The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-10-13
"BAREFOOTED BILL"
Ills Trial for Burglary Begi"s in the
supreme Court.

O'Clock this morning, when VIM.
Hoopii, alias "BareGooted Bill" was
brought up for trial on the charge of
"breaking and entering the store of
B f. Ehlers & Co. on the night of
Sept. 8th." j. Nawahi said he had
been requested by VIM. Hoopii to
appear for him in defense. He re,
quested that as he had only been re-
tanned that morning, the Court would
postpone the trial till tomorrow
morning. This the Court declined
to grant. The jury was sworn in at
1880 o'clock, when Mr.. Louis
Touissaint, who arrested the prison.
er, was called for the prosecution.
Touissaint's evidence in substance
was as follows: He had thirty men
under him on the evening the arrest
was made, and had the keys Of sew
eral of the business houses in town.
He went up Fort street. and entered
f. Gertz's yard, passing around the
rear of the store. Witness sat on a
woodpie for about ten or fifteen
minutes when he saw a shadow on
the wall, coming down from the
dressmaking department of b. f.
Ehlers 4 Co. Touissant did not
make any noise but waited and saw
the fellow making toward him. 1t
being dark he was unable to ascer
tain the nationality of the man.
When the fellow had come close to
the officer he presented a pistol and
accosted him thus: Make another
step and you're dead man :"
Being asked what he was doing there
he said he came there on business.
The fellow was then ordered to
march down to the Station House,
where he turned out to be VIM. Hoo
phi. When his clothes had been re-
moved, several yards of ribbon were
found upon his person, which was
later identified by Mr.. Bartram of
the firm of B. F. Ehlers 4 Co. VIM.
Hoopii was examined by Police Cap
tain Hopkins and Captain Louis
Touissaint in the Marshal's office.
The size of his feet was taken, which
conceded with the measurement of
footprints in the Government build
ing and other places. The officers
repaired to his house in Pauoa, where
a trunk full of miscellaneous articles
was found. Barefooted Bills wife
wore a dress made out of cloth bor-
rowed from the store of Egan &
Gum.
A question was put to the witness
by Mr.. Nawahi at this point: "Do
you thilk he had coDfederates on
the police force?
Answer-No.
H. M. Dow, clerk in the Marshal's
office, testified to having seen the
ribbon wound around prisoners per-
son.
Police Captain Hopkins, called,
detailed the preliminary examiI alton
of VIM. Hoopi in the Marshal's
office. He said Hoopii had confessed
to having committed twenty-seven
robberies in all, and that he had two
white men confederates. Captain
Hopkins said that prisoner told him
he had transacted business with the
white men in the dark and therefore
could not recognize them if he saw
them. Hoopii had met the men near
the Lunalilo tombstone in Kawaia-
hao Church before and after every
robbery. He always showed the
stolen property to the white men as
evidence of his having entered the
place. Everything stolen in the
twenty-seven robberies except the
coin had been recovered. Hoopii had
been offered $40 to $40 for every
robbery. In answer to a question
from Mr.. Nawahi Captain Hopkins
said that no police officer to his know
ledge assisted "Barefooted Bill" in
the pursuit of his criminal operations.
THE DEFENSE.
The prosecution closed at ll:45
O'Clock, when Captain A. n. Trip,
Jailor of Oahu Prison, was put on
the stand for the defense. He testi-
fed that during VIM. Hoopii's stay in
prison he had often asked for a
chance to 90 and identify the white
men. Mr.. Trip secured the Mar
shaPs consent and took Hoopii round
town in his brake. On Fort street
he pointed out white man known as
McGiffen, and on another occasion
recognized Harry Juen, and ex-police
captain. These men he said were
his confederates, who paid him for
committing robberies.
VIM. Hoopii being sworn, said:
l admit entering B. F. Ehlers & Co.'S
store. Entered through the lear
space between the roof and the We
randa. Took the ribbons. | was
engaged by two white men to COM
nit the robberies. Met them one
night between 10 and i O'Clock on
Bethel street, in front of the coffee
saloon. They asked me my trade.
| told them | was carpenter. They
said | could make S. a night, and
more if | would do something for