The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1865-12-16

actuateI the Citing out Of the Hawaiian navy
and the attempt Of the Gg=e,fe to lead the
public TO suppose that it was 10 support the
majesty Of the law. Is both absurd and iish0n-
ora5lc. We ridiculed the whole affair, because
We knew the origin of the trouble from the
first, and knew well where the fault lay.
Our only excuse for the immatcyial error in
the facts about the examination Of Maria before
the police magistrate, Is that we were misin-
formed. We gave the statement as We received
II, and had no intention OF misleading the pub
lie and We hope the Gazette Is equally innocent.
Now what are the facts? The girl ur4S ar
rested IT Waialua. by certain irresponsible par
ties, without q warrant. She was then hurried
i the city, and locked up in the staJi5n-house.
where she was visited By the whole detective
force Of the Kingdom, male and female. cues
toned and cross-questioned in the hope Of get
ting some statement from her which would i'm
plicate the Captain in the violation Of some Laws
Of the realm-reckless riding, f5rnicati5n, adul-
terry, petty larceny, abduction, conspiracy-any-
thing on which might be hinged an excuse for
the grand naval display. But al To No pur-
pose.
The next day. q gentleman hearing that the
--4 NNS StA-I 4-CtlA tt4GttL "4L-iJLs = Warrant
having been produced before her charging her
with offence. offered bail. The Attorney-Gen-
eral at first demanded $500, because q terrible
row had been kicked up. But on reference To
the Judges. the sum was reduced L $40. and
the gir! released - appear a. half PAST nine on
the following Monday, at the Police Court, to
answer - the charge Orthodoxy knows what.
II the appointed hour. the gentleman who had
gwen bail for her appearance was 81 the court
house, and MI finding tue giIl thele requested
that she be sent for. but was toli that the case
had been postponed. His bond Vas then can
cellei, ana the suit given %. It seems that the
girl, prompt 70 her engagement, went To the
courthouse IT nine O'Clock, and Is She ap-
preached the building, was mex by the Marshal,
VINO told her II - home. that she woUldn t be
wanted that day, and when wanted would De
sent for. And 10 tins day She does not know
what she was arrested for. The action Of the
officers Of the Court was virtually q noHe yros-
cgal, az We stated, though one was not formally
The examination 10 which We referred did not \
take place before the Court. But the GIRLS
aunt, who swore out the warrant, had made 4
statement, which she was ready 10 make again
on oath before the Court. that she knew nothing
against the girl Maria, that she had sworn out
the warrant because she was told she must DO it,
and that certain parties, whom she named,
could give all the particulars and more than she
as 10 where the girl had been living and
she had been doing, &c, &c. Of course
these things We're known TO the officers,
and when it was known what her testimony
be. the suit against Maria was very dis
creetly dropped. The public viii Judge for
itself whether the statement made by Us or tie
Go-cfe'S comes nearer to the facts in the case.
We regret having 70 recur u this matter
again. But the attempt of the Gazette 70 fasicn
a faIsshood on Us. compcls Us 70 give tie whole
II is not the first time 4 Government
organ has acted unwisely and burnt its own
The Government has 10 one TO thank
-oI this expose but the writer of the colnmuni-
,ation % signed . \. B. c. and the interest
ing pair Of notes fro.1 the Minister Of the Inte-
and the Police Justice.
The action Of the authorities in a-resting and
mprisoning the girl Maria. for what appears to
nave been no fault, or at least on a charge for
which they dare not bring her into Court. only
hows how easy our laws may be t~ramIled on
~ those whose duty ii IS to sustain them. 1t is
lot the first time that one Of His NIaiestv's sub
has been Illegally deprived Of liberty; and
hough an action for false Imprisonment in this
might not find any one responsible for the
arrest or ~committal. it should teach our judges
0 be extremely cautious in granting warrants
f arrest.
We cannot allow this correspondence, now
hat it i under notice, to pass without rebukiug
he mode in which q public reiutation Of our
tatemcnt was sought. The Minister knew the
whole facts as well as any one else and the
'olice Magistrate, in replying to the inquiry,
ncw very well that bis answer did not cover so
ull a statement a. he might have given, and as
he public had 4 right 10 expect, in i commune
alton written ostensibly lor publication. Both
he inquiry and reply are discrcdi,able and un-
Of persons holding public Offices.
i" A. to the Jurisdiction Of this Government over
he channels between the Islands. ! believe that
r- -. 49, At . --r-1L~ 80 .