The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-22
JOAQUIN MILLER
HAUNTED BY Spies.
THE POET Is PRACTICALLY A PRIS-
oNER IN THE CITY OF
HONOLULU.
HIS COTTAGE HOME GUARDED
He SPOKE HIS MIND Too FREELY
TO PRESIDENT AND MRS.
DOLE.

It is possible that Joaquin Miller the
Poet of the Sierras, will arrive in San
Francisco by the next steamer from Homo
lulu as a ticket-of-leave man from Hawaii
with instructions not to return until he
has learned how to write newspaper cor
respondence in accord with the spirit of
the powers that be.
Mr.. Miller was received with open
arms by President Dole and his political
household last December and thereupon
the poet wrote some letters to several
newspapers in which he extolled the
young republic and its rulers and the arti-
Giles Just dubbed over with pleasant and
pretty sentences, such as Mr.. Miller knows
so well how to indite. Now, however, it is
stated that Mr.. Dole and his government
colleagues are more than ready to open
their arms and throw the poet out of Ha-
wall, bag and baggage, sonnets and all,
without saying, "By your leave, sir"
And it issall due to the fact that the poet
has written too much and has talked too
freely of what he has written.
@. w. Ashford, ex-Attorney-General of
Hawaii, exile and ex-leader eff the legal
profession in Honolulu, who is now a
guest at the Lick House, related the cir
cumstances of Joaquin Miller's favor and
disfavor with the Dole Government last
night.
II became very intimate with Mr.. Miller
before and after the alleged instruction of
January g. said Mr. Ashford, 'fand he
told me all about the queer experiences he
had met while in Honolulu just before 1
sailed away on the Arawa. Ny own OBJ
servations corroborated all he said.
at is my belief that Mr. Miller will come
back to America by the next steamer, with
injunctions not to visit Hawaii again ex-
cept under certain conditions. For several
weeks previous to the sailing of the Arawa
Mr.. Miller was watched by spies of the
Government, his footsteps were logged by
detectives ana his cottage at the base of
Puupui Chg HilD was constantly under
| the surveillance of the Government police.
! The poet soon became aware Of the fact
that he was constantly kept under guard,
and he explained to me the reason for it.
He told me that when he first landed in
Hawaii he was deceived. L thought he
said, that had come into a young and
struggling republic. While laboring under
that impression l wrote lot of articles for
American newspapers, in which l lauded
the efforts OF the PROFESSIONALS and praised
them for their patriotism. But I was very
soon undeceived. l found that the So
called republic was nothing but scurvy
ohgarchy-a species of tyranny carried on
by false pretense and under a false name
"Mr. Miller then told me-" continued
Mr.. Ashford, "that he had spoken his
mind very clearly and emphatically to Mr..
Dole and Mrs. Dole, with whom he had
established an intimate friendship. This
friendship had its beginning on the day
of the attempted revolution, when Mr..
Miller shouldered a gun and joined the
Government forces in their march against
the enemy which could not be found. The
frie ndship had its ending for good and all
short time thereafter when Mr. Miller's
eyes were opened to the truth, and he told
Mr.. Dole and his colleagues that they were
a set of tyrants over an inoffensive and
helpless people. That very day the poet
found that he was watched by spies on all
sides. Mounted policemen were sent out
to his cottage, two miles from the city,
and paraded In front of his garden gate
day and night. One day when |
went out to call on Mr.. Miller
l found a dismounted policeman in front
of the garden grazing his horse. When l
asked him what he was doing there he re-
piled that he was holding down his regu-
lar beat and keeping his eyes on the poets
home. But notwithstanding these signs
of evident disfavor Mr.. Miller continued
to visit Mr.. and Mrs. Dole every Sunday
But he had broken friendship with all the
other Republicans because one day when
he had spoken his mind rather freely he
had been threatened with arrest and con-
inement in Jail if he did not keep his
mouth shut.
"On the Sunday before the Arawa sailed
for San Francisco l met Mr.. Miller. He
was just returning from visit to Mr.. Dole.
He remarked that he and the President
had not parted as friendly as usual, be-
cause he had read to Mr.. Dole some letters
which he intended to send to America by
the Arawa. Mr.. Miller then read to me
some of those letters, and / must say they
were scorchers-red-hot arraignments of
the Provisional Government and an en-
phatic denial of what he had previously
written while under misapprehension of
the true state of affairs, accompanied by
apologies therefor. After reading these
letters to me Mr.. Miller said:
" 4 want you to do me a favor. 1 can
not trust this correspondence IN the hands
of the postal authorities of this Govern
ment. because l know my mail has already
been tempered with. You are going away
on the next steamer, the Arawa? Well,
want you to take a packet of letters-these
and a few more that l wish to add-and
see that they are safely landed in America.
Will you do it?'
81 promised to do as he desired.
Every good, he said. i shall be at the
dock just before the steamer leaves and
will give you the packet
"But he did not come. The Arawa came
and locked and took on passengers and
cargo, but Mr.. Miller did not appear.
The vessel sailed, but it carried no cor
respondence from the poet of the Sierras.
Among the articles which he was most
anxious to have printed was an account of
his visit to the Jail where the political
prisoners were confined and which he had
incautiously read to Mr.. Dole. 1t is nv
opinion that Mr.. Miller and his letters
were kept away from the steamer by
Government force"