The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-07-31
HISTORICAL
DATE THIS

To-day is the litb Anniversary OF tina
Wilcox uprising. In which seven Ha-
wai;an insurrectionlsts were killed and
twelve wounded. Among the latter
were Robert Boyd and George Mark
ham. lieutenants OF Wilcox. All OF the
police on the route OF the rebels, from
falama TO the palace, We're captured
by Wilcox save one. This fellow ran
20 the station and reported the move
ment to Captain Larsen, who in turn
notified Marshal j. II. Soper. This was
between 2 and u. m.
WilcoNs drilled men numbered so or
l00 but natives Joined them at the
palace to bring the number entering
the grounds up to anywhere from 15e
to 200. Estimates of the time differed.
| Col. V. V. Ashford was able to muster
the Honolulu Rifles. the white volun-
/ teer militia for some time previous
| dormant, to fairly good strength by .
| a. IN. He was vigorously aided in
handing tho troops by Major H. F.
Hebbard. Sharpshooters, including
some very prominent men. occupied
the Opera House, from which the first
fire was exchanged with the rebels
The top OF the Government building.
now the Judiciary building, also Ka-
waiahao church tower and the roofs
of houses. were similarly invested and
before noon the rebels were effectually
trapped In Iolani palace grounds. then
surrounded by an eight-foot-high coral
wall.
Comparatively a mere handful OF
rebels-the remainder having deserted,
been taken prisoners in attempting to
get over the wall, or killed and wound
ed by the sharpshooters--were huddled
up In the Queens bungalow at dusk,
a fearful fire then being poured inte
| that structure from all sides. They
were In this situation when couple
of improvised hand grenades. thrown
from Richards street by the champion
baseball thrower of the town, exploded
with fearful detonations at intervals
of few seconds against the bunga-
low. Immediately white sheet was
displayed from the building in token
of surrender. An order to cease firing
passed around the Gordon of Govern
ment forces. Wilcox and the remnant
of his band We're marched under
strong guard to the police station.
At the very opening of the fight the
rebels fired two or three shots from
the Austrian field pieces at the Opera
House The charges of grape We're
overshot, causing shower of lead In
the harbor at the marine railway. A
round shot, however, went through the
front OF the building and lodged close
to the proscenium arch n few feet
above the stage inside. Rife bullets
quickly stopped service of the guns
1t was while firing the field pieces that
George Markham was hit in the shoul-
der and put out of the game and Rob-
ert Boyd received a scalp wound.
Captain Robert Parker of the House
hold Guards, now captain of police.
remained within the palace enclosure
and refused to admit Wilcox to the
palace. For his action In this respect
Captain Parker was presented with q
silver cup by the late Theo. II.
Davies. The native soldiers retreated
at the outset to the barracks over the
way but some of them showed the
rebels where the breech-blocks OF the
cannon were kept.
King Kalnkaua also retreated to his
boathouse. where he had men erecting
sandbag barricades during the day. A
day or two later he wrote to Hon. S.
M. DdluDIl, Ml1llSltT Oh ueny-
ing a report that he was privy to the
uprising. Another report was that
Wilcox intended to have Kalakaua de-
posed I'm favor of Princess Liliuoka-
lani, his sister and the heir apparent.
The general heller, however, which
evidence at the trial of the rioters for
treason sustained, was that the object
was to restore tn kings prerogatives
of which he had been deprived In the
revolution of 1887. At the same time
the kings disclaimer to Mr.. Damon
Jared badly. for the verdict OF ac-
duittal In favor of Wilcox and those
tried with him was practically direct
ed by the court, Its charge to the jury
instructing them that treason was an
offense against the king and. the evil
dence showing that the king had been
consulted In advance about the upris-
ing. the defendants could not justly
be found guilty
- s.$.s-----
The bark George Curtis, which left