The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-19


an actual fact THAI no one seemed TO
know where the remains OF this noble
and famous man had been placed.
hunted for days. was aided by many
volunteers and paid men. Mr. Reid
communicated officially with the Gov
eminent and We learned that his in
quiry was being referred from one bu-
reau 20 another.
"Abou; the middle OF May al of Us
We're we'll nigh in despair. One day
1 ran across a genuine young Ameri-
can who was married 10 a French
woman. He was from san Francisco.
but was at home enough'in Paris and
with the language 20 be u very success
full professional guide. Well. he knew
where Lafayette's grave was-said
man from Chicago with Baltimore
bride had given him 500 20 find il
week before. He started 20 describe
the location. but took him right along
with me.
The tomb, very simply inscribed.
was in a small cemetery in one Of the
most interesting sections or districts OF
old Paris. Near It was a still smaller
cemetery where there had been inter
red 1900 victims of the Reign OF Ter
ror. This was told in a few lines on a
weather beaten sign over the broken
gate. Overlooking both these burial
grounds was a convent made famous
in a novel by Victor Hugo. One could
study in that vicinity for months.
May 50 was now an impracicable
date for the ceremony and we fixed up
or July 4. There was quite Il gather
ing. though there was no intent 10
make it a general affair. The Ameri-
cans present outnumbered the French.
We raised the stars and stripes and
fired a salute. Then my men stacked
arms and fell out. The color sergeant
laid his flag on top OF the rifles. The
sister and niece OF NJ. Lafayette, who
were dressed in black, walked over to
the line of arms and gently lifting
fold of Old Glory kissed it reverently.
That was a superb and real tribute to
the United States-sweet and simple
and all of us were affected.
M. Lafayette's speech was n success
beyond our most sanguine hopes, eX-
cepting perhaps the very last sentence.
He SPOKE of our country and his
own: of our immortal forefather and
of his own great ancestor; of our presi-
dent and his president; of Mr.. Reid and
myself and of the occasion. Then
came his peroration and his accident
/ from lack of practice with English. AS
NEARLY as / can recall, he said:
LIT is peculiarly fitting that this re-
cognition of the worthy son of such a
thriving. busy Republic as France has
become, should be at the hands Of c!d.
zens Of that great model and time-tried
Republic, that country Of brave and
brilliant and generous men, that coun-
Itry of such grand institutions and com
plete liberty, that country which leads
the entire world in the march OF scien-
ltific, mechanical and intellectual-in-
lteIlectual-ah-a go head
"Of course progress was the word M
was after. The Americans represseS
their laughter and were ready witt
Icompnments to the speaker. y few
evenings later most Of us met him at
Idinner and he then told the joke OF
himself. The custom Of remembering
I.afayette's grave continues and l hop'
lit will endure indefinitely
Afterwards Capt. Cochrane told o
Witnessing a Russian coronation ant
his recital of seeing two men guillo
toned in Paris gave me more thrills
than several legal hangings and hal
dozen lynchings saw when I was
boy in the Rocky Mountain country.
ED r.