The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-05
UNEARTHED BY A REPORTER
RUDOLPH sPRECKELs AND vOLNEY
ASHFORD THE CHIEF PLoTTERs.
Talk with w. p. Morrow, the Active
Agent of the Alleged COnspiratOrs-
Plans Of the Filibusters.


scheme. The Chronicle says:
One of the best conducted and most dan
gerous filibustering expeditions ever fitted
out on American soil was uncovered in San
Francisco yesterday. Its object is-or was
to take the Hawaiian Republic by force of
arms, restore to the throne ex-Queen Lili-
uokalani and divide lands money and goods
worth approximately s27. .OO0.0 600. among some
two hundred freebooters picked by ones
and twos in western America. The active
agent of the conspirators is W. p. Morrow,
native of Connecticut. aged thirtyrone,
and. he says, recently a resident of Grass
Valley, Gala. He is still in San Francis
co under surveillance, so that the federal
authorities can get him if they care to do
so. The headquarters of the filibusterlng
expedition has been at No. Ill Bush street,
dingy. fiat-fronted boarding house. There
the agent of the conspirators has been re-
ceiving day and night motley crowd of
men, who call in response to his cautiously
worded advertisements published in this
city and elsewhere.
Morrow admitted last night, when forced
into corner, and told that the game was
up, that he had been engaging men to go
into Hawaii and overturn the republic. He
had told before to a reporter now the thing
was to be done, and had stated plainly who
the men were behind the scenes. Among
them he enumerated one of the exiled Ash
fords, and he declared that Rudolph Spreck-
els was the man with the money who was
backing the project spreciels. he said.
had already concealed large number of
rifles in the, Island of Maui. so that they
would be ready when the filibusters reached
the islands.
The first local intimation of the expedi-
tion appeared in an advertisement a few
days ago. The advertisement which led
to the discovery of the filbustering scheme
appeared in a morning paper Of Tuesday,
July sO 1t reads:
Observation-Disclosures and hunters, to es-
cort prospecting party. Good pay to good
men. State age. Fare, SIG. Address Box
1853, Examiner Office"
A reporter answered this advertisement.
and in few days received the following
typewriter reply:
"We want men for an expedition and there
will probably be some fighting in the inter-
est of $4,000 people, with less than 5000 to
oppose them. Only a small organized body
only little as soldiers, being newly recruited
and officered by civilians without the ca
pacity or discipline. Pay will be S25 and
upward per month, ACCORDING & to what hat you GU
coffee land in bearing to fix you for lfe
You will have to furnish rifle and ammu-
milton. If prospects suit you, answer and
a meeting can be arranged"
MORROW TALKS TO A REPORTER.
1t was easy to see what this meant The
10000 people referred to comprise the royal
lists and native population of the Hawaiian
Islands. The five thousand are the people
who are loyal to the Dole republic. The
reporter then arranged an interview with
Mr. Morrow and called on him at the
boarding house on Bush street. The ex-
petition was discussed and the reporter
evinced a desire to join it.
Have you any idea of the goal OF this
expedition he asked.
The reporter said that he thought it
might be Salvador.
"Tha. is a mistake" was the reply. "The
scheme is to restore the Queen of the
Sandwich Islands to her throne. We will
enlist two hundred to four hundred men
from here and take sailing vessel from
this port within ten days or two weeks. We
have been giving out false information as
to our starting point, telling that we were
to start for Alaska or some other north
ern port. We SHALL however, 60 from here
i'm about ten days. 1t will take about SIG
to buy the necessary outfit of clothes and
ammunition, arms, etc.
1.-THE Dole government owns three-quar-
ters Of the landed property in the islands,
and the proposition is that if the expedition
is successful to distribute the captured
property to the adherents and send Dole
and his supporters out of the islands with
out a cent The standing army consists of
120 men and forty officers, besides a militia
of $50 men. The armament of the standing
army is six Gatling guns. which are sta
toned at the palace. In the city of Hon.
olulu the Dole government claims three
thousand adherents, and of these three
thousand, one thousand friends of the
royalists. Out of 10 men who make up
the standing army We claim to have five
men who are ready to do the bidding of
the revolutionary party, and out of the
militia We can command the services of
fifty men.
THE proposition is to capture the five
steamers that ply between the islands. and
then approach Honolulu and capture the
revenue office and bank of Bishop & Co.,
there being from 100000 to s5OO.O00 in the
revenue boxes and bank. The proposition
in regard to the Queen is to place her on
the throne as a mere figure-head, the head
of the revolutionary party TO be in control
of affairs.
ARMS BOUGHT BY SPRECKELS.
Rudolph Spreckels has planted one thou
sand stands OF arms TO be used by the rev.
olutionists on the Island of Maui" con-
tinued Morrow. The Spreckels have little
use for the provisional government. They
could furnish arms 10 the natives. except
that the natives could not use them. and to
this fact / attribute the failure of the last
uprising. In the party that is to leave
from here there are three or four men who
are acquainted with every inch OF the
islands. Among them are volney Ashford.
We have an attorney who is giving us ad-
vice and who Is to accompany the ex-
pedition. His name is Bashford. In re-
gard TO the makeup of the party, there
are about two hundred men, nearly all
cowboys from New Mexico Arizona and
Texas and most OF them are here scat
tered around
Morrow said that the natives and people
in general OF the islands would welcome
the revolutionary party and. AS ne ex
sFessed Il. would consider II ike getting