The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-07-05
A FLAG AFFAIR
Crowds Take Down the
German ColorS Twice.
Capt. KIemme's Decoration of His
Hotel Caused TroubIe-Changes
POIIce-ArreStS

Capt. Carl Klemme decorated the
front of his Orpheum hotel place Tor
the Fourth with stars and stripes hunt-
ing and with the stripes article plain.
at the stairway entrance was placed u
portrait of Dewey, draped with tie
American colors and surmounted with
the laurel wreath. II all looked very
nice from the street. Then MIR.
Klemme. being a German subject, and
besides. as he says. having loaned his
American flag to a business friend.
raised the German flag on the staff
above the hotel. This was for the
Fourth.
Early in the forenoon, says Capt.
Klemme. a Mr. West. painter. APP
peared at the Orpheum hotel and In
formed the proprietor that the German
flag had been placed above the Stars
and Stripes and had to come down.
Cant. Klemme's account is that he re-
sponded to the effect that he intended
no disrespect to the flag of the Union,
hut believed he had a right to float the
German colors West insisted that the
display was unsuitable. klemme says
there were thirty or forty men win
! West and that the invaders made dire
threats. Mrs. Klemme became hys-
tterical and at her suggestion her
brother ran upstairs, proceeded To the
roof, somehow on the way found an
American flag and in a few minutes
changed the showing at the peak 90 the
Stars and Stripes above the German
flag. The visiting crowd heard OF this
and departed satisfied.
| Acouaintances of Klemme's and a
number of American citizens attracted
or having their attention arrested by
the peculiar combination called on the
hotel man and told him the double
show was in bad taste. as objection
able TO Americans as to Germans.
Klemme thereupon called at the police
station and explained to- Marshal
Brown. The officer told Klemme 10
! fix one flag on the pole as he liked and
lit should have police protection. Klein
me went back. hauled down the pair oi
flags and sent the line up with the Ger
Imam flag. This was all right till
lo'clock, when the police officers OF
guard, seeing no signs of disturbance
returned to the station.
4 little before 100 crowd OF abou
1850 people. mostly soldiers OFF the u
s. transport Sheridan. made a rush in
to the Orpheum hotel. Klemme de
,clares that West was the leader. Tn
conversation was a limited matter.
, number of the crowd proceeded to tn
roof at once. They hauled down tn
German flag and made away with it. Il
, it's place they tied to the lanyard som
bunting torn from the front of tn
hotel and the bunting was still there a
3 o'clock this morning. In this crow
there was a man of considerable az
> having flag, a jag and two SiX-shooi
} ers. He is a civilian OFF the SheTida
and later was arrested. He was quit
loud in his comments about the dispia
of other than the American flag on TN
Fourth. In finishing up its work TN
big crowd of men dropped their steT
ladder on Mrs. Klemme and she
. Frustrated by the hurt and nervou:
y ness. Klemme says he was afraid a
the time that the man with the SiS
shooters would set the artillery in ~
ton and besides was afraid that if h
resisted the crowd he would be torn [
ipieces. The patrol wagon appeared i
response 20 a message telephoned h
Klemme and four or five soldiers weI
arrested.
Capt Klemme says he thought /
was doing the right thing and that h
REGARDS Vests interest as anoth,
chapter in an old quarrel betwee
y, them. He will swear out a warraI
for West today. but will not Complai
to the German consular represent;
tive West is an American and sal
that he considered that the Germa
: flag had been hoisted above the Sta
and Stripes and did not propose TO a
low il.
=, number of soldiers were int
IL viewed. They say they were not urge
by West to do any violence. that the
- took the matter up on their own n
count because they thought Klemn
was trying to show German colo
above the Stars and Stripes.
Interest in the affair was very sc
ieral and there was crowd about Il