The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1881-12-24
Murder in Manoa Valley.

On Monday morning last "A little South Sea
Island child who lived with Hananaku (w), ia
u cottage in Manoa valley, ran into IA neighbor-
ing house and told the inmates that her mother,
as she called her, was sick and bleeding. On
going to find out what was the matter they found
Hananaku lying on her bed with blood oozinp
from the back Of her head and apparently dead.
The police were immediately sent for. On er-
animation, Mr.. Dayton, found the unfortunate
woman had apparently received four distinct
blows on the head. One OF these was on the
crown and had made IA wound about two inches
long, another was a little lower down, on the
left, leaving IA wound about an inch long. These
appeared t. have been made with the sharp edge
Of some instrument which was not heavy
enough to penetrate the skull, although 1t frac-
turcd ii. The other two wounds were in "a line
with those lower down on the side Of the head
and had the appearance Of being made witk the
back IF "a s~hingling hatchet. The lowest wound
was close TO the ear. The result OF all these
blows was that the skull was fractured from the
crown to the left ear. Blood had flowed from
the wounds but not in great quantity, and
near the ear a little Of the brain was protruding.
There were no signs OF any struggle or dis
turbaucc the victim of this brutal crime was
lying on her back with her head turned "A little
towards the right side. There was no blood on
the cUycrlet which lay over her, or on any thing
else save where II had ooZed from the wound
and run about six inches and lay in a little
clotted poool. Nothing in the place was dis
turbcd, and the murder had been 40 quietly
committed that the little girl, already spoken of,
who was sleeping in the same room, knew
nothing abOut Al. Hananaku's daughter ex-
amined her mothers trunk, and reported that
nothing in II had been meddled with. No inn
plemeut such as could have been used TO infiict
the murdeTous blows was found, nor any other
promise of a clue by which the perpetrator Of
the crime might be traced. Suspicion at first
fell upon Kaulia, who is a cousin of the man 10
whom Hananaku's daughter is married. He has
been living with Hananaku, and IL Is believed
that there had been some differences between
them. But n clear alibi was promptly proved
for Kaulia. who left the house at 3 O'Clock ON
the Sunday afternoon and, after spending some
time with friends ut Fisherman's Point. had
STAYED At Puukole for the night, and could ac-
count for himself in a satisfactory manner.
1t appeared too that he had himself put in the
crop Of kalO in Hananaku's patch, and could
have no possible personal interest in her death
but decidedly the contrary. - Meanwhile the
Marshal had been led to suspect another, a Chi
man, who had been living in Nanoa valley up to
9th September last, and had been very anxious
TO have Hananaku's daughter tor his wife. This
man has been living since September at Koolau,
but it was ascertained that he came over from
there last Saturday, and did not return until the
Monday morning. This man has more than one
atlas, but is best known to natives az Lu (or
Lau) Koa. He was believed to entertain a deep
grudge against Hananaku, because she had given
her daughter in marriage to another man, and in
the absence of all other clue to the perpetratol
of the murder, suspicion was naturally direc-
ted against him. He was arrested at Koolau ON
Wednesday by officer Mehrtens.
An inquest was commenced on Monday at the
residence of the deceased and continued on Tues
day ut the Police Court, when the evidence re-
lating to kaulia was taken, and n further ad-
jOurnment TO yesterday afternoon. Yesterdays
evidence bearing on Lu Koa's connection with
the murder was taken and the enquiry WAS again
adjourned to Tuesday next. Lu Koa gave evil
dence of his sense Of his position by endeayor-
ing on Thursday evening to strangle himself with
his own queue in his cell at the Police Station.