“Go on!” roared Good.

Benner made a cut at the policeman with his whip and tried to drive on.  The man let go the bridle and blew his whistle, bringing two other policemen quickly to his aid.  One tried to climb into the front of the wagon, but was knocked senseless by Benner, while the other, who attacked in the rear, was roughly handled by Parris and Fritz.

The wagon now drove on, but got entangled in a block of two street cars and a truck.  Other policemen came running up and a fight ensued, one of the officers putting his hand into his pocket as if to draw a weapon.

“Look out, he is going to shoot,” cried a voice from one of the cars.

Good instantly drew his pistol, and crying, “Benner, it’s life or death; if we must, we must,” he fired.

The policeman fell, with a ball in his shoulder.  The wagon by this time had got loose from the block and was driven furiously away, reaching the barracks without further trouble.

That wounded policeman constituted the sole list of dead and wounded in the revolution.  Men were rapidly gathering about the barracks, two companies of armed men soon marched up, and a proclamation was read to the following effect: 

“The Hawaiian monarchical system of government is hereby abrogated.

“A provisional government for the control and management of public affairs and the protection of the public is hereby established, to exist until terms of union with the United States of America have been negotiated and agreed upon.”

These were the essential clauses of the proclamation that overthrew the Hawaiian government, the armed insurgents now marching to the palace, where they found no one but a highly indignant woman, the queen, deserted by all and in a violent state of excitement.  Her soldiers, who were in the police station, made no effort to help her, and the only thing needed to complete the work of the revolution was the capture of this station.  This was done without a blow being struck and the revolution was complete.  In this easy way a government more than a century old was overturned and a new one installed in its place.

But the end was not yet.  The United States had still to be heard from.  Minister Stevens and Captain Wiltse of the “Boston” had landed troops to protect the interests of American citizens and from this incident trouble arose.  The revolution in Hawaii took place January 17, 1893, when President Harrison, then in office, had little more than six weeks to serve.  Harrison favored annexation of the new ocean republic, a treaty was prepared and sent to the Senate, but before it could be acted upon the 4th of March arrived and a new man, with new views, came in to fill the Presidential chair.

President Cleveland’s views were startlingly new.  He believed that the success of the revolution was due to the act of Minister Stevens and Captain Wiltse in landing troops, that the queen had been illegally removed, and sent the Hon. Albert S. Willis to Honolulu to unseat President Dole of the new republic and restore Queen Liliuokalani to the throne.