The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-09-02
Maj. Gen. Merriam Has Had His
Share Of Service.
FIRST PRESTIGE IN CIVIL WAR
Helped to Conquer the Frontier.
West and Northwest At Fort
Laramie-Near Denver.

No appOintee from civil life is the
gallant Maj. Gen. Merriam, in whose
extensive dearment is military Ha-
wall. The veteran did not reach his
present station through the carnage of
the political campaign. The two stars
came to the straps of his shoulders at
the same time, but they were earned
and deserved. He was Colonel of the
Seventh Regimnt, L. S. Infantry, when
the country of Old Glory started in to
teach Spain humanity and good man
ners.
Maj. Gen. Merriam is at the Hawaii
an hotel. He is on a flying visit to
this section of his domain, which, on
the coast extends from Lower CalifOr-
mia, across Oregon and into the State
Of Washington He has headquarters
both at San Francisco and Portland.
The officer is anxious to return to his
duties in the States and will leave by
the first steamer if he can get passage.
Gen. Merriam has a cottage on the
Richards street side of the hotel
grounds and from force of expression
habit he calls that cottage a cabin.
The General, who secured his earlier
promotions and mentions during the
Civil War has been in the West and
Northwest ever since the conflict be
tween the North and South ended.
During the rebellion in the United
States he saw much field service and
always, either in action or as admin
istrative or executive head, gave a first
class account of himself. With those
who know the army, few officers are
held in higher esteem from the stand
point of ability and balance than this
quiet, modest Gen. Merriam. He is
tall. erect man, with iron gray hair
and youthful. handsome face. He
looks like a man of arms, a man Of
men.
AS interesting almost as the General
himself are the places he has been
since the Civil war. He has helped
materially in the making Of half a
dozen States of the West and North
west. Many, many years ago the In
dams were wary of Merriam. They
knew that when he took their trail he
followed it till he came up with them.
Merriam was master hand at getting
over the country, at pressing into ser
vice the invaluable Indian scouts and
at hunting out the secluded and diff
cult places Of hiding. A fine shot, a
good rider, a manager par excellence,
a leader IN whom his men always had
confidence, Gen. Merriam, as Colonel
of the old Seventh, has had a career
that would satisfy most men. One can
see determination cleaning from his
eyes and can know that his thoughtful
expression means force that is TO be
expended to purpose.
For several years Gen. Merriam had
a good part of the Seventh at Fort
Laramie, WyO. This is a mighty in
teresting spot 1t is at the confluence
Of the Platte and Laramie rivers, nine
ty-six miles north of Cheyenne, in
those days the nearest railway point
The telegraph line between the places
was unreliable as a native boy sent
on an arrand to a dry goods store. If
Merriam wanted something at Chey-
enne very much and the telegraph line
was down he put man on horse and
a message was sent through inside Of
twelve hours in summer and inside Of
sixteen in winter.
Fort Laramie was established by the
Hudson Bay Fur company SO far back
that no ordinary woman VIII admit
hearing when at school. Near the
bridge across the Laramie river is an
adobe fort that was built by the Hud-
son Bay people as a protection against
Indians. One night the Indians used
a raft and foated down to the fort and
almost took il by assault. Fort Lara
mie is the scene Of almost all of Gen.
Kings novel Queen of Bedlam," one
Of his very best stories. Fort Lara
ME, in the Argonaut period, was the
one place a white man lived between
Council Bluffs and Salt Lake City. Tt
is exceIlentIy described as Of that time
in TrOwbridge's story The Boy En-
igraaCs." one OF the strongest and tru-
est Of the numerous pieces of 40 liter
acure. Fort Laramie had the Red
Cloud agency twenty miles away.
There have been twenty thousand IN
dfans on the warpath within a hun
dred miles of Fort Laramie. Tom
Moonlight, Kansas politician, was COM