The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-02-08
THE DAILY
THE EPIDEMIC OF MURDER.

We commented lately upon the
alarming number of murders which
had been committed on Hawaii with
in period of not many months. It
is to be hoped that Maui is not going
to rival the bad eminence of its sister
island. At the present time there
gre two murderers, both Cinnamon,
lying in Oahu Jail under sentence of
death. One of these was concerned
in the murder of the native school
teacher, Kapahee, in Puma. It will
be remembered that his associate in
the crime, supposed to have been the
principal, escaped the clutches of
the law by taking poison soon after
his arrest. The other condemned
man is the Kona murderer, who
killed fellow countryman and rela-
tive, and endeavored to conceal the
crime by burning the house. In
both these cases the motive of the
crime seems to have been money.
In the same prison are also two
other prisoners, one ChiRamsn and
one Hawaiian, committed for trial
for the same offense. The former is
accused of being concerned in the
murder at Honomu, the motive of
which was recently explained IN our
columns. The latter is the one who
killed fellow countryman in a par
ticularly brutal fashion, being melted
thereto, as is supposed, by jealousy.
This latter crime was committed on
a plantation in the same district.
We believe the feeling is becoming
general in the community, that the
due protection of human life, par
ticularly in the out districts, requires
that homicides be dealt with more
severely than has been the custom
for some years back. Although cap
ital punishment exists in this coun-
try by law, it is, as matter of fact,
very seldom inflicted. The last exc
cution which took place in the King
dom was in the spring or summer of
1881, nearly eight years ago. Al
though this is ordinarily a peaceable
community, our readers would pro-
badly be surprised, possibly shocked,
could they see list of the homicides
which have been committed, say in
the last five or seven years, with the
particulars of the crimes, and the re-
suits in each case, as to conviction
and punishment.
In the way of remedy, there is no.
thing original to be proposed. We
have no patent method for the pre-
vention of crime. We can only make
an intelligent and faithful use of the
recognized means which we have at
our command. Outside of religious,
moral and educational influences,
whose operations are gradual and
often insensible, there are at least
three things which are required:
first, that everything possible be done
to strengthen the hands of the po-
lice and increase the efficiency of the
machinery for the detection and ap-
prehension of criminals; second, that
juries do their duty more intelligent
ly and conscientiously than they
have sometimes done in the past;
and third, that the executive shall not
nullify the verdicts of juries and the
sentences of courts by pardons or
combinations, except in very pecu-
liar and exceptional cases. No com
plant can be laid against the present
Government in tins last named re-
spect, only one pardon having been
granted in the last sixteen months.
We shall probably never see such
another attempt at a general Jail de
livery as accompanied the Kings
Jubilee.
Since the above was written, two
more prisoners have been received
here and lodged in jail to await trial
for murder. One is another China
man charged with being concerned
in the HonOmu crime, and the other
the native man Naauao, who killed
fellow Hawaiian in stabbing affair
at Kuiaha, Maui. In addition to all
these there is a native now in Gus
tody, charged with the killing of
Johnson at Waialua, who has not yet
received his preliminary examina-
ton.