The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-12-18
THE CAREER
OF WILCOX.
Philadelphia Records
Tale of Bob.
HOW He GREW UP GREAT
First Royalist Delegate To Sit in
Congress Comes From
Hawaii"

The following is from the Philadel-
phia Record: The Cor orgressional Direc-
tory for the Fifty-seventh Congress
will contain in it's list of delegates in
the House Robert william Wilcox, In
dependent Royalist, from Hawaii
The Royalist delegate from Hawaii
is well known in Washington, having
passed months here in company with
ex-Oueen LiIiuokalani. He was inter-
ested in the passage of the Hawaiian
Government bill and became familiar
figure i'm the rooms of the Senate ana
House committees on territories. lie IS
a half-blood, the son of an American
sailor and kanaka woman. The ca
reSr of Wilcox has been in many ways
a remarkable one. He has been
prominent figure in Hawaiian history
FOR TWENTY-FIVE years. He is we'll edu-
Gated and is an eloquent public speaker.
WENT BAREFOOT IN HIS YOUTH.
DeIegate-eIect Wilcox is about forty
four wears of age. At twenty-one he
was elected a member of the parla-
ment of the Kingdom from the Island
of Maui and. although he is SAID 10
have been so poor at that time that ne
had never worn shoes, became promi-
neut in the body as a thick and thln
adberent of all royalist poiicles. ne
was looked upon with much promise
and was selected by Kalakaua. with
two other Hawaiian youths. to proceed
tn Europe to be educated. They went
under the charge of Celso Moreno Oh
this city. at that time Prime Minister
OF Kalakaua.
King Uumbert granted an audience
IN senior Moreno and his charges and
the request of Kalakaua that the Itai-
ian ruler furnish schools for the boys
that they might perfect their European
education brought a prompt response
from the knightly italian King, and
wilcox was sent to the Artillery school
at Turin.
MARRIED a NOBLE LADY
These Youths were all bright and
tbev had money. for the parliament ot
t<inr Kalakaua had voted an appropri-
a,ion Of $40 600 for their education
Gradually IL came to be believed IN
Turin and Naples shat these youths
were distinguished princes and notaple
peopIe began paying them atteht'oiL
wilcox appears to have taken no pains
to undeceive them. He completed MS
course at Turin and returned TO Ha-
waii with the knowledge that ne had
won the heart of Victoria Gina Sobrero'
the beautiful daughter Of Colonel Ba-
ron Sobrero of the Italian artillery
She believed him to be prince of the
line of Kamehameha the Great. This
Iady's mother was the Princess Vic
toria Colonna of Stiglino. a branch of
the famous Colonn9 family Of Italy. in
TO which Miss Macley of San Francisco
and New York married some years
later
Wilcox married the Barona Sobrero
and took her with him back to Hawaii.
A rude awakening followed. The rank
and position OF Wilcox turned out to be
mythical and. heartbroken over the de-
ception practiced upon her the daugh-
ter OF a notable and celebrated house
turned her footsteps backward to her
italian home. Wilcox had not even
money enough to pay her passage. Be
ing thus abandoned by his wife. Wilcox
circulated the story that the Court OF
Appeals at Turin had granted him full
divorce for desertion.
The new delegate soon resumed his
activities in Island politics and was re-
turned to parliament. He continued
much in evidence up to the time Of the
fall OF the monarchial Government. II,
was at one time Minister of Foreign
Affairs. He was also the central figur,
In two revolutions in the Islands
DIVORCED AND MARRIED AGAIN
Some years later Wilcox Marie,
Teresa Owana Kaohalelania, niece O
the Princess Elizabeth Kekaaniau. VIII
Is claimed to be the last representativ
of the old royal line. a direct descend
ant of Kamehameha III. Through hi
wife Wilcox has made claims to a nor
ton of the crown lands.
Wilcox has successfully arrayed tn
natives against the whites, with tn
result that he comes to Congress i'm TN
capacity of a royalist sitting amongs
Republicans and Democrats-the frs
one that has sat in an American repre
sentative body since the revolution