The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-15
LILIUOKALANTS WELCOME HOME.
How Honolulu Received the Former
Queen.


honolulu Special IN New YORK Tribune.
The homecoming of a throneless queen
partakes more of the nature of a funeral
than fete. There was this about the re-
turn of the deposed Liliuokalani to her lost
kingdom that impressed every one who wit
messed the midnight scene. Hundreds of Ha-
WalianS greeted her at wharf and home
and native Honolulu was ready for a night
in the barbarism from which it sprung Lii
uokalani had come to her own again and
her people welcomed her from their hearts
The Gaelic, on which Liliuokalani was
midnight of Aug. l. off Hoko Head Once
before the natives had prepared to welcome
her, when she did not come, but, undeterred
by the disappointment, many of them
thronged to the deserted wharf and made
ready to welcome the woman who was still
a chief ainess to them. The white people.
who might have scoffed, remained to wonder
at the simple dignity and fervor of the well
come, and the perfect respect of ii ALL and
those who had thought that Liliuokalani
was not loved by her people had their
doubts set at rest.
1t was o'clock before the Gaelic was
sighted, but every passenger was on deck
for queens do not land every night. 1t was
some time before Liliuokalani appeared on
deck Rot sound greeted her. Every ma
tive. ms n stood with barred head and most
tered sound until the Queen herself broke
the spell by greeting them with an affec-
tionate Aloha" which meant much from
her lips. The response was a quick and
fervid chorus of "Alohas."
At Washington Place. the home of the
Queen and the Dominis family, the cere-
monies of the night began. In spite of
the hour all of the Queens retainers were
gathered within the spacious grounds and
servants in livery stood at the gate and at
the front door. The Queen could be seen sit
ting in lonely state at plain deal table, of
a type to be found in most American kitch-
ems, but though the table was plain. there
was no one good enough to sit at it with the
Queen. AS she ate native girls waved white
feather kahiliS above her head.
After supper the Queen received her re-
tanners. The fell their knees m o.
randa outside her door. and, still kneeing,
crawled across the floor to her feet where
they touched her hand with their lips.
Nearly all of the faithful ones were old,
the young Hawaiians looking on askance
at ceremony that seemed to them incon-
gruous. The old people did ii naturally
and simply. and crawled backN ard out of
their Queens presence. Two old women
and an old man were droning in melan-
choly recitative the metrical history of the
royal family No one paid any special at
tention to them. But their sad voices made
the night like one in old Hawaii 1t was
Ike the funeral of chief.
AT daybreak the natives were still cele-
brating the homecoming in their own way.
The kukui torches were faring in broad
daylight and women with bundles of twigs
were sweeping away the flowers that had
been scattered in the pathway OF the
throneess Queen.
Liliuokalani says that she is satisfied with
annexation, indeed glad of it. though II was
a shock and surprise to her. She expects
justice at the hands of the American peo-
pie, and thinks that she will have a better
chance to recover crown lands from the
Americans than from the Hawaiian repub-
lie. She denies that she had made any eff
fort to recover them as yet, and does not
think she will make any proclamation to
her people Though she looks exceedingly
we'll and is stately and handsome. ii is be-
ueved she has cancer, as her physicians
have so advised her, and, though II Is said
rot to be malignant. it's presence in the
cords of the neck is a constant source Of
WORRY to her.