance of any young man.
He would not be II candidate, Of course,
for that high office, but in the course of
few terms his friends would III &c him
for the position. He has achieved
marvellous success in the revolution.
Mr. Smith has had more narrow es.
capes from death than most men OF his
years. To begin with, he fell into
canal when baby, and was all but
drowned when a returned negro soldier
from the war hauled him out. A little
later his sunbonnet strings hanged him
to the picket of a gate, and he was
black in the face when his mother
found him. AS a small boy he tried
capital punishment again, hearing that
it was good for jeff Davis, and sus-
pended himself from balustrade by a
small rope, using a high chair, which
he kicked over, as trap. He was
promptly rescued, as usual. Then came
an experience in Brooklyn, when he
ran afoul of mad dog and missed
hydrophobia by the skin of the ours
teeth. In the same city he stood by
when premature explosion of shells at
military reception to O'Donavan
Rosa, the returned Fenian, killed the
boy who stood next to him and fatally
WOuHutu dnOlileT WHO stOOu Delllnu
Later on, while looking out of an open
window in his fathers country resi-
dence, bolt of lightning, which struck
near by, hurled him to the floor, but he
escaped unscathed.
In California, a lunatic tenant once
sprang upon him as he sat leaning back
in swivel chair and hurled him, chair
and all, through the plate-glass OF a
second-story window. His bruises were
of the slightest. Once again, while out
in one OF the launches OF the U. S. S.
Reserve of California, the forward LASH
ings OF a torpedo spar gave way just as
the torpedo was exploded, and his boat
rose on boiling column OF water, but
was not upset. Smith had innumerable
chances to fight dues with Mexicans
after newspaper story had connected
his name with a filbustering expedition,
and though he accepted them all, moth
ing was afterwards heard from the
challengers. Once or twice he has been
hunted by man with gun, down on
the Mexican line, for something that
was in the paper, and the narrative Of
one OF these Incidents, as lie tells it, is
quite amusing:
"Once printed something about
Captain Chapman which that old sea
dog did not like; and as soon as he had
read it he started to find me. We didn'l
know each other by sight, and it hap.
pened that, at the time, had gone
home to dinner. AS the story was
given me the next morning by a fright
ened clerk, the old captain had entered
the office, revolver in hand, and hat
sworn that he would turn me into &
human sieve. He searched high and
low and even went into a neighborinl
lodging house and looked under the
beds. Then he announced to the CLERK
in particular and the world in genera
that he would call at the Office in tn,
morning at ten and remove my vita
organs.
81 told the clerk TO let me know wheI
he saw the captain. At ten the sigma
was given, and | prepared for bushes
by putting cooked revolver under al
outspread newspaper on my desk wher
could keep my hand on it without tn
fact being noticed. Then | swung
small table at right angles with me Tor
barricade.
1.-The captain burst in and gazed a
me with red eye.
ISIS your name Smith, he asked POI
tentously.
81 said with proper modesty that
was.
"'Did you write that article?' he dc
manded with glare and hiss.
"'I did
"What in HI did you do it for?'
"'Well, it seemed to be good piec
of news
"'Good piece of news, you - -
-! Good piece of news! If you eve
do that again I'll split your - -
- head open with an axe Good
piece-of-news! o, h-lI
81 said to the excited Viking that h
ought to go and sign the pledge.
"Then Vesuvius broke out. Such
torrent of blasphemy never heard, an
it made me nervous. Slowly slid ii
muzzle of the pistol about under tn
paper until it pointed to his legs.
"Do you know what | am gong
do now,-you? he shriekedY As IL
man had one hand behind him and h
other one raised and clenched ! thoug
he would do sometmng-and he di
He fairly suffered with rage for N
ment and then said;
81 am going right down stairs
stop my paper and that is the last