The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-03-29

was a Grand Army man. Before he
reached his eighteenth birthday he was
promoted to a commission in the cav
airy. Later he served as a volunteer
IN Canada. He left the Dominion for
these Islands in 1884 and ranked at
that time a captain and a brevet ma
jor. His rank as colonel was given him
here.
V. v. Ashford was associated with
his brother Clarence in the practice of
airy League was formed in 1867 he
succeeded William Aldrich as COM
mander of the Honolulu Rifles. After
wards, when he had made over the
command into a battalion of four COM
| panies, Kalakaua gave him the COM
mission of lieutenant colonel. The Ri
les, It will be remembered, guarded the
mass meeting of June 30. 1887, held in
the ArmOry, which, through It's de-
mand, obtained the resignation OF the
Gibson Ministry and a new Constitu-
ton. Later the Cabinet advised the
King to commission Ashford as colo
mel of the entire forces, but Kalakaua
claimed the power of making his own
choice. Later the Rifles were disband-
ed.
An armed collision was threatened
| for a time, but the Supreme Courts de-
c.sion in favor of the Cabinet caused
the King 10 submit.
Those who had worked with Colonel
Ashford cast him aside later on account
| III his being involved in revolutionary
/ Dnngnfraafaa AuhfnrH Ennur of tho
| Wilcox outbreak in 1889 and II is even
said that he was the instigator of that
affair. Ashford and Wilcox were close
/ ly connected in various schemes and
were great friends.
In 1892 v. V. Ashford. Wilcox and
others were arrested for another con-
/ spiracy. Ashford was suspected of be-
ing deeply concerned in the movement
against the Republic in 1895 and was
banished from the Hawaiian Islands.
He left Honolulu a physical wreck and
had lived in San Francisco up TO the
time of his death.
AS commander OF the Honolulu Rifles,
Colonel Ashford was exceedingly pop
ular with the boys. who would have
done anything for him and followed
wherever he might choose to lead
them. Ashford had the political situa-
ton entirely within his power; in the
opinion OF many kamaainas, as COM
mander of the Rifles. he could have
even seized the throne with the force
at his command
It is said that Ashford first came "a
Honolulu as a book agent: afterwards
outside of the Honolulu Rifles. he was
deeply interested in the Reform
League, was always eager to MAKE
money and his ambition was to b.
hand In glove with Rex. Once he want
ed to be Consul to San Francisco and
II is said that he was promised that pO-
sitiOn by some of the most influential
men in Honolulu. This position would
have meant at that time from $4,000 e
$4,000 per year.
The King once gave him $4,000. Some
claim that he took IL as a bride, but
THE men in the League said this was moi
true; that he had made a statement OF
the matter himself, showing that the
$4,000 was paid him for some specia
business he had had from the King.
After the revolution OF 1857 Ashford
was the great political boss" II IS
said that while he coveted no high DO.
sitiOn for himself just then, he secured
the position OF Attorney General FOL
his brother and he also named the Mar
shall ard the Port Surveyor.
The King after the Revolution, be-
came very stiff and surly when he saw
that he could run things to suit him.
self, and the Reform League began tC
see that they would have to use some
means 10 hold him down. Il was al
that time that these parties met In q
place not far from the present Govern
mCnt building and finally made plans
by which James DOwsett was depu.
tIzed TO call on Lliuokalani. then neiI
20 the throne. 70 see If she would &C.
Cept the throne II her brother abdica.
ted. That was said to be AshfOrd's
scheme. Dowsett came back with the
answer that Liliuokalani was favorably
inclined towards the idea and that she
would send somebody 10 consult with
the plotters. That somebody came on
the very evening, but everybody was
disguised on discovering who he was
LiliuokalanI plotted. however. and