The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-03-30
The Maui Tragedy.

kuheleaumoku and kahoaa, came to the residence
Of Mr.. Daniels, the Magistrate Of Waluku, and iu-
formed him that 4 thaichel house in Waiehu had
been burned during the night, and il, Was supposed
that two or three persons occupying the house had
been burned in it. Mr.. Daniels Immediately pro-
ceeiei to the spot, and in the ruins Of the house
found the charTed remains Of two persons, q man
and q woman. Ia 4 house near by, was q young
girl, - years Of age, who had been terribly cut and
glshei about the neck with some sharp instrument.
Mr.. Halste4i, who was present, did his best to sew
up the poor girls wounds temporarily. Deputy
Sheriff Thomas W. Everett was at Lahaina on the
receipt Of the news Of the murder, aud left there at
once, at 9 o'clock P. NJ, arriving at Waiehu at day
light the next morning. He Immediately dispatched
messengers for DR.. Beratz, the only surgeon on the
island, who had started on the previous Friday for
Hama. By extreme good luck the Doctor was found
at Makawao, and came with all haste 10 the relief of
the girl, whose wounds he dressed with care, and the
result in all probability will be that her life will be
preserved to give her testimony in the case and
bring 10 a just punishment the murderer. Mr..
Everett deserves all praise for his prompt action in
the matter, without which the girl would undoubt-
edly have died from her terrible wounds.
On Sunday, Mr.. Daniels caused the bodies of the
two victims to be buried temporarily, and on the
arrival Of Mr.. Everett, the Sheriff, anG DR.. Beratz on
the morning Of the 18th, the bodies were exhumed,
and a coroner's jury having been summoned, AN
I inquest was held, which was protracted during three
days. Marshal Parke, who had arrived at Lahaina
I on Tuesday from Honolulu, on receiving information
8 of the affair, Immediately proceeded to Wailuku, ar
! irving in time to take an active part in the investiga-
I ton. BY Mr.. Parke's directions, the surgeon will
remain with the wounded girl until she is out of
danger.
Two foreign ladies (NIrs. Sherrard and Mrs. Paris)
who reside near the house where the wounded girl
was taken, have shown their humanity and kind
feeling by visiting her, and providing her with little
comforts and Injuries that could not be had among
the natives.
TESTIMONY OF THE WOUNDED GIRL.
Kameelehiwa (w) sworn. 1 live at Laulailau, in
Waiehu, district of Wailuku. [ was there on Satur-
day night last and slept there. At the time [ was
assaulted | woke up | was struck with a knife,
crooked at one end-a cane knife, such as they cut
cane tops with kanalu, KoukOu and myself went
to sleep together in the house they were my grand
parents L felt three blows with the knife and then
become Inscnslble when L came to myself | saw a
man named kuheleaumoku in the house ; l saw him
strike a match and set hre TO the house, on the makai
side kanalu and kOukOu were lying dead in the
house {; L saw them | examined my grandmother
and felt of her she did not breathe ; the mats were
covered with blood [ was lying on my face, my
grandmother next to me, and my grandfather next
to her they were old people | knew it was Kuhele-
aumoku, | saw him by the light. This man now
present Indicating kuheleaumoku) | saw in the
house that night he is the one that lit the match I
knew him also by the knife, it had a crooked end
he was dressed in denim clothes. | am sure this
man, kuheleaumoku, is the one that struck me with
the knife. never heard kanalu and Kuheleaumoku
have any dispute. kuheleaumoku used to sleep at
our house he was there that night, but did not
sleep there, bat returned and committed this assault
on us. hanalu was struck a cash under the right
ear ; koukou was cut with a long cash behind her
right ear, on the back part. | saw no one at the
house that night after Kuheeaumoku left he left
alone. l crawled out Of the house by myself towards
the house of kekOlohe kekolOhe found me and took
me TO his house | was crawling on the road l told
kekolOhe and others that Kuheleaumoku had as
saulted US and set fire TO the house.
TIE MURDERER PRETExDs To CONFESS.
After the girls testimony had been taken, on the
same evening kuheleaunoku the prisoner stated to
the District Justice Of Wailuku, Henry w. Daniels,
Esq, acting as coroner, that he wished to make an
open and full confession Of the crime. He was
warned by that official that whatever he said would
be used as evidence against him on the trial, but he
PERSISTED in his wish to confess all that related to the
murder. His statement was accordingly taken down
at length. In il he declares that one kahoaa COM
mittci the murders and the assault on the girl, and
that he (KuheleaumOku) set fire to the house at
Kahoaa's request. The motive for the murder by
kahoaa he said was because the girl Kameelehiwa
would not cohabit with him.
STATEMENT OF SURGEON BERATz.
The testimony of DR.. Beratz is lengthy and de-
in a professional manner the appearance of
the bodies OF the old people, kanalu and KoukOu.
OF the former, y nothing was wanting the head,
and arms were there the general appearance
that body was mummifed-dried up, and black
through the effect of the fire. The face was more
or less damaged by the fire, so that it would be i'm
possible TO distinguish the features there were no
clothes on the bOdy-only a necktie or handkerchief
on the neck, which did not get burned it was very
tight around the neck. On the neck of this body,
above the handkerchief was a long cut, 8 inches in
length, and > in depth. on the right side of the neck.
Below that straight cut was the only part untouched
by fire, being covered by the handkerchief, which
protected it. The handkerchief when touched fell to
pieces, 1t being charred. The body was stretched out
straight, but the arms and elbows were drawn up
the neck. The other body said to be that Of
consisted of head, arms, chest and abdomen,
the rest-the pelvis, legs and feet, were wanting.
There was "A cut in the left temporal bone, perforat-
ing il, and would let the brains out the edges of
the hone on both sides the cut were very smooth, in
dlcatIug 1t was done with a sharp instrument. There q,
was also a long hole, ! inch long, l inch wide, and > .
inches deep on the same side, i'll the region Of the
carotid and jugular vein. The wound on the neck
Of kanalu was sufficient 10 kill him instantly. The ,
woman Koukou was certainly killed by the blow on
the temple ,
In regard to the girl, the Doctor said - exam
the girl kameclehiwa, about l3 years Of age
| found on the back Of her neck five large cuts, all ,
nearly parallel to each other, and Of the same extern
in length and depth-from 1 to > inches long ,
II in depth. Every one struck the vertebral
bones of the neck. They appeared to have been in :
ficted with a sharp, keen cutting instrument. My J
opinion Is that with the greatest medical care and at !
tention the girl may recover from her wounds, but
certainly will die if brain or wound fever should .
set in, through neglect" .
\ number of witnesses were examined at the in
quest, the result Of which was that kahoaa, charged
by KuheIeaumoku as being the murderer, was dis
charged, their being proof positive that he was in
another place at the time, and in no way connected
with the affair. kuheleaumoku, however, was COM
mitted for trial on the charge Of murder, at the next
term of the Circuit Court for the island of Maui, TO ;
be holden in Lahaina, on the 2d Tuesday Of June,
next. {
VERDICT OF THE CoRONER's JURY. {
The following is the verdict OF the Coroner's jury
an inquest taken at the Court House of Waikiki, ,
island Of Maui, on the 17th, 18th, 18th, and Goth
Of March, \. D.. 1872, before Henry W. Daniels,
Of the Coroners of said island, on the bodies Of .
L-Anrr Il - .---l- -. ". -