The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-05-22
AN INFORMER's EVIDENCE.
The Testimony Given by John Rich
mond In the Honokaa Murder Case.

name is J. Richmond and I live in
Honokaa. l was stable man for Mr..
Overend. | was there in October last
:! Know defendants; MIR. Steele is luna
Tor Mr.. Overend; my house is on the
west side of the stable; from Overend's
house it is three OF four hundred feet
october 18th last was there; Mr..
Steele came after me sometime after I
was In bed and asked me to 90 to the
Jap quarters, and told me to watch for
Jap and find out where he went to, and
was to carry the information to the
schoolhouse; (map shown and Overend's
house, stables and schoolhouse located.
Schoolhouse where he was told to go);
90 not know what time it was, I had
been asleep and no one was with me
stood by wood pile watching for Jap
about half an hour; did not know
Goto; I did not know who was watch
ing for; went up and saw Jap come
out and get on horse and then 1 went up
Government road to the schoolhouse;
met Mr.. Steele there; / was on
foot; / walked as fast as l could
going nd hill: took me about ten min
utes to 60 up and met Steele there;
told him that the Jap had started and
went towards big quarters I then said,
will 60 back and he said emo, wait
awhile, may need you;" saw him
mount his horse; stayed by cemetery
fence and he told me to stop there till he
called for me; sat down then on the
edge of the road there is grass there
and fence; could not say how long
stayed there, and [ saw Jap coming on
horseback. He was walking his horse
up the bill was on the west side of the
road and Jap was near that side; when
Jap got there / saw Lala, Blabon and
Steele rush out for the horse. Blabon
and Steele pulled the man from the
horse, and Lala grabbed the horse by
the bride; there was grass there; Steele
grabbed the Jap by the head, back of
the head and mouth, and Blabon took
hold of the mans body; Jap came off
the horse kind of on his knees; he
was then taken in to the opposite
lot and laid on his !, face; / could
not tell how long he was lying there;
Jap in the end was hung; this was all
done within an hour. Steele, Blabon Wat
son and Mills carried him up from the
road; after they got there they laid him
on his face and Steele tied his hands be-
hind his back; Blabon tied his feet;
heard Jap say, Pau, pau; after he was
down on his feet did not hear anything
more; heard no groan; and then after
he was tied he was carried up to the
Government road running through
Honokaa: he was carried to the makai
side of the road near trail and left; this
| last place is about 200 feet from telephone
post; he was laid down and Mills asked
me to go over to telephone post and get
rope; it was new rope about "a inch
thick; found the rope at the telephone
| post it lay coiled up in coil, and had
moose made on the end; it was regular
hangman's knot; other end was unrolled
| and one strand was cut off a short dis
lance up; the rope was new one. (The
| rope is brought in and recognized as the
| rope found at the telephone pole.) /
| gave the rope to Watson; was gone
few minutes; took the rope where
man was lying; gave it to Watson
Then somebody said ''My God! He is
dead" l stopped down and put my
hand on the mans heart, but could not
feel any pulse; helped to carry him
over; Blabon, Steele and Mills also
helped; Watson came with the rope !;
there was no struggle on the part of the
Jap after We got to the telephone pole /;
the rope was crossed over arm at post /;
Watson cast the rope; Mills raised body
up and cast the rope over Jap's neck and
then we pulled him up; last saw Lala
when he was taking horses up to Lyceum ;
he was tied to hitching rack inside the
Lyceum yard; I did not see Lala any
more that night.
By a Juryman-The Jap was carried
!; to the same pole where found rope.
By the Court Mr.. Mills pointed to
the pole and said to GO and get thatrope.
Examination continued Steele was
on horseback; Steele's horse was tied by
Lala right near the road tied near gate
post; other end of the rope was made
: fast to the telephone pole; do not
: know exactly who made it fast; Mills
made the remark that they would ask
, the man some questions, and after they
thought he was dead, Mills said: "Well,
( he.will not sell any more goods" the
body was entirely unresisting when we
carried him; Steele caught him at the
, back of the head and over the mouth
Steele was afoot at the time; Goto the
Jap was medium sized; kind of slim
built; not heavy man; the horse
could not say as to his weight, but he
was about IA or 15 hands high Steele
was on the same side of the horse that
was; they stopped the horse and the
jap called "Pau, paul." and Steele
caught him by the mouth the Jap was
leaning over to the side little; after thu
Jap was hanged we stopped around .
few minutes; was told not to tell any
one who had done it; Mills cautioned
me: after that went home; the Jal
/ was dressed in light clothes, shirt ane
pair of blue overalls; think dungare.
pants; could not describe the hat;
. had hold of the feet when 1 carried him
[Pants shown and identified as sam'
: kind that he wore; as to the shirt it was
Q something like shirt shown He di.
o not have stockings on; did not recol
q lect any shoes at all hat placed do no
+ know where; Mills had cap on; peak
and ear flaps to it, and had on kind
cloak. Gap shown and identified q
cap and cloak shown and identified 9
cloak). know Mr.. Mills. have know
him about eighteen months; hav
known Steele and Watson ever since
have been at Overend's plantation; Bls
bon had seen once before; am In n
u doubt who the persons were that night
q I do not know Lala and l have nothin
t, to do with him, and did not know VII
Il he was till that night; I suppose tlia
K Lala was told to told the horse; som
II one spoke to him; Mills called him an
:, told him something in kanaka and b
6 went and took the horses and tied them
.. Mills said that we will not say anythin
about IT. T smoke up and said we wi