The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-09-15
0NDNO BEAR DISGRACE SAYS He DID NOT DRAFT THOSE HAGSTN CHILDREN
THE NATTER Is REFERRED TO
SECRETARY OF TREASURY.
Coast Papers Object to Their Staying
as They Think 1t a Bad Precedent
The Hawaiian Side Explained.

The Hawaiian Side Explained.
The deplorable condition of the six
Hagsten orphans, who were sent to
San Francisco from this city on the
Rithet last month, is exciting consid
cradle attention in Honolulu.
The children are now under the care
of the Salvation Army in San Francis
co. They were allowed to land upon
bond of So. 5000, furnished by the En-
aminer, which paper will forfeit the
security in case any of the children
become a public charge.
Immigration Commissioner Stradley
has forwarded the bonds and a report
of the matter to the Secretary of the
Treasury, by whom the bonds must
be accepted and approved before the
children will be allowed to become
residents of the United States.
Mr.. Stradley has said that he would
make no recommendation to the Sec
retary of the Treasury in the matter
of the four younger children, but thai
he would file strong protest against
allowing the II year old girl to land,
as he had been informed on reliable
authority that she was not proper
character.
The commissioner as well as the
press of San Francisco are condemn
ing the Honolulu people for dumping
their paupers in California. They are
strongly opposed to the children re,
naming in the country, as it would Of
fer precedent for. making the State
open to paupers. The commissioners
admits that the condition of the help
less children is certainly deplorable
but he insists that it is no worse in
Hawaii than it is in San Francisco.
A number of kind hearted persons
have applied to Major Winchell for
permission to legally adopt the chill
dren.
Notwithstanding all the San Fran
cisco people have said about the mat
ter, there is another side to the story
The Honolulu people acted in per
fectly good faith about the matter,
and it was not until the consent of At
torney General Smith and Marshal
Brown had been obtained that the
children were sent up to San Francis
60 at all.
| j. W. Luning, acting for himself
| and a number of charitable ladies, was
instrumental in sending the children
away. He says of it:
AT the time that Mrs. Iagsten was
dying and her children were starving,
she had six children and no husband.
| The Youngest, - months old, was
adopted by family at Eva, and the
eldest was If years old. The benevo-
lent people of Honolulu raised the
money and supported the family un-
| til she died
! "1he Salvation Army, through Adj
! imtant Smonson and his wife, were
| constant in their endeavors to do ev-
erything for the woman and later for
| the children. As there was no posi-
| bility of anyone taking charge ot
such a family here, the adiutant ent-
cred into correspondence with the Sal
vation army of San Francisco. After
two or three communications. this let
( ter was received from Major Winchel
of San Francisco:
"My Dear Mrs. Simonson: We car
take the children all right and will bc
glad to do so if there are no strings
to hold them. If they can be got here
we will look out that they are proper
ly cared for and are given every ad
vantage as far as education both ir
spiritual and other lines is concerned
God bless you. Faithfully,
(Signed.) ''W. w. WINCHELL.
"P. S.-All that is necessary is tina
we get the children given to us law
fully, and the mother had better sigI
an agreement to that effect if we ar,
to have them"
Upon the receipt of this letter,
continued Mr.. Luning, 81 went aroun,
Il 10 tl,.t
passage to San Francisco. Through
the kindness of Brewer & Co. the chill
drein We're taken up on the Rithet.
The Hagsten orphans have no reln
tions in Hawaii. An uncle and aun
are living in Wisconsin. The las
three children were illegitimate.
The woman left $3.50 with Mr.. Lun
ing when she died which will be dis
tributed equally among the six chill
dren when Bertha, the second, be
comes of age.