The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-20
Lieutenant HobsOn Has an Os-
culatOry Day in Kansas City.
Kisses Az Women at Coates
House Reception.
ALL PAID PENALTY.
Pretty School Girls Fall in Line
For Autographs.
Actress Pauline Hall Creates a
Sensation
One Newspaper Woman Tells
ALL PAID PENALTY.
One Newspaper Woman Tells
About the HObsOnR Kiss.

Kansas City, Dec. 20-Lieutenant
Richmond P. Hobson, the popular hero
of Santiago, was kissed to a standstilI
by the women of Kansas City yesterday
afternoon at the Coates House. The
Chicago record of a paltry less than 200
was smashed to smithereens, AT Kan
sas City women paying the penalty
which the young hero of the NTerrimac
exacts from every pretty woman he
meets.
Lieutenant Hobson arrived in the city
yesterday afternoon at o'clock over
the Santa Fe and after a series of
ovations held a reception for ladies only
between 4 and 5 o'clock. This was the
real event of the day.
There must have been at least 500
women who had gathered in the large
rOtunda on the first floor of the hotel,
overlooking the lobby, and they inn
patiently awaited the time when the
great hero would be led forth to
slaughter. They bombarded the door of
his room, but the committee took good
care that none of them got in to bother
him. They walked up and down the
promenade exchanging views as to his
personality and in particular in regard
to his good looks. 1t was a well gOwned
and well looking gathering of women
and some of the noted society leaders
of the city were there. The high school
girls were on hand in numbers, and
they We're all on the qui vive to see the
nero OF Santiago. They were inclined
to be disappointed that he was not in
his uniform, and it is a, matter of fact
that had the brave officer been adorned
with the regalia of his army position
he would have been kissed twice as
often as he was. Perhaps he knew this.
1t was AIS o'clock to the second when
Mr.. Evans and Mr.. EppersOn conducted
Lieutenant Hobson along the hail.
through a surging mass of women,
struggling, pushing women, to an ad-
vantageOus position near it's north end
and here a stand was taken, with re-
ceiving party made up of Commercial
club men, Lieutenant HObSOn and
newspaper men. When it was gravely
announced to the assem- blage that Lieu
tenant HObSon was prepared to meet
any of the ladies of the city who cared
to make his acquaintance, there was a
general stampede to get into the line
And the lieutenant braced up and look
ed handSOmer than ever, and smiled and
beamed, until the men present remark
ed to one another that they would not
blame any woman for kissing him. The
first girl who kissed Lieutenant HObSOn
in Kansas City was little Margaret Car
ter. the 12-year-old daughter of c. J.
Carter. After that there We're hundreds,
50 many of them, in fact, that the
newspaper men who had started out to
count them grew tired of the task when
the 267th had passed by and there were
several hundred more waiting.
Autograph in Demand.
Nearly every woman who confronted
the lieutenant wanted his autograph,
and before he wrote it he always grave
ly remarked, with a twinkle in his eye:
"Of course, will be delighted to give
you my autograph, but you know that
I have established an invariable rule
that she who receives my name must
pay the penalty"
And then the woman would blush and
look conscious and demonstrate and
finally wind up by gracefully yielding,
wit mn n nd
receive a warm kiss full upon the lips.
For the lieutenant exacted the full
tribute. He would have none of the
cheek but had to have it in the good
was a remonstrance to this, he would
gently, very gently, use a little force
upon the head, and bend the blushing
lips until they came in contact with his
own.
The women who kiss Lieutenant Hob
son will never forget him. He has a
way all his own, and it certainly looks
to be very ent1c1ng one. There is
nothing half-hearted about him, for he
puts his left arm about the girls neck,
places her head upon his left shoulder.
bends a smiling face down to hers, his
eyes looking into hers. and then-oh
well, there are several hundred Kansas
City women who know what happens
then. But it is a poem, and there were
a number of the girls, the pretty ones,
who came back a second time, and
quite few the third. OF course, there
We're some who would not be kissed un-
der any circumstances, but these We're
mostly married women who didn't know
just what their husbands would think
about it, and then it was public, you
know. But they all looked as if they
would have liked to, and no one could
blame them for their looks.
I just came to shake hands with
you said one particularly fine look
ing woman, as she beamed into his face
a look that belied her words.
but are you not going to pay the
penalty?' smilingly returned the lieu
tenant.
"Oh, my, nor came the startled re-
sponse. I have a husband
rs he larger than I am ?" came the
return, as HobsOn encircled her with
his arm. She didn't make any response
to this, as her powers of speech were
just then temporarily taken away from
was-but she came behind the line later
withhold her name.
The lieutenant wore a sprig of mistle-
toe in the lapel of his coat. One very
pretty girl with neat red bonnet
perched upon a mass of raven locks
unused as she came within reach of
Hobson:
Nov, if that mistIetoe were only
over your head but she never got
any further with that thought.
Pauline Halls Kiss.
Perhaps the incident of an afternoon
of incidents happened shortly before the
proceedings We're over A queenly look
ing woman, dressed ma agnificently, with