The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-06-09


IN fact, absolutely untrue aud uEfOunoed
even ia any OF those plausible bctions which
occasionally simulate truth l may, by the
way Of Illustration, segregate n few OF the
specific accusations against Claus SprecEels
To show you WHIST they were aud the effect
they were likely 70 produce. He was identified
IN The san Francisco IS Chronicle y with n sys-
tenn Of slavery or peOnage In the sandwich
Islands, which WAS described as almost I'M
precedenied ia It's inbumauity, and which had
no actual existence, and assuredly none in
connection WIKI Claus SprpCkels. This syS-
tenn was uufavOrably contrasted with any
form Of slavery that had previously existed,
either in ancient or modern times He was
untruthfuily represented as having enticed
ignorant and innocent men TO the sandwich
Islands ana then SIS having forced them INTO
his debt and reduced them 10 starvation and
SerTitude- He WAS numbered among-to
use he very language that Was employed
1.-the monsters of humanity" and he was
identified as one OF the principle demons in
what was termed the hell Of Hawaii. de was
depicted as a merCileSS tyrant even among
our local merchants. He Was ridtculed as
proud of an eminent rank among what were
called the colored aristOCrats Of Hawaii, and
all this done in the face of exactly cJn-
urary i'm, raF-ion derived by the prosecuting
WltneS- .,.ei II. De \ Dung, from Claus
SpreCSeI> u.a4s=h. He was accused of having
corrupted part Of our local press. He WAS
heralded as the head mover in shameless rob-
berry. He was charged with crime against
the community. He was connected in the
columns of this journal with barefaced hcen-
tiousness; with the alleged establishment of
a harem at Honolulu charged with having
pandered to the dusky King TO promote his
Illicit pleasures both there and at the capital
OF our own state. He was specified as the
author of = false and fabricated table Of COM
mercial statistics He was referred TO as the
author Of political corruption in our midst.
He was said to have been Instrumental in
having introduced the Hawaiian
PLANTATION SLAVE LASH.
into a Republican club He was drawn into
afy-aF Ia inf
utely manufactured statements of facts Of
having, quoting the very language, sold white
women TO white and black men for Infamous
purposes. The Kingdom OF Hawaii was re-
ferred To as the new Mongolism Empire Jun
der the kalakaua-Spreckels dynasty, thus
reaching the ell-sustained and well-iOunGed
principles of our people against the introduce
ton Of the Monaghan element INTO our popu-
lation In relation 10 the Hawaiian CONNER
Cial and Sugar Company, in which tlaus
Spreckels holds to-day uubrokSn his original
certificate of stock precisely as it was de-
Iivered 10 him in the first instance, and Of
their shares, of which neither he nor the de-
PENDANT have ever sold one, he and his Sons
were falsely aspersed as having cheated their
mercantile friends and acquaiHtances, and
committed crimes for which they ought to
have been punished.
He was mentioned as having design to
have one of his sons crowned as King of Ha-
wall. and mercilessly ridiculed for that imag-
mary reason. His wife, the mother of de
PENDANT was ironically dubbed, Lady Spreck-
els" and she and her- husband spoken OF as
the IilipuLidn magnateS, OF whom King kHla-
kaua was the august master The prtJndicps,
lust and proper OF our citizens against the
lep -osy, were invoked by an untruthful asso-
citation Of Claus Spreckels with the dissent
nation OF that most fearful of ali diseases. He
was held up in every conceivable way to
scorn, contempt and obloquy, ana on No
Vember lG, 1884, three days before the shoot
ING took place the prosecuting witness,
Michael De Young, published long article,
purely fictitious, both in its statements and in
its deductions, in which some OF the worst OF
the previous llbels were reiterated. This ar
ticle in which mercantile dishonesty, on
which any man bred to business is most
acutely sensitive, was specihcally alleged
against Claus Spreekel5 and his sons and 1t
was the elimination OF three years oil per
sonal journalism directed against him
and his family by the prosecuting witness,
the silent witness in this case, and all tins
was published against gentleman ana
mt reliant without a single haw ia his record,
who had largely contributed TO the prosperity
and advancement OF this city and state, and
who prided himself above all things upon bis
American citizenship; who had identh
himself for many years with the political
ideas which the "ChrOnicle" has assumed 10
represent and W no was free from every wee,
from every thought and from every feeling
which could bring him discredit as a man, a
husband IA father or the head Of important
commercial enterprises and ventures. This
was habitually read by and brought home to
a sensitive young man. q loving son VINO hs-u
always resided with his parents, by whom.
these calumnies were necessarily discussed IN
his presence young man, too, who was a
victim of accident and sicknesses which had
seriously affected his nerves and his brain
and a young man who had been tauS ut 10 be-
neve what is necessary TO the maintenance OF
the highest society both here and elsewhere,
Thai whi.e life should be protected, the pro-
lection of reputation Is equally necessary, and
that in a country where reputation IS not
guarded and protected, violence Is the neces-
sary, the inevitable had almost stiu tue ue-
sirable-resuit.
/ think l have sufficiently stated the ex-
citing causes, not Of resistible passion, but OF
impulsive insanity or transitory mania.
IN OUTLINING THE TESTIMONY
Which we propose to introduce in this case,
as 1 have said, do not propose to discuss the
law about the amissability of these articles
which we desire TO read, but we say generally
that they are all admissible under the authori-
ties quoted and others directly applicable
upOn the ground that they reached the mind
of the defendant in this case, and thereby be-
came exciting causes within the dehuitions of
that term - - The question IS here
simply what predisposing cause exi.ted.
Were the "Chronicle" articles sufficient ito
constitute exciting causes. The very fact
that they were untrue, which Is the theory
of the defense here, rendered thelr puDllca-
ton more likely to affect the defendants
mind. However, 1 must now close that
branch of the opening Of the case, and rapid
ly go over the last, but not the least impor-
tant division of this defense. We shall in
troduce testimony, gentlemen OF the jury,
reaching back through the whole period
which I have endeavored to cover, from the
most reputable and scientific sources; from
persons the most intimate with the defendant
and the most competent to speak OF his con-
dition, as to each and every one OF the tactS
and circumstances which L nave endeaVored,
hastily and generally, to bring before You.
But suppose it should turn out at the end II
our testimony upon this subject that, In the
judgment of this jury, the defendant was not
insane at the precise moment When the
witness. All. III
shot, what defense remains on the facts,
which we are prepared TO proven The re-
naming line of defense as to which we shall
introduce what / conceive TO be clear ana
unequlvocaI testimony, IS that which IS
known as selfdefense. IS - "
sELF-DEFENsE THEORY.
The inherent right Of self-defense was next
considered Mr.. HightOn continued We
shall prove by irrefragable and complete evil
uence proving beyond all possible contrO-
versy, "a we understand il, that whatever was
done by the defendant in the office of the
q Chronicle on the 18th of November, 1854,
was done cOnscienhOusly, and purely IN the
exercise of his right of self-defense against an
attack which was made upon him oy the
prosecuting witness, Michael De Young. We
shall show you, gentlemen, for j am now
coming to the specific facts with which this
line Of defense VIII be SuppOrted-We snail
show YOU that Michael DE Young was
absolutely armed that day, and we shall
show you, iuferentaliy at least, that he was
not only armed Win one PISTOL WHICH u some
times considered to be sufficient for the pro-
lection Of a human being who deems IL re-
quisite 10 be protected in that way, but that
he was armed with two. Only half or three
q arters Of an hour before this occurrence in
the office of the Chronicle the prosecuting
witness. Michael n. De Young, was walking
on Kearny street, in this city, with his coat
com pleteIy buttOned, all the buttons being
closed and While he was traversing that
street in that condition, the outline Of the
pistol which he carried on his right hip was 50
conspicuous that il could be clearly seen by
every human being who observed il, and we
shall prove to you by one Of the most respect
able young gentlemen 10 san Francisco that
his attention was specifically and directly
called 10 this fact, and that ne was about to
mention to Mr. De Young himself. with whom
he was AZ quaiuted, the fact that he ought "a
loosen the buttons OF his coat so that he would
not be displaying to everybody the manner IA
which lac was armed.
THE SHOOTING.