The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-06-21
June IL, 1888.
HIS Elk. G. w. ASHFORD,

Ills 1X. y. w. ASHFORD,
Attorney-General.
Sir:-In accordance with your
request have the honor to present
the following statement of my con-
nection with the case of the man
who fell from the steamer Australia
on Tuesday of last week and died
in the Queens Hospital on the fol-
lowing Thursday.
A short time before the sailing of
the Australia on the day above
named, Mr.. Foster, clerk of the Sup
rene Court came to me on the up
per deck and said that man had
fallen from the steamer and hurt him
self, and suggested that L should go
and see him, which l consented to
do. l found the man in question
lying on the wharf, his clothes sa-
turated with water, and having, as
l was then informed, fallen, not
upon the wharf, but into the water.
His face was pale, and he appeared
to be weak and still suffering from
the shock of the fall. His pulse
however was fairly good, and he
was perfectly conscious. Some
thing, perhaps a remark from by
stander, suggested to me that the
accident was due to the effects of
liquor. / therefore asked him how
the thing happened and if he had
been taking too much grog, to
which latter question he replied
promptly in the affirmative. He
also volunteered the statement that
he would be all right in little
while, or words to that effect. [
told policeman who seemed to be
standing guard over the man that
he had better send for stretcher
and have him taken to the Police
Station, and if he did not come
around in little while, send him to
the Hospital.
A few minutes later 1 met Cap
tain Hopkins and said to him, in
substance, the same that L had al
ready said to the policeman. He
replied that he had sent for the
stretcher and it would be there in a
few minutes. AS Capt. Hopkins,
who is an intelligent man, appeared
to have the matter in charge, l took
it for granted that the advice I had
given would be followed, and did
not consider that any further action
on my part was necessary.
Between half past two and three
O'Clock, on the afternoon of the
same day, L had occasion to call at
the Police Station about another
matter, and was asked by one of
the officers in charge to see man in
side. l followed my guide into the cor
ridor which traverses the basement
story of the building, where to my
great surprise l found lying upon a
stretcher, the same man l had seen
lying on the wharf.
l expressed my surprise and dis
pleasure very emphatically, and am
positive that my manner and lang
uage showed considerable degree
of irritation. said, in substance,
that the Police Station was no fiji
place for sick or injured people, that
we had no facilities there for taking
care of them, or doing anything
for them, that the hospital was
the only proper place for this man
and that he ought to go there
Those present at the time could mo-
have failed to see that 1 was very
much annoyed.
| Knowing the responsibility anc
stupidity of the average native
policeman in matters outside the
narrow range of his everyday rout
inc, and seeing no signs of any in
tention to follow my advice, / wen
Immediately upstairs and reported
the matter to the Marshal in person
repeating the substance of what
had said to the officers downstairs
as to the unfitness of the place fol
the detention of such cases, an,
again advising that the man be sen
to the Hospital. At the close O
this conversation, which only laste,
few minutes, / left the building
| never saw the patient again, wa
never asked to, and have no know
ledge of what happened to him sub
sequently except by hearsay. HI
was an entire stranger to me and
only know his name by seeing il il
the newspapers. do not kno,
why he was not sent to the hospita
that day.
AT the time l saw him in the after
noon his general condition was bet
ter than in the morning. He wa
perfectly conscious, his pulse wa
good,he volunteered the opinion tina
he was coming round, and move,
his right arm to show me that b
was recovering the use of hi
muscles. A few questions which
asked him as to his residence,
any, whether he had any friend
here, and so on, were answered in
telligently and promptly. AS thi
case has excited considerable CON
ment and been the occasion of som
very extravagant language in on
afternoon newspaper, / consider
due to myself that in addition t
giving the above simple narrative,
should call attention to the follow
ing pertinent considerations:
lst. l was asked to see the case