Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-22

mediately ordered to India. where he saw
active service and met it brilliantly. He
was made q lieutenant and then a captain
and was awarded medal by Queen Vic
toria in recognition of his gallantry and
courage. He was on duty for some time in
Africa and engaged in several bloody en-.
counters with the natives.
Wanted by the khedive.
He returned to India and while there was
offereda colonelcy In the Egyptian army, the
khedive having made special request of the
British authorities to permit Capt. Hilder
to accept the commission in order that his
notable ability might be utilized in organ
izing the khedive's troops. This request
being granted, Col. Hilder proceeded on his
way to Cairo, but made the journey by
land, instead of by water. While crossing
a desert the caravan with which he was
travelling was caught in a terrific sand
storm. Many of the animals and men per-
ished. Col. Hilder escaped with his life,
but lost his eyesight. This calamity COM
PEELED him to go to France for treatment,
where, after two years confinement in a
dark room, his vision was restored. He re-
signed from the British army after being
cured and came to this country to accept
a responsible position with the Remington
Arms Company, which he held for about
nfteen years. making several trips to Gen.
trail and South America, selling arms and
ammunition to the governments OF those
sections.
Followed by Fire.
Just previous TO the great fire Col. Hill
der went to Chicago and established
firearms establishment of his own, with
every promise of success, bait the confia-
grafton swept IT out of existence. Flames
also destroyed furniture store he after
ward established in st. Louis. With the
limited means at his disposal after these
disasters, Col. Hilder went to Mississippi
City and embarked In the lumber business.
came to Washington, where he was asked
by Senator Squire, who had been asso-
ciated with him in the Remington COM
pany. to become his secretary. Col Hill
der accepted this prefer, and remained
with the senator until the latters term ex
pred when he entered the bureau of
American ethnology.
His Interesting Personality.
Col Hilder was one of the most inter-
esting of companions. His memory was
stored with the events of his remarkable
career and while modest and unassuming,
he had rare powers as a raconteur. He
wrote with fluent power. and was widely
known as lecturer. He was a contribu-
tor to the Geographical Magazine as we'll
as to popular publications. His most re-
cent work of Importance was his visit to
the Philippines, where he went as rep
resentative Of the bureau of American
ethnology, and made collection showing
the domestic side of the Filipinos, which
was recently described in The Evening
Star, and which is to be exhibited at the
Pan-American exposition at Buffalo He
also wrote a pamphlet on Philippine con-
ditions while in the archipelago, for which
President Mckinley thanked him.
Col Hlder Is survived by his widow.
Virginia Coswell I1ilder, and two sons,
Steuart and Fraser Hilder. The former is
nineteen years of age and is stu
dent at Columbia College, st. Louis,
and the latter, twenty-three years of age,
is now at Mississippi City.