Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-08-24
NO WORD FROM
COL. JOHN HICKS.
Oshoksh Man Who Is Minister at San
tiago, Chile, Near the Dis
aster

OSHKOSH, Wis, Aug 1S.-[Spe-
cial. mo word has been received from
Col. John Hicks of Oshkosh, United
States minister to Chile. He is not sta
toned at Valparaiso, but at Santiago de
Chile. No anxiety is felt here for his
safety.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug. IS
(Noon. II Special. mo word has as yet
been received here from the headquar-
ters of the American legation at Santi-
ago, Chlle, where Col. John Hicks of
Oshkosh, Wis, is envoy extraordinary
and minister plenipotentiary. Col.
Hicks has occupied this post since July
of last year and is considered in diplo
matte circles here as one of the best in
formed men in the department on mat
tiers germane to South America.
Near Valparaiso.
A dispatch from Oshkosh, Wis, the
home of Col Hicks, states that recent
letters received from him indicate that
he is at Santiago, which is some seven
ty-ive miles from Valparaiso and from
the coast, where the earthquake was
~
and there would be little inducement to
move about.
The last communication received at
Oshkosh from Santiago was letter
from Carl Newman. secretary OF the
United States legation, describing re-
ception given by Minister Hicks on july
4. 1t takes thirty-fve or forty days tor
letter to come from Santiago to Osh-
kosh.
~ I,,c.
sociates in Wisconsin are hourly expect
ing a cable message from him. There
are no members of his family at San
tiago.
Held Post in Peru.
Six years before taking the appoint
ment at Santiago. Col. Hicks was re-
moved from a similar ministerial post
in Peru by the coming into power OF the
Democratic party in 1898. Mr.. Hicks
had been appointed by President Har-
rison in 1889, and III the time spent III
Peru he had acquainted himself with
conditions on the west coast of South
America to a remarkable degree.
Col Hicks has long been a power i'll
some factions of the Republican party
in Wisconsin, of which state the diplo-
mat has been a citizen for many years.
He was born at Auburn, n. Y, in 1917,
and was a mere child when taken west.
The family settled III W lSconSln. Ills
father enlisted in the Union forces dur
ing the Civil war and was killed. Hicks
worked his way through school and col
lege, and at the age of 20 took the first
steps toward the literary career which
lie has since followed. He became re-
porter of the Oshkosh Northwestern,
the paper of which he is now the pro-
prietOr.
His advent into general literature has
been as happy as his success in the jour
nalistic field. He wrote at first under.
the style of Sandy Broad but of late
years his work has appeared under his
own name. While he was minister to
Peru he wrote the Man from Osh-
kosh," a story which received not a lit
| tie favorable mention both in England
and America.
Record as Globe Trotter,
After retiring from the diplomatic life
in Peru, Col Hicks began an extensive
globe-trotting tour. He went abroad
first in 1895, and on his trip got his
knowledge of the European in MS own
home and fatherland. Again, in 1890
he took in the countries bordering on
the Mediterranean and studied those
| races where the oriental and occidental
are so wonderfully blended that they are
yet the puzzle of diplomats who have
I -, II