The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-11-13
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
PhIebo,ouy, Perjury or sIauderI-whieh.

PhIeboIomy, Perjury or sIander ~ hich !
One day last week or the previous one, a native
died suddenly Of tetanus or Ioek-aw- lie was
a Catholic, and some Of his friends, on inquiring
after the causes of his death, learned that two
weeks or 50 before that event happened, he had
been bied by some one, report said by Rev.
Lowell Smith. Deening it a capital oppor-
tunity 10 lash the Reverend gentleman for a
practice in which he has become somewhat con-
spicuou-that Of bleeding freely and gratuit-
ously every one that applies to him-the
natives friends concluded 10 set the Iaw agents
10 work TO worry him. On the strength Of an
affidavit sworn 10 by Mr.. J. Stewart, as we are in
formed, a summons was issued calling Mr. Smith
TO answer TO a charge for manslaughter, depo-
nent having sworn, To the best Of his knowledge
and belief, that Mr. ;. was guilty Of manslaugh-
ter in the third degree. For the nonce, the town
was ali agOg-the attorney general vowed that the
majesty Of the law must be upheld-the lawyers,
or one ut least, declared that every word Of depon-
ent was a. true as the gospel he had sworn on
the doctors stoutly maintained that phlebotomy
was n practice popular only in the last century
and finally our government official organ prepared
himself with pencil and paper, Tor = long and
startling report Of u most extraordinary case Of
what ever il proved to be. The case came up,
but alas there wers no witnesses, nobody to
testify that the man had been bled by the accus-
ed. Plenty were there who had heard some
one say that he had heard from some one
else, that Mr.. ). had done il, but that was
not to the poirt. 50 far as the evidence pro-
duced was concerned, the man may have bled
himself. In this dilemma, and 10 vary the scene
4 little, 4 number of physicians were called
upon the stand, but their evidence had little to
do in the case. They knew how to bleed, had
bled, but didn't believe in bleeding. They
thought, moreover, that if the man came to his
death by bleeding, it was an accident that
might happen To any physician, and that Mr. 5.
should not be held responsible. The attor-
ney-general being quick witted, not willing to
risk his reputation in losing n case, and deeming
it advisable to get out of q bad scrape as best he
gould, entered u noHe prosequd, and the judge
dismissed the case with some sound advice To all
concerned.
The POIyHeSiaa editor says Mr.. ;. b!ed the
native; perhaps lee could have proved it, if
brought ON to the stand, rs lucidly as he does
some of his political humbugs. 1t is a serious
matter to charge your n~eishbor with killing a
man, or with doing what caused his death.
itcre, IN tulS case u Uah COmcS lOEHdEu lii
Voluntarily swears thus of his neighbor, and
when the case is tried, 10, there is no proof of it.
Is that perjury? Perhaps not. Surprising Mr..
Smith chose to turn, and enter u charge of per-
jury against the party thus swearing? Or a suit
for SANDER. He has a right 10 do either, and
were the case reversed, a suit would, perhaps, have
been entered. and we might have had a perjury
or SANDER case to report. But such is not Mr..
SIS profession he has been taught, as we all
are, if smitten on one cheek, to turn the other
also.
Do not misunderstood us. We do not sus-
tain Mr.. Smith in his practice of phlebotomy.
We Condemn him, for there is no good reason,
in our minds. why it should be resOrted to by
him IN any case whatever, when we have here
the Queens Hospital, supported at heavy ex-
pense, and a number of physicians, more OF less
skilful, always ready TO tend the sick. If they
will not resort to these, but especially TO the
Hospital, then let them die. If this suit leads
10 the discontinuance of this practice by the
reverend gentleman, it is the only good that can
come cut of it.