The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-11-16
RURAL JUSTICE.
A Police Justice Deals Ont
Mercy in Chunks.

Especial Correspondence TO the ADvEKTIsEE)
At the Waimea Circuit Court
term, just closed, there were for
trial a group Of Chinese liquor
cases from North Kohala, in which
the Crown witnesses were a trio of
Chinese Migrants, turned inform
ers for lucre. The defendants and
a host of friends and witnesses
were present from Kohala, among
them being a Mr.. Akina-a planter
and man of affairs in that district.
| While the first of the cases was on
trial an adjournment of court un-
til the following day occurred, as
did also an idea to some of the de-
PENDANTS and their friends that it
would prove strong card in their
hands if the Crown witnesses
aforesaid could be caught fagrante
delicto in an opium scrape.
With people of nerve and decis-
ion, to think is to act, and the de-
PENDANTS and their party are sus-
pected of having acted with vigor
and success. The details are
omitted suffice to say that a po-
lice raid was made that night upon
the quarters occupied by the wit
nesses and that all three were
dragged" and hurried off to limbo
with a smoking outfit and just
enough opium to be manifest to
the eye and the nose.
La due time the cases came over
for hearing before the local district
justice, a native, who cuts large
| figure, and carries great weight
(some 800 pounds) in the affairs
of that corner of the moral vine
yard. The official named is also a
highly intelligent and deeply
learned Hawaiian, being a grad
uate of that much-lauded, though,
Gas it is suspected) somewhat
mythical institution of learning
popularity known as the cold
School" Two of the defendants
were nolle pressed, but the third
he in whose actual possession
the quarter thimbleful of the
) deadly drug was found-pleaded
guilty to its possession, and, in
accordance with a preconcerted
plan, thrust himself with alacrity
and confidence, upon the mercy o.
the Court, alas for that bland
Celestial, he found that an in
stance of misplaced confidence.
Now, as long ago as Shake
speare's time it was declared "the
quality of mercy is not strained,
and the same is true of thai
virtue as to-day exercised in Jus
tice Mahuka's Court. In fact
/ when that magisterial personagt
E mounts the local mercy seat, The
"strain" is all on the defendant be
fore him. The Justice uses NJ
strainer in dispensing mercy,-no
much-he deals it out in great
, big, generous, solid chunks. So
, in the case at bar, the magistrate
commended the cuiprit,s cours,
; in pleading guilty, and lauded tn
repentance evidenced by that plea
SO fervidly eloquent did he be
come in his eulogy Of confession
and repentance as almost to en-
graft upon the Scriptures an eight
beatitude, reading, BLESSED ar
the contrite and repentant, 70
l. they shall observe that the qualit
of magisterial mercy is no
: { strained"
Il After half hours indulgence i
lurid word-painting, wherein tn
cussedness of having in possession
a half grain of opium was vividl
contrasted with the blessedness c
acknowledging the same and SUI
: fering therefor, the Justice opene
his mercy pouch and administers
- a sentence Of a year at hard labC
. with the payment of costs) to tn
u happy penitent but the latte
s with the visual (or mental) obi
l. guilty characteristic of his rae,
e proved his inability to recognize
9 good thing on sight, by appealin
= to the Circuit Court in mitigatio
81 of this pretended severity of thu
1t most merciful sentence. One
s. his pals, in a talk with the Sheri
= q few moments later, vouchsafed
v somewhat blind explanation of tt
n sentence, saying, Yes'day, f
,e clock. | see Akina, he talkt
IN Judge"