By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

How about some back-fence gossip today? Here's an eyewitness story from John Craft, who lives at the Ilikai Hotel, about how turkeys came to Hawai'i.

He was president of the Hawai'i Wildlife Federation decades ago. He and wildlife biologist Dick Woodward used to go hunting together. At that time, Hawai'i was completely devoid of turkeys. "You know, a lot of guys on Moloka'i don't have anything to hunt," Woodward said. Wild turkeys would be good."

Woodward had a connection with King Ranch in Texas. Craft has military connections. About 1960 they brought in 100 pairs of wild Texas turkeys. The forklift dropped a crate at Hickam. Turkeys all over the runway. Finally, they were rounded up and distributed on Moloka'i, Lana'i and Hawai'i.

The turkeys have propagated very well. But hunters on Moloka'i told Craft they're too tough to eat. The hunters prefer Butterballs from the supermarket.

35 years overdue

Clinton Vitousek, manufacturer of neon signs, brought along a book called "Using Electronics" when he visited from San Antonio. He said he checked it out of the library at Hanahau'oli School when he was in the fourth grade in 1969. He recently found it in his late father's belongings.

He said the late fee when he was in school was 15 cents a week. It's been 35 years, making it 1,820 weeks overdue. So the overdue charge totals $273.

Lynette Roster, librarian, said they've dropped the overdue fee so Vitousek donated it to the school.

From Chuuk with love

We have a new security guard at The Advertiser from the island of Chuuk in Micronesia. I like his attitude. His name is Lover Santa. He said he asked his mother why she named him that. She told him she wanted him to love everybody. "I'll try," he said.

Son of a gun

Bill Anonsen of Norwegian Cruise Line is an expert on nautical expressions. He e-mails them to his friends. His latest contribution is about how the expression "son of a gun" originated.

Men of war in sailing-ships days were very crowded. Sailors slept in hammocks on the gun deck beside the big guns. When in port, wives and girlfriends were allowed to stay aboard. Naturally, babies were born. When the paternity was uncertain, the child was entered in the deck log book as a "son of a gun."

Black Cat Cafe days

Carl L. Conner from Marbleton, Ga., has written to say hello to everybody in Hawai'i. He was here in the Army during World War II. Sent along a menu from the Black Cat Cafe on Beretania Street across from the Army-Navy YMCA. The menu lists hotcakes at 10 cents, an oyster omelet for 45 cents, liver and onions for 30 cents and a porterhouse steak with mushrooms for $1.

Reach Bob Krauss at 525-8073.