The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-07-31
WHERE WERE
THE MAUSERS
THE JULIA e. wHALEN SHOWED
NONE ON HER
MANIFEST.
COL. FITCHs GREAT TACTICAL
COUP.
If the Whalen Could not Land on One
Side, try the Other-But There is only
one Landing.

Side, try the Other-But There is oniy
one Landing.
1t is not thought by sea-faring men
| that Capla ROsehill and his Mausar
armed peaceful expedition has vet had
any occasion in persuance of his secret
instructions, to use his Mauser rifles In
Ientorcing peace on the japanese on
Marcus island or on the Japanese crui-
ser Kasagie which sailed from Yoko-
mama for Marcus Island, July "a or 25.
~ is not thought by those who know
/ thewestern seas that he has arrived
there yet Captain Rosehill himself ex-
| Ipected 1T would take a month to reach
| his destination.
The Ventura from the coast yester-
day brought news that the Japanese
! government claimed Marcus Island by
right of discovery in 1879 and by annex
auon in 1880 and that the cruiser Ka-
sagie was to be sent to head off Captain
hosehills expedition and maintain jap
anese possession and sovereignty. The
dispatches state further that the State
Department at Washington had sent
word to Captain Rosehill not to resist
the Japanese.
Col. Thomas Fitch one Of the pro-
moters of the Marcus Island expedition
is quoted-as saying that Captain Rose
NH left here with secret instructions
and armed with Mauser rifles and am
mumuon. These secret instructions
were in short to effect a peaceful land
ingit possible and failing in that tt
sail away out of sight, returning to the
other side of the island under cover OF
night, anchor his vessel, leaving it in
charge of three men, and with the other
seven, armed with Mausers and the
American flag, land, establish a camp
hoist the American flag and keep it
there until it should be torn down by
superior force.
Captain RosehiH when leaving said
If he could not make a peaceful land
ing he was going to return here and
appeal to the State Department.
There are two or three things in Col
Fttch's secret instructions that are en-
tirely new. One of them is the Mauser
rifles. Collector Stackable ls authority
for stating that the Julia Il. WhaIen's
manifest showed no Mauser rifles. If
they were aboard and not manifested
there may be some trouble with the ma
vigation laws.
Captain Rosehill said landing could
be effected only on one side of the
island so he may have some difficulty
in effecting Col. Fitchs great tactical
coup.
The contents of the letter given by
The japanese Consul, Mkt Saito, to the
projectors of the Marcus Island prop
osition and which was carried by Cap
tain Rosehill to be presented by him
to any Japanese in possession, have
never been made public. 1t Is said by
the promoters that the letter was one
of assurance to any Japanese on Mar
Gus Island that the expedition was first
and last, a peaceful one, further ad-
vising them not To resist any attempts
of landing on the part of the ROsehill
expedition.
Consul Mkt Saito stated this morn
ing that he was roo busted at the mo-
ment with other important matters to
be able then to grant an interview up
on the subject. 1t is not generally
thought that Mr.. Saito was informed
Dy the promoters at the time the let
ter was applied for that the men of the
peaceful expedition were armed with
Mauser rittes and ammunition, nor
that the instructions to the matter of
the Julia E. Whalen were to erect the
American flag and keep the same fly
ing until torn Gown by a superior
force. 1t Is not thought likely by those
interested enough in the matter to talk
about 1t, that the consul would have
written a letter intended to give his
countrymen confidence in the peaceful
character of the Julia e. Whalen eX-
pedition, If he had been informed that
it was an armed expedition as well as
a peaceful one.
A little later in the day Mr.. Saito
stated that he could not exactly re-
member the terms of the letter that he
had given to the promoters of the eX-
pedition, but that he did not write in
such terms as he had been quoted as
having done, He added that Mr.. Fitch
had called upon him asking him to
give him letter to such Japanese as
might be upon the island, saying that
the island belonged to the Americans
and that they should therefore allow
them to take possession as their right,
This / could not and did not do"
said Mr.. Saito, "as l had no knowledge
of the exact status of the island, also
it would have been out of my province
to have told the Japanese there now to
act with regard 20 the landing ! cam
not remember the exact terms of my
letter but 1t was nothing like that"
The Washington Star throws down
the fee simple title proposition pretty
hard, and does not have much comfort
to give guanO titles and American SOW
ereignty. 1t says:
"An inspection of the government
records of what are known as LGuano
Island entries discloses the fact that
in 1889 Capt. ROsehill, an American,
lodged notice of the discovery by him
of Marcus Island, in the western Pa
cihc, and claimed the right to exploit
1t for guanO The state Department is
not required by the law governing GU
ano Island entries to pass upon the
suliicienCy of any such claim as that
made by Capt. Rosehill. The depart
ment simply receives such notice for
the purpose of record Another sec
ton OF the law requires the claimant
TO aguano island to make out a bond,
the purpose of which is to see thai he
does not charge an exOrbitan, price foI
the guano; that the island claimed by
him does not belong to any other coun.
try and that he viii Vacate IL when he