The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1909-10-08
RETURNED THE PRIZE
A Trophy That Did Not Remain
Long In Captivity.
THE MISSING COAT OF ARMS.

IL Belonged to the American Consulate
In Honolulu and Was Carried Off by
aParty of English Middies-The Res
titution and Apology.
Speaking of old times on the coast" )"
said an Oregonian, reminds me of
some Of the sterling characters we
had there. One was Governor Nc
Bride Of Oregon. His first official du-
ties were at Honolulu, where he was
United States minister. King Kane
hameha was the ruler at the time. The
minister was heroic type Of man,
the father of fourteen children, and q
number Of his sons became distin-
guished men in various professions.
He was true American, cast In an
ultra patriotic mold, and many stories
are told among the oldtimers Of his
patriotism and bravery.
'When Mcbride reached Honolulu
he found there were no outward in'
sigma designating the American con-
sulate or minister's office, so he had a
large American coat Of arms cut out
of wood, gilded and decorated appro-
priately, and this was hung over the
office door that all the world might see
1t. 1t was naturally conspicuous OBJ
ject and of much interest to the pub
lie.
"One day an English man-of-war
came into port. The sailors and mid
shipmen were given liberty, and, as
often happens, some of them had hi
larious times. Among the then mid
shipmen were Lord Gordon and Lord
Beresford, who, like all midshipmen in
from long cruise, were out for q
jolly time. Walking down the street,
they did not fail to notice that Yankee
coat of arms, and as Beresford was
collecting bric-a-brac and curiosities 1t
occurred to him and Gordon that this
would be q fine addition to their col
lection, trophy worth having. So
they selected time when the minis
ter was away and the office closed,
presumably at night, and took down
the coat Of arms, hired native vehi-
Gle to carry it down to the dock and
actually succeeded in getting it aboard
without any Of the ranking officers
knowing anything about it.
"The next morning when the minis
ter came down to the Office his assist
ant said:
"Mr. Minister, your birds taken
flight
"'What do you mean?' asked bis
excellency.
"'Your coat of arms is gone re-
piled the aid.
"'Gone where? Flown offT
"Not exactly said the other. It's
just disappeared
"The minister walked out into the
street and looked up. The coat OF
arms, which was five or six feet
across, was noticeable by its absence
1t had taken wings and flown away.
Exactly what the minister said has
not been chronicled.
"It so happened that Beresford had
given the carriage driver an extra fare
for his trouble. Some one discovered
this and quickly reported it to the min
lister, who at once made demand
upon the captain Of the frigate for its
return. The captain, who was 1nno-
cent, denied that the thing was aboard
ship. The minister sent his evidence
to the captain, reiterating his demand
and demanding an apology for the in
suit.
'The captain now began an investi-
cation, and the culprits owned up and
took the coat Of arms on deck, when
1t was promptly sent ashore and re-
turned to the office Of the minister.
Mcbride, who was there, refused to
receive it.
"'Tell the captain of your frigate
that desire that the men who took 1t
down bring it back, place 1t where
they found 1t and apologize
"Back to the ship went the men
with the coat Of arms and reported.
The captain ordered the young men to
go ashore, take the coat of arms to the
consulate, replace 1t as they found it
and apologize to the minister.
sit was doubtless a bitter pill, and
the young midshipmen had to stand
the badinage Of their comrades. The
two went ashore, ready to comply,
and took the coat Of arms to the con-
sulate. The American minister had
not put himself out to keep the mat
ter quiet, and as fact the public was
we'll posted, and the consulate was
surrounded by crowd Of Americans,
natives and others, all laughing at the
predicament Of the young midship-
men.
"The minister had a strong sense Of |
humor and determined to get all there |
was in 1t. He preserved his dignity as |
best he could as he received the young |
men and listened to their apologies.
The midshipmen then took the coat Of |
arms from the hack and amid the
cheers of the crowd climbed to the
front Of the building and placed 1t In
position, then hurried down, followed |
by laughter and cheers."-C. It. Holder