The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1879-06-07
Homicide on Shipboard.

At an early hour en- Sunday morning last, word
vas brought to the Station House that a man had
been stabbed on board tue American bark Moro
Castle. lying at the old Custon House wharf. The
man. a SEAMAN named John Frederick. was found
by DR. McGrew. who was Immediately called, SUI
frring great pain firm a knife wound in the abdo-
men, from which the bowels were prOtrudins.
Alter dressing the wound. the Doctor advised that
the man be taken to the Queens Hospital, where
be died during Monday night. after making Il
dying declaration before the Police Magistrate
who was requested by the Marshal to attend at the
Hospital. John Brown. the seaman who stabbed
Frederick. was promptly arrested and the examin-
alton on Wednesday resulted in his commitial for
Trial at the July terra OF the Supreme Court on u
charge OF murder. The testimony at the prelimi-
nary examination did not differ materially from
the dying statement made by the deceased, which
we give in fall. as follows:
On this LIST day OF June, 1879, John Frederick,
confined in the Queens Hospital from a wound in
the bowels. in view OF approaching death, was by
me, W. g. Jones, Police Justice Of Honolulu, duly
sworn. and made the following statement under
his oath. Present John Brown, and the Acting
I American Consul.
II am q native of Finland. l I'm u seaman on
board the American bark Moro Castle / do not
believe | will recover from the wound from which
/ am now suffering / had not been on shore yes
tetday all the men at the ship except three went
ashore / turned in late at night-had been mend
ing clothes my bunk was full Of mosquitoes and
/ nailed 4 blanket 10 the bunk to keep out the
mosquitoes | went to sleep. aud presently two of
the crew and "A stranger came in one of the
parties commenced pulling The blanket off my
bunk and / jumped out and asked him what he
wanted then We had some words and / asked him
il he wanted to light 7 said all right, come along
-to the party named Victor l did not strike him,
but got hold OF him TO keep him from striking me
at that time the defendant John Brown was in the
forecastle door with u knife in his hand, and said,
come on deck, you -; Victor and myself then
stopped and had no more row ; defendant then put
one foot over the door into the forecastle and the
other was on the steps, and he then showed the
knife into my groin and said. take that, you -;
John 4. Ohlse was present 4; l saw him knock the
knife out of DEFENDANTS hand, with a Delaying pin,
as he started to strike me u second time this is
John 4. Ohlsen now present, this is John Brown
the defendant now here present | did not strike
the defendant with anything 1 merely asked them
what they wanted about my berth l did not touch
defendant at all it was after | let go of Victor
that defendant stabbed me / merely asked Brown
the defendant. what he wanted--tbat was after l
| jumped ont Of my bunk / was standing near the
Iorecastle door at the time defendant Brown
stabbed l sat down on a chest, and defendant tried
to stab me O second time, when Ohlsen knocked
the knife out of his hand with a Delaying pin l
had not been drinking never had any difficulty
with defendant be had been drinking | think if
be had not been drinking he would not have
stabbed me. JOHN FREDERICK"
Subscribed and sworn to before me this LIST day
Of June, 1879. W. {. JONES.
Police Justice, Honolulu.