The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-01-25
Career of an Old
Resident of
Hawaii.
HERE IN LORD
PAULET'S TIME
How He Lowered the Consular
Flag in Honor of a
Dead Cat.
~oL. wM. c. LITTLE. who recent

~ OIL wM. c. LITTLE, who recent
~ Iy died in Oakland. was born in
Honolulu in 1896. His father
was a sea captain, who left his wife
and son in this place. and continued his
voyage to China Neither vessel or
captain was heard from. Mrs. Little.
after four years from the departure of
her husband, married Mr.. Hooper, one
of the firm of Ladd & Co., who for
several years was, I'm the absence OF
Mr. Briuswade, the American Consul
at this port.
Colouel Little's stepfather, Mr.. Hoop
er, was an active promoter of the
scheme OF Ladd & Co. to settle the
Islands with Belgians. The firm, in
1910, obtained from the government a
contract for the lease of any unoccu-
pied and unimproved localities in the
Islands, and Mr.. Brinswade proceed
ed to Belgium, where he succeeded in
negotiating a sale of the lease, and Sc
cured the promise of an immigration OF
10000 peasants. who were to occupy
the soil. Had the scheme been execut-
ed these Islands would have had, at
the present time, a large population of
these people. The Belgian Company
of Colonization" was formed, the King
of Belgium was one of the stockhold-
ers, and Ladd & Co. were allowed stock
at the par value of 100000.
While this negotiation was in prog
ress, the British warship Caresfort,
commanded by Lord Paulet, took pos
session of these Islands When this
serious event was reported in London,
and in Brussels, the government of Bel
gium refused to act under the agree
ment for the sale of the lease and
the scheme of colonization was aban-
doned. The contract on behalf of the
Hawaiian government, was signed by
William Richards, afterwards Minister
of Public instruction, and Mr.. Haalilio.
I.add & Co. failed in business, and
the settlement of their affairs was for
many years a most vexatious question
in the courts. The firm made a claim
OF damages against the government,
but it was not allowed. Forty years
later. Colonel Little, as one OF the heirs
of Mr.. Hooper, sent a petition to Con-
eress, asking that the reciprocity
treaty, then pending between the king
dom of Hawaii and the United States,
should aot be executed until the gov
ernment of Hawaii had paid To the
heirs Of Ladd s; Co. S1,000,000. But Mr..
II. A. p Carter. then Hawaiian Min
lister at Washington. fully informed
the State Department Of the nature of
the claim, and it was rejected.
Colonel Little often told an experience
of his in these Islands in his early
life. His stepfather. Mr.. Hooper. lived
I'm a house where the Hawaiian Hotel
now stands, and in front of it stood
faSpoIe from which the American flag
noated-
On one occasion young Little invited
young $. c. Armstrong, afterwards
General Armstrong. to unite with him
in the solemn burial OF the dead family
cat in the consulate yard. After the
burial the boys lowered the American
flag to haIf-mast in token OF mourning.
This was soon noticed by the residents
of the town, and they hurried up to
the consulate to find out who was dead,
as deaths of Americans were rare in
those days. When the Consul return
ed. and discovered the cause of ii, he
treated his son to ''never-to-be-for-
gotten interview"
Colonel Little, after spending a year
ut Harvard, settled in California, !
where for many years he was promi- |
aen4 in military matters. I
For some years he was the agent OF 1
AdoIph Sutro. and on his death, con- !
tinued to act for the estate. One of his |
sons. William Hooper Little. is said to
be at present resident Of Hilo.