The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-19
Stars and Stripes at the Grave
Of Gen. Lafayette.
A DECORATION DAY INSTITUTED
Mai. CoChrane's Inspiration Mar
ines-SearCh for a Tomb-Per-
sIstent Americans.

mornings that the sharp bow. high
white sides and revised masts Of the
U. S. F. S. Philadelphia could be seen
from the wharves of Honolulu. The
splendid floating fortress, capable also
OF almost flying was a striking picture
from PUnchbowl, from Roundtop. Tan
talus or Konahuanui, or from beneath
the palms at Waikiki beach.
Capt. Henry c. Cochrane, I. 5. VI. c.,
(now major with a Spanish war record
had seated himself with the writer in
the shade of the shelter of one Of the
heavy pieces of the port battery IL
was near the gangway. Out on the
other side we looked upon the odd little
lighthouse. with the reef and surf and
sea beyond. Along the opposite bend
of the bay were the handsome homes
OF the local boat clubs-Myrtles, Hea-
lanis, Leilanis, Aloha. The young men
were getting out shells and barges or
were lOunging or swimming. From a
small abandoned wharf native men and
women with shouts and laughter. were
making running jumps into the bay.
Solely for the purpose of drawing out
the veteran | had remarked to him that
for even. full grace and genuine gen
eral charm the Hawaiian half-caste
woman was the superior of the dainty
Thoroughbred of any kind or cline. 1t
was passing odd that there was no
german reply. 1t could not be that
| he gave the matter no thought, and he
had met the beauties of all lands. Some
| of these ladies were arriving for break
| fast aboard the ship.
! Just then a sergeant of the marines
a fine, soldierly fellow-apprOach 70
make a report to his commander. AS
the man left the captain began:
THAT young fellow is the complete
ideal of a living BERTHE Cecil, stepped
I from Ouida's Under Two Flags He's
a Britisher, was educated as a barris-
ter, enlisted as a bluejacket, became
a. marine and was with me in Paris.
He is capable a commission
Capt. Cochrane had detail of thirty
two United States marines at the Eifel
Tower exposition. l asked him what
sort OF showing they made with sam
pies of the other armies and navies.
The captain now became unreserved
fluent and earnest.
They were the best looking, best
drilled, best dressed, best behaved, best
paid, best fed and most intelligent lot
-, III ,ax
made them princes among their asso-
ciates and l was proud of them and
our country and its soldiery. Every
wealthy American who saw them made
them a present. They were in clover
all the time and had furlough and hall
a dozen honorable mentions in orders
when they came home. / have a pie
ture Of the company, taken at the
grave of Lafayette.
1T is certainly pardonable that
plume myself somewhat upon having
Instituted the custom of decorating tn
grave of Lafayette on the Fourth o
July 1t is a story that viii interes
you.
suggested the plan to me. This was il
the month of April. I had thought o
May 80 as the appropriate day for tn
ceremony MI Whitelaw Reid, thel
our envoy TO France was at once en-
/ thusiastic He said he knew a Llfay
+ cite, a bachelor member Of the depu
> ties or some legislative body. Nh
e Reid, certain that his acquaintance wa
e a relative of the man who made Franc
l and America such great friends, 81 one
! dictated letter TO him, setting fort
fully the plan and indicating a day an,
hour at which both of us would call
When we made the visit We wer
: kept waiting perhaps half an hour
gentlemen came in and offered wit
imperfect English the excuse of d@ten
=, ton on Public business. Very pleas
o antly did he entertain US He was tn
/ only living male descendant of tn
companion of Washington. His widow
: ed sister and her daughter were men
toned with the assurance that the
= would cooperate in the proposed exer
cises. NJ. Lafayette, on condition tha
we should assume entire control an
g direction and the management of a.
. details, consented to make an addres
in English.
Mr.. Reid was quite busy at this tim
and assigned me to executive worl
: which included enlistment of a commit
tee of prominent Americans. This va
no trouble at all. Then, about May
I set out by myself to have a look {
q the grave of Lafayette and mark a lin
Of march and parade position.
1T was a most astonishing thing br