The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-01-25
ALL KINDS Of HOT FOOT
PAPA tTA SOLDIER AND POLICE
ALL JOIN.
From the burning rit with lts white
Hot Lava 90 the Police station with
Its Duk Cold Cells

It's puk cold Cells
The Papa TIA fire walking exhibit
ton yesterday afternoon was u good
SHOW spoiled by cheap, ignorant ana
inefficient management. ending in an
assault by the manager of the show on
Corporal ". n. Murray vt the sixth
Artillery and general scramble of the
police officers ON duty, to join the as
sault under the pretence OF arrcstng
Murray.
The fire under the stones was lighted
early In the day, ana when people be-
gan gathering shortly before 4 o'clock
TO witness the performance the air
over the burning pit was vibrant with
heat IL looked like IL would be an inter-
esting performance There were about
300 people present large proportion of
them women and children. While the
audience was waiting for the show to
begin number of spectators amused
themselves by walking out over the
stones, or by throwing pieces of paper
| upon them TO see how quickly they
would ignite.
/ At last everything was ready. and
Papa Ita dressed in flowing robes of
/ cheese cloth with a laWa-lawa Of ii
| leaves, came into the arena. Under his
arm he carried a big bunch of Il leaves
! when he had sat down for the admiring
gaze OF the wonder expecting audience.
! William Prestige mounted another
chalr IN the role of "spieler." The
"spieler' announced that there was a
soldier present who had offered to
walk over the hot stones ahead of Papa
/ lta and If he wanted to try it, he could
have chance now. The soldier. who
was Corporal w. f. Murray, came for
ward and stated that his proposition.
| announced through the papers was
| that with the permission of the man
agement he would follow Papa tia over
/ the hot stones, step for step. stepping
on each stone that Papa tia did, wear
! ing on his feet only a pair of govern
/ ment socks, and that he stood ready
! TO make his offer good Prestige ig-
noring the fact that he had misrepre-
sented the soldiers offer, told him If he
I wanted to walk over the stones, now
| was his chance. Murray replied that
his offer was to follow, and not to go
in advance of the Tahitian. Thereupon
! Prestige ordered him outside the en-
closure, and he retired. Some of the
stones meanwhile had been turned
over, bringing their hotter side upper
most. Papa tia, still waiting apparent
~ for these to cool off a little. Murray
from his place behind the railing offer
ed to cross over in advance of Papa
TIA but the management told him he
had had his chance.
Papa tia finally rose from his chair
united his bunch of ii leaves, and
mumbling some words of Tahitian, sup
/ posed to be an invocation. smote the
ground twice with his loose ii leaves,
and walked across the burning pit
Then he walked back and disappeared
in the box office
The intermission following this pre-
liminary exhibition was utilized by a
large number of the spectators TO do a
little hot rock walking themselves one
native doing quite a little dance right
over where the fire was the hottest.
Corporal Murray seeing that every
body else, apparently, who wanted to
was walking over the stones, came into
the enclosure and started to walk
over them himself, in his stocking feet
This seemed to enrage Lewis the man
agar, who advanced on the soldier
showed him back and as the soldier
turned to go out of the enclosure, the
manager kicked him. At this Murray
turned to Mounted Patrolman Matt
land saying. You saw that man as
sault me; l demand that you arrest
him. For reply Maitland struck Muir
ray in the breast, and showed him out
side the railing. Several citizens re-
monstrated with Maitland for this. but
his only reply was for them not to get
too fresh
Presently Papa tia came back from
the box office to do his final stunt
With more invocation to the fast cool
ing rocks, or something else, and more
tlourishing of his ii leaf wand, he walk
ed out to the middle of the Dit. and
{ stood for an instant on one of the rocks
, doing a gentle hot foot the while SO
that no part of his soles were in con-
, tact with the stones for more than the
briefest time. Then he continued his
course across the pit, did some more
Incarnation with his ii leaves and
INNHa lFaaA IL Al
, to the box office again, where doffine
his cheese-cloth robes and his lava
lava, he was once more a common
place looking Tahitian dressed in a
cheap cotton shirt and overalls.
There was no announcement that this
was the end of the performance and
: spectators again began doing their owr
, fire walking. After half dozen OF
more had walked all over the burning
, pit without let or hindrance from the
, management or police, Corporal Muir
ray came out still in his stocking fee
and walked to the identical stone where
Papa tia had made his spectacular
! pause, and stood with both feet firmly
planted on il for a very much longer
period than Papa tia had done. The
crowd applauded this exploit. Continu-
ing across the pit, Murray stopped al
the farther end long enough to say
that he believed he had now made good
ms oHer, ana that all ne would ike
would be for the man who struck him
to go with him TO some place where
there could be fair play and give him q
chance. He then started back across
the pit, doing the marvellous thing
which according TO the management
nobody but Papa lta could do. WheT
z he was about the middle of the burning
pit, the manager rushed out over tn,
hot stones proving that there are
hannn Mlprn \
| along with a good deal of violence
J kicking and striking him. As soon as
Murray was off the stones, he turned
, around to defend himself from the as
E sault upon him,
The police who had made no moV'
while the manager was assaulting tn
soldier. all made a rush when the sol