The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1890-04-12
CHARGED WITH MURDER.
ta'u on Trial for Hi'iiDg thoni oB
Bonrd the Schooner Joscpi,inc. -
The Prisoner Acquitted.

e. The sick juror having revived, the
trial proceeded, Palu continuing his
testimony as follows:
Kanakele was steering and l no.
ticed vessel wasn't keeping her
course: called out TO him and he
said Akoni was steering; then call
ed on Akoni to keep her proper
course, and Akoni said "if you come
here to steer I'll cat your liver off -
he didn't change course of vessel
and so | went aft with the intention
of taking tillcr myself, and "a |
went aft Akoni said "if you come
aft here I'll stab YOU with a knife -
rs got down off dcckload near
him he started toward me with his
hand raised that way (showing)
and l retreated, backing toward
bow and brought up against deck
load; felt around on deckload for
something to defend myself with
and got hold of an oar (shows length
Of oar, about 10 or ~ fect); Akoni
kept coming toward me in n threat
cning manner and | made punch
at him with the oar; don't know
where / hit him, punched him with
both hands didn't raise the oar to
strike him; don't know how many
times punched him; thought Akoni
was coming 10 me to kill or iniurc
me with the knife; the reason why |
say lie had a knife in his hand is
because he had something in his
hand that looked like a knife and he
had said, ~ will cut you with a
knife; (shows distance of about 6
feet between himself and Akoni
when he punched him with the oar).
1t was dark at the time; Akoni was
drunk and | was pretty drunk my
self, we were about in the same con-
dition; he kept coming towards me
and finally stopped opposing him
and jumped over the freight and
fell down on the boards and lef,
him, then vessel came up into the
wind, and 1 went and looked aft but
could not see anybody, then went
aft but still could not sec anybody !;
/ called others to look forward, and
/ would look aft, to see if we could
see him; the boy and girl began to
cry; l said to Lamea, "Tlerc is
Akoni swimming ashore; :" the reason
/ said so was l saw motion in the
water; the phosphorescnce gave that
appearance, it was too dark to see
the man; was cautious in moving
round and taking the tilIer, for fear
Akoni might be hiding on the raft,
and attack me when l was steering ;
1 paid off to get Roadway to turn,
and brought vessel round as near as
I could to where Akoni disappeared ;
l told the others not to say anything
about it, as they could not know yet
whether Akoni had got ashore, and
they might be arrested before his
fate was known; he had only to
swim about 200 yards to reach the
shore; Akoni and had always been
good friends, running on the same
vessel long time; took girl and boy
ashore because there was no place
on vessel for girl to sleep; next
morning boy wanted to put his sister
on board the Mokuola, l waited for
him time and then went to the
vessel alone; found Lamea there
who SAID he didn't think Akoni was
dead because his ghost had not come
round; l was cautioned by Mr..
Hopkins at the inquest about making
statements, and being afraid gave
answers at random to the questions,
taking my chances of all coming
out all right.
Cross-examined-Akoni preached
the Chinaman's liquor; L forbade
him but he was stronger than me
after all had drunk of 1t Akoni pro
duced q second bottle when aft with
me {; there were no hard feelings be,
tween us after the first fight; al
time of second fight Kanakele was
at stern near the tiller; between
first and second fight Akoni got
hold of my head under his arm, but
Lamea and Kanakelc parted us anC
nothing came of it; he had me by
the neck before the second fight, ir
which he fell overheard; l did no
see him fall overheard the oar wa
too big to strike him with it, coult
only use it to punch him; if 'hat
poked him till he fell overheard hi
would have fallen on the raft; il
the examination before the Coroner
l didn't know what was saying al
the time; thought l would be asked
some questions and if l gave the
right answers ! would be let 60
AkoHi wanted to run the vesse
ashore, and |, hearing that, came
aft and told him to let the boy TAKE
the tiller, as he was drunk; he tolc
me to shut up, and told him tt
obey my orders; that was the TIM
he got hold of my neck. l did So,
before the Coroner that Lamea tolt
me to hit Akoni with the oar, so
picked up the oar and made thrus
at him, hitting him on the leg, ant
then / struck at him again with tn
handle of the oar, hitting him abou
the shoulders or head, because wa
excited and thought ought to 50.
something, but it was not the truth
the Coroner sworc me before testi