The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-16
IN SLEEPY TOWN
Sensation Created By Four Natives
in Philadelphia.
REPRESENTED THE ISLANDS
At the Commercial Museums.
Names OF the Boys How
They Were Caught"
REPRESENTED THE ISLANDS
North American. Philadelphia.)

tNOrtn American.
Through the cleverness 81 a report
er of The North American, who saw an
opportunity TO serve at once his paper,
his city and the Commercial Museums,
the latter institution is now in posses
sion OF four original native Hawaii
ans. who will be seen on exhibition in
the great Civic Day procession. which
is to be a feature OF the coming Jubi-
lee celebration. The story OF how these
dark. straight-haired men of the Sand
wich Islands were discovered, the
manner in which they We're corralled,
so to speak, and won over until they
could be inspected by Professor W. w.
Wilson. of the Museums. and how that
expert on etnnology made a thorough
study OF them and pronounced them TO
be perfect specimens of their race, and
accepted them with prOfuse thanks. is
"A tale worth telling, and Is narrated
in full below.
The men are all perfect specimens CT
manhood. De youngest being % and
the eldest ~, and strange to- say they
had been in New York for week or
more before coming on to- this city,
and not one OF the great corps of as
tute reporters OF Gotham ever dreamed
of their existence. They are the only
Hawaiians this side OF the Rockies, so
far as known-at least tho only abor-
igineS of the Sandwich Islands now in
Philadelphia-and Dr. WILSON regards.
the whole as "A great piece Of luck. and
has already arranged for the part they
are to- play on the float which will
represent the Island OF Hawaii in the
great Civic Day parade.
The names OF the men are re-pec-
lively:
A-kea-hi. which means Burning
Fire
Aka. meaning Always Laughing"
We-ia-ka-haO. or Hard aS Iron"
Alu-kau-wea Slack Wire"
Two OF the group. Mr.. Burning Fire
and Hard-as-IrOn. can speak English.
or as they call IL. American toler-
ably well enough TO make themselves
understood. both having attended for
a time the American school in the city
of Honolulu. The other two can
speak but little outside their native
tongue. Mr.. Burning-Fipe knows Pres
ident Dole, OF the Sandwich Islands
quite well. and once was employed as
a gardener at the Hawaiian Palace.
He also remembers as a boy running
decessor of Queen lii" All four
understand the full significance OF the
annexation OF Hawaii. and declare in
their native way that they are good
Americans and don't want To he
called anything else.
HOW THEY WE'RE CAUGHT"
It is their strange. cultural Ian
guage. however. their queer customs,
their peculiar methods of eating and
the tales they tell Of the land in the
far Pacific. which has but lately come
under the folds OF the American flag.
that makes this strange group doubly
interesting at this especial time. and
which won Professor Wilson over at
once and caused him to cOngratulat
in person the North American for hav-
ing brought this prize 20 his notice.
Il had secured my Cuban and Porto
RiCan natives easily" said the Doctor
but the matter Of real Hawaiians and
FilipinOs was another thing. The
North American has come 10 my help
wonderfully with these Hawaiians, and
I tender this euterprising newspaper
my sincerest thanks. The men are the
best specimens / have ever seen
The men We're discovered about .
o'clock ON Friday morning. just ten
minutes after they had reached the
Reading Terminal. on the way from
New York They went straight down
I Market street and stopped in a res
tgUran- little above Ninth. and there
the strange shade OF hair and face
caught the attention Of The North Am
sriCJu representative. who was seated
az a table eating sL the time.
"IT SOUNDED LIKE CHINESE"
The reporter ar once sized them
up" as the saying is. for Cubans or
other West India men. but the strange
| language which they began 20 speak
and which sounded more like the mon
/ osyliabic Chinese than anything else
/ caused him 10 pause and wonder in
| mis- calculations. Just then Robert. the
night man az the cafe. came 10 the res
! cue.
DO YOU know what those fellows
| ara2" ne asked by way OF beginning
/ No replied the reporter. ''but II 7
! hadn't heard them talk. I'd saw they
came from the West Indies"