User:KAVEBEAR/Crown of Lunalilo

The Crown of Lunalilo was s crown belonging to King Lunalilo of the Kingdom of Hawaii who ruled from 1873 to 1874. The crown was used as a funerary crown after his death and kept in the Lunalilo Mausoleum until it was stolen and melted into a silver bar.

Origin
When Kamehameha V died in 1872 with no heir, the 1864 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii called for the legislature to elect the next monarch. By both popular vote and the unanimous vote in the legislature, Lunalilo became the first elected king of Hawaii. Lunalilo died without an heir in 1874 leading to the election of Kalākaua to the throne on February 12, 1874.

King Lunalilo was buried at the Royal Mausoleum at Mauna ʻAla with royal honors on February 28, 1874. His official funeral procession noted: "His Excellency J. M. Kapena, bearing the Crown of the late King" in front of the large kāhili and the casket of the king. In a second funeral, on November 23, 1875, the casket of Lunalilo was transported to the almost completed Lunalilo Mausoleum.

One source states Edan Milton Hughes indicated that "John Mott-Smith designed the silver crown worn by Lunalilo".

Theft in 1917
This crown was kept in the Lunalilo Mausoleum until 1917 when it was stolen by two robbers named Albert Gerbode and Paul Payne from Key West, Florida and subsequently melted into a silver bar.

the silver crown had been stolen. Evidently the value of the feather cape was unknown to the robbers, as it was not disturbed. "The story of the gold crown probably came from the fact that there was embroidered upon a velvet pall— made in Europe for the casket of King Luna- lilo during the year in which the tomb was being erected— a crown of rich gold embroidery set with imitation diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. The thieves must have been disappointed to find only a crown of embroidery, but they took with them the silver crown and the silver plate upon which was engraved the biography of the king. "There was great excitement over the robbery. Newspapers printed the story with numerous details, but no clue was found to the identity of the robbers until some time afterwards, when a judge in Honolulu received from a naval officer a letter in which he told of overhearing some sailors as they talked of the robbery of King Lunalilo's tomb. "The sailors told how the tomb had been entered, the doors being forced open with an iron bar. They had heard of the gold crown set with jewels, but found only the silver crown. This they took with them, and they left the crown and also the silver plate— which had been melted into one piece of silver —in a pawnshop in Key West. The judge referred the letter to the police department and through their efforts the crown and the silver of the plate were found and returned to Honolulu. The crown was badly battered and its decorations destroyed." The old sexton had finished his work, and taking his yard broom from against the fence picked up his tools and turned through the wide, swinging gates. We followed him. The clock in the church tower struck twelve. After expressing my appreciation, I walked across the palace grounds to the Y.W.C.A. for lunch, thinking of all I had heard and of the little crown of silver. Later on I came to know the son of the artist who had fashioned the crown. He told me of his father's friendship for Lunalilo, as both prince and king; of the esthetic taste of the young monarch and of his love of all things beautiful. He said that the crown had been decorated with silver ribbon and a group of frosted leaves, all the work of his father, and was a gift from him and two other close friends of the king in honor of His Majesty. He did not know what had become of it, but had an impression that it had been placed in a safety- deposit box in the bank. I returned again and again to the little garden. I thought the young king must have been pleased with the beautiful tomb which had been built for him. I wondered just where his mother was buried. One old Hawaiian woman said to me that it was probably somewhere in Kawaiaho church grounds. "She was a high chiefess, you know," she added. Finally I looked up the man who had been the chief of police at the time the crown was stolen. "That was a strange thing to happen in Honolulu," he said, "where we never even lock our doors. I was never more surprised in my life than when I heard that Lunalilo's tomb had been robbed. We got busy right away and we traced that crown, and the silver plate with it, although that was all melted up, away down in Florida. The crown and plate were sent back here, but they were not put back in the tomb. I'm sure I don't know what became of them. I think they were turned over to the authorities." "Was the king's casket all right?" I asked. "Yes," I said, "and so was the silver crown." I determined to search for that crown, and as I went I found myself repeating "Ka Moi! Ka Moi!" So the past becomes the present. The scenes which we weave into our lives today, will take their places on the walls of tomorrow. Some of them will be set in colors strong and lasting, while others will fade into confused and broken memory: crowns of silver with frosted silver leaves. [ 367 ]

"October 30, 1917: A silver crown and silver lei atop King Lunalilo's casket are stolen from the Lunalilo tomb by two U.S. Navy sailors, and melted into a silver bar. The silver is returned to Hawai'i on May 23, 1918, by Hawai'i Deputy Sheriff Julius William Asch. It was found in a Key West, Fl., pawnshop. On April 19, 1918, sailors Albert Gergbode and Paul Payne are arrested and confess in Florida. Payne is court martialed on June 13, 1919 and convicted of "disobeying a law." He is fined $180 and demoted in rank. There is no record of a court martial for Gergbode. The two sailors pulled the old, worn padlock from the tomb door, but didn't open the casket. They thought all Hawaiians were buried with jewelry.

The high price of silver has caused the reopening of many old mines throughout the world. Some had been idle so long that they were considered thoroughly dead. That mining activity may often be directed along peculiar lines is illustrated by a dispatch printed in the New York Sun, which says that at Honolulu, in the territory of Hawaii, the police discovered on Nov. 1 that the tomb of King Lunalilo had been broken open and his silver crown and other emblems stolen. King Lunalilo died in 1874, and was the predecessor of the late King Kalakaua.

On October 30, 1917, a beautifully wrought silver crown, which was on a koa wood crown pillow placed just above the King's head, was stolen. Also stolen was a silver plate upon which was engraved the biography of the King. There were no clues as to who the desecrators were until some time later when a naval officer wrote to a Honolulu judge later when a naval officer wrote to a Honolulu judge concerning a conversation he overheard between some sailors. The sailors told how the tomb had been entered, the doors being forced open with an iron bar. They had heard of the gold crown set with jewels [ed: commonly accepted but incorrect rumor], but found only the silver crown. This they took with them, and they left the crown and also the silver plate— which had been melted into one piece of silver— in a pawnshop in Key West. The Judge referred the letter to the police department and through their efforts the crown and the silver of the plate were found and returned to Honolulu. The crown was badly battered and its decorations destroyed.8 Antoinette Withington further discussed the robbery and Lunalilo Tomb with the then chief of police: "That was a strange thing to happen in Honolulu," he said, "where we never even lock our doors. I was never more surprised in my life than when I heard that Lunalilo's tomb had been robbed. We got busy right away and we traced that crown, and the silver plate with it, although that was all melted up, away down in Florida. The crown and melted plate were sent back here, but they were not put back in the tomb. I'm sure I don't know what became of them. I think they were turned over to the authorities." [ed: A cursory check reveals that the present location of the crown is still not known.] "Was the king's casket all right?" I asked. "Yes, it was. But another thing that interested me was a crypt which ran back from the tomb under the old cemetery. In this there were several coffins, and then there was a short box with the cover loose, and what do you think was in that box? A bundle of human bones wrapped up in black tapa. I've often wondered," he said, sitting back in his office chair, "just whose bones they were. Black tapa was royal you know." [ed: This was not mentioned when takeoff measurements were made in 1962. ]9 # * * Never again will the hills and valleys of Hawaii sorrow to the mournful wailing that spreads like the trade wind honoring a departed Hawaiian monarch, who has started on the long path to join his forebears. Never again will the hills and...

Newspapers

 * https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=crown+of+lunalilo&dr_year=1917-1918




 * The Honolulu Advertiser


 * The Hawaiian Gazette
 * Silver ornaments which were taken from the tomb of the late King Luna lilo last year were returned to Deputy Sheriff Julius Asch Saturday. The or naments were taken by two sailors in the naval service who later were trans ferred to Tampa, Florida, Deputy Asch made a trip to Tampa the early part of this ' wear to identify the stolon goods. The relics have been turned over to the trustees of the Lunalilo estate.
 * Silver ornaments which were taken from the tomb of the late King Luna lilo last year were returned to Deputy Sheriff Julius Asch Saturday. The or naments were taken by two sailors in the naval service who later were trans ferred to Tampa, Florida, Deputy Asch made a trip to Tampa the early part of this ' wear to identify the stolon goods. The relics have been turned over to the trustees of the Lunalilo estate.
 * Silver ornaments which were taken from the tomb of the late King Luna lilo last year were returned to Deputy Sheriff Julius Asch Saturday. The or naments were taken by two sailors in the naval service who later were trans ferred to Tampa, Florida, Deputy Asch made a trip to Tampa the early part of this ' wear to identify the stolon goods. The relics have been turned over to the trustees of the Lunalilo estate.
 * Silver ornaments which were taken from the tomb of the late King Luna lilo last year were returned to Deputy Sheriff Julius Asch Saturday. The or naments were taken by two sailors in the naval service who later were trans ferred to Tampa, Florida, Deputy Asch made a trip to Tampa the early part of this ' wear to identify the stolon goods. The relics have been turned over to the trustees of the Lunalilo estate.

https://www.newspapers.com/search/#query=lunalilo+crown&ymd-start=1917-07-24&ymd-end=1918-12-29&t=1651
 * Honolulu Star-Bulletin




 * Grand Forks Herald


 * The Maui News
 * Hawaiian Relics Returned Silver ornaments which were taken from the tomb of the late King Lunalilo last year were returned to Deputy Sheriff Julius Asch Saturday. The ornaments were taken by two sailors in the naval service who later were transferred to Tampa, Florida, Deputy Asch made a trip to Tampa the early part of this year to identify the stolen goods. The relics have been turned over to the trustees of the Lunalilo estate.
 * Hawaiian Relics Returned Silver ornaments which were taken from the tomb of the late King Lunalilo last year were returned to Deputy Sheriff Julius Asch Saturday. The ornaments were taken by two sailors in the naval service who later were transferred to Tampa, Florida, Deputy Asch made a trip to Tampa the early part of this year to identify the stolen goods. The relics have been turned over to the trustees of the Lunalilo estate.
 * Hawaiian Relics Returned Silver ornaments which were taken from the tomb of the late King Lunalilo last year were returned to Deputy Sheriff Julius Asch Saturday. The ornaments were taken by two sailors in the naval service who later were transferred to Tampa, Florida, Deputy Asch made a trip to Tampa the early part of this year to identify the stolen goods. The relics have been turned over to the trustees of the Lunalilo estate.