The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-06-19
HEPBURN
Of IOWA
The Life Story of the
Staunch Friend of
Hawaii,

/ - D--N man III Congress VINO !!
a born fighter. There may be others
! there probably are several: but Their.
| isn't mothers son of 'em who car
stack up beside William Peters Hen
burn. late Northumberland ID lowe
cav and now representing the 8tl
Iowa District in Congress.
He is real. simon-pure Colonel. j.
| old Pete Hepburn" not one of yo1u
| courtesy ''Co,oneIs." but man with 9
record. And what a record! Just think
Of being particularly commended in
General Orders by Gems. Sheridan
Rosecrans, Gordon Granger and a half
dozen others. Why, it is like coming
a history of the war to read of the
battles Col. Hepburn was in. and the
various acts of special gallantry he
performed lin the line'of duty" Every
thing that Col. Hepburn does is in the
lire of 6ut.-; you couldn't co1- hin II
Go things any other way. lie looks on
lie pretty seriously, yet the quaint
streak OF humor in him relieves tire
otherwise bTus4ue sternne~s of manner
which, a9te- all is the cover to a big
heart and kindness of nature that
remains to this day as sweet as the
kernel of a nut. Aye, to this day"
and that means a long. long time. Col
Hepburn is not young, though he is 20
years younger in thought and action
than dozens of his confreres.
Ohio claims him as her son, proud
to be the native State of such a man,
but in 1871, when William Peters Hep
burn was just merging int his 18th
year, his people followed the setting
sun over into Iowa, then a Territory,
peopled by Indians. squatters. hunters
and trappers, the Hepburns going in
on that
First low wash of waves,
Where soon would roll a human sea"
Listen how he describes his .'larnin',''
please and you will know at once why
he stands four square to the world.
Educated in the schools of the Terri
tory and in a printing Office No col
lege, no university, could ever have
given that boy any more than he got
out of that method of education. The
schools of the Territory of Iowa were
not much, probably, but they gave him
foundation upon which he built an
education in a printing office, and what
he knew he knew. Sabe? There wasn't
a bit of theorizing in his education.
He got it all by hard knocks in the raw
school of experience, where the hide
was clawed off of effete theories at
every turn of the hour hand on the
clock. Then he says in his Congress
sionai biography, WAS admitted to
practice law in 1854" and so he was
graduated in his 21st year.
When treason began to poison the
fountains of the Republic, Hepburn, in
all the strength of his powerful young
manhood. took up the fight for the
Flag and for the Constitution. He spoke
as one gifted with prophecy. with an
eloquence born of fervor rooted in pr1n-
cfples, and mighty were the blows he
dealt the copperheads who hypocriti-
cally prayed for peace and worked for
war. In this school of torchlight cam
paiens he developed that wonderful
voice of his. which in it's first great
power was like unto the voice that
came from Mount Sinai. Clear, round,
pure. penetrating, tremendous in vol
ume it reached right down into the
soul. and never let go for second I'M
til you had heard every word he had
to say.
But war came. and the time for ac-
tfon with it. William Peters Hepburn
enlisted in the ID Iowa Cav. became.
a. CAPTAIN. then Major, and then Lieu
Colonel of the regiment. And
the things that came in between? All,
there YOU will find the grit of a man
who pioneered in 1S4t in the Indian
country and practically educated him.
self With a daring which one b1og-
ranher declares was brave and terrible
as the charge at Balaklava. under the
terrific storm of musketry and massed F.,
cannon. Hepburn led his regiment in
its charge at Pennington in front OF
Corinth. in May. 1862. It was but three
minutes long that horrible assault. but :
it saved Paine's Division. and Hepburn
was especially mentioned for gallantry |
in that seemingly hopeless charge. !
where somebody blundered.' but not !
he nor the brave I'd Iowa Cav Ihen
came Iuka and the battle of Corlnth !
in the early Autumn. when the I'd Iowa
Cav. then with Hatch's Cavalry, was /
designated by Rosecrans as the eye
Of the Army
Col. HEPBURN was given important |
hosts both on the staff of Gen Sherl- |
dan and of Gen. Rosecrans. and jan !
nary of 1853 found him on the stan !
If the latter as Inspector of the cav
airy of the Army of the Cumberland
with the rank of 'Lieutenant-Coionel.
Tn Eebruarv of 1854 he was placed in
command of the Second Brigade of the
Army Corps.
Out of the service. Col. Hepburn
gain took up the party work-Repuo-
lean Party. of course. He had been
70 the National Republican
convention of 1860 from Iowa. and was
gain elected to that responsible place
;, 1888 and 1896 He was a Presiden--i
ial Elector in 1876 and In 1888, anu
vas Solicitor of the Treasury during
ba Administration of President HARM
m He came to Congress in lSSl-the
7th-and served three terms; then