The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-03-26
LENDERS OF COMPANY 4 STAND
BY THEIR OLD COMRADE.
Evidently Tried and Found Guilty by
Hitchcock Alone-Drummer Boy EX-
plains Honeck's Actions in Palolo

Frank Honeck's friends are not lack
ing in Company \. Last evening after
the drill of that company the volunteer
soldiers discussed the return of their
eX-comrade to the city. Those who
knew him and had served with him
during the days of the rebellion in '95,
at Telegraph hill in Palolo valley,
where Marshal Hitchcock and other
Government officials insist that he re-
treated to the bushes and fired upon
his comrades, expressed "a strong de-
sire to meet him at the earliest pos
sible moment and welcome him back
to the company's quarters, where he
was once, and still is, the pride of all.
Lying upon the large meeting table
in Company AS quarters last evening
was a neatly rolled paper which was
held in place with a rubber band.
Capt. Paul Smith exhibited the papers
to Star representative with the
words: These are the papers which
show that Frank Honeck was honor
ably discharged from my company.
Some little time after he was sent
away from here by the authorities +
forwarded the papers to him at Seat
tie. But he never called for them, not
knowing they were there, perhaps.
The papers came back and have been
in my possession ever since. | shall
go aboard the Marion today, if | have
time, and hand the documents to Ho-
neck. In examining the papers 1 find
that Honeck is mistaken in his claim
that there was inserted in his enlist
ment papers a clause which stated that
his American citizenship was retained.
He made a solemn promise to support
the Provisional Government, and be-
lieve that he did"
Capt. Smith talked freely on the
points touching the case of the exiled
militiaman.
Said he: Frank Honeck enlisted as
a volunteer in Company A, of which
was and am now captain, on August
23, 1894. He was a painter by trade
and bore good reputation. During
the months that he was in my com
mand, | found him to be a most ex-
cellent volunteer, good in his attend
ance at drills and ever on hand in
emergencies when the Government
needed his services. When he was ar
rested and thrown in prison it was Il
I
ings with him in Jail advising him to
make a fight and not submit to the re-
quests of the Marshal to leave the
country forever. Col. Fisher also told
him to stay. But Honeck claimed that
he could get no trial and he had bet
ter go. When he made up his mind
to do this, / Immediately secured his
honorable discharge in the National
Guard of Hawaii. | was afterward
ushered into the Office of Marshal
Hitchcock and given a severe repri-
mand, as he chooses to call it, for my
action in Honeck's behalf"
Probably the staunchest friend
Frank Honeck had in this city is Man
ager William c. Fetter, of Loves bak-
cry, and first lieutenant of Company
a. They were friends while peace eX-
listed before the rebellion in '95 and
have beben good friends ever since. 81
want to see Frank the worst way"
said Lieut.. Fetter last evening. 81
have never gotten his full side of the
story, for after he was arrested none
of us were allowed to see him. Honeck
was generally liked by his military as
sociates and there is not one who
would listen to the charge that he was
a traitor to them and the Govern
ment." t
Emil Fetter, drummer in Company
\, was with Honeck at the time of the
alleged shooting of his comrades in the
back. Company A was in camp on Tel
egraph hill and Fetter and Honecll, de-
/ string to get survey of the country,
started to scout among the bushes on
the side of the hill. They kept on un-
til the bobtbtbom of Palolo valley was
reached. Honecll espied a shining tin
can about 300 yards up the valley and,
being a good marksman, remarked to
Fetter that he would move it. He
later saw something moving about up
on the hill and desiring to discover
what ii was, fired off his rifle to at
tract attention. 1t was discovered to
be Company \ in camp, the men hav-
ing lost their surroundings by wand
ering about so much,
/ Emil Fetter corroborates this eXpla-
nation of the affair and is firm in his
belief that there were no gully mo-
/ tives on ioneck's part.
Other members of Company 4 had
much to say in Honeck's behalf last
evening. 1t is quite probable that