White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-09-02
BABBLINC
IN THE DESERT

C( hS OoS ~
Gently pulled the Hawaiian revolu
tion, and with the aid OF a goodly
number Of Claus Spreckels' sugar
corporation worshippers and mem.
bers of the Central Union church had
installed himself as president of the
Kanaka republic. One of the first
acts of the whiskered gentleman was
to pick up as many as presented
themselves of the male offscouring OF
humanity and dub them detectives,
Their duties were to go to the various
mainland coast cities and look out
for filibusters, who were supposed to
be conspiring to smuggle cannon and
muskets into the islands to aid in
the restoration of Queen Lii, and to
employ other detectives. so-called, to
be stationed at each Of such cities.
In Seattle there was an ex-detec-
tive Of the city police force named
Jack Mcdonald. Jack was not such
a bad old scout, but a canny Scotch
man of American birth and rearing,
who knew how tc peddle the dope to
IA WopdPCA oOyo oh II pupSi aho
dey il to those on another, by the
first act of making his job secure for
months or years ahead or until Dole
might get onto his curve and fire
him, and by the second erecting a
%stop-gap against exposure when the
alleged filibusters reached he islands
and we're found to have no move
arms aboard than a jackrabDit.
There appeared On the streets of
Seattle a stranger and he was seen
a few times in the company of Nc
Donald. Soon 1t was whispered
around that Nc represented the Ha-
waiian government. AS 1t afterward
proved he was one of those Dole de
tectives." He had been there about
a week when he got on a glorious
high-you-lonesome and as becoming
a man Of his station--that is, as a
Getective-he became ultra-cautious
and wished to impart that caution to-
others. So the first thing he did was
to climb the stairs of the old Post
Intelligencer building as best he
could and ask Larry Hodges, then
city editor, to be careful and not say
in the paper that Jack Mcdonald had
been employed by him to act as Ha-
waiian government detective at Seat
tie to watch for filibusters, and par
ticularly not to- say anything about
the schooner G. w. Watson loading
arms and ammunition to invade The
ISLANDS and assist the royalists in
restoring Queen Lii to her throne.
Which shows how newspapers Some
times get onto things, End how, CON-
denim them as you will, Old Grow,
Scotch and Rye had their uses.
I had worked in the business of
flee for five and a half years and only
a few days before had begun as a
reporter. My beat was the wafer
front and since l had turned in some
fairly good stories at the start, the
night the Watson sailed, clearing
with a lumber cargo for the islands,
Hodges gave me the assignment to
go away out into South Seattle to
McDonald's house and get that story
from him whether or no.
THad a long seance with Jack and
he was cfFcumspect. Fe was I'M
warned of my coming, SO the mother
wit that he exhibited must be cred.
tied to him as impromptu and the
real article. l worked on him prob
ably for two hours, bIt could pin
hin1, InuyU RI hrf 0ra RI Tvunt OF aprnpf
and that was that his name must not
be used. He would not admit that
the Watson had arms or that she
hadn't arms. All that he would al
most admit was that she might have
had them or must have had them,
and when he could see that I was
about ready to give it up and go back
to town he would grow confidential
and almost whisper words to the eff
feet that there was no doubt that
the arms were aboard, only it would
not do to say how ne knew it or to
furnish me even the mount OF proof
necessary to convince me of it, much
less my city editor.
At the Office I was duly examined
by Hodges, j. w. Pratt, the editor,
and if my memory Is reliable, by
Jimmy Hoge, the owner. I told
them l believed the arms were aboard
but Jack had not given enough dope
to go ON and I advised strongly
against using the story. Pratt was
inclined to take my view of it, but
Hodges was keen for a scarehead SEN
sation and a scoop, and said he knew
Jack Mcdonald pretty we'll and he
belle I'D he would not lie to us. so
finally ( was ordered to write 'er up
which ! did in what as it appeared
in print to be most lurid fashion
Larry wrote the headlines, the tor
line being. ITO INVADE THE
ISLANDS"
The next day Costello OF the Press.
Times got after Mcdonald and in the
same line of torment which l hat
gone through the night before go'