The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-04-05
HE USED AN AK.
Opus Damage With His
Little Ratchet.
Paau's Little Scheme to Turn &
Penny Proves Boomerang.
her Scalp Laid Bare.

An object lesson In Hawaiian supersti-
ton, which has been presented at the Mid
winter Fair for the past few weeks, eul-
minated Yesterday in a murderous attack.
In which several drunken kanakas.
Ratchet. an infuriated shark-hunter ana
badly chopped up woman were the princi-
pal exhibits.
Opu is the champion diver, swimmer and
shark sharp of the Hawaiian village. he
is also the star idiot OF tie Kanaka aggre-
CATION, and is absolutely clothed with
barbarous prejudices. AS metaphysi-
clan he is rank failure. Although he
avows his willingness to tackle healthy
shark on its native heath, he breaks into
cold perspiraton every time he sees MS
own shadow, and after dark his terror Is
abiect. His wife Is South Sea Island
combination of wife and mother, and when
the sun goes down he runs to his better
ha If, yelping like frightened Dup:
Pau is q dusky matron from hiio. Sne
has been educated more literally than
most natives and has been the speclai
protege of the missionary class. AT the
same time she Is quite familiar with the
Hawaiian superstiti0ns and does not nesI-
tate to utilize this knowledge to her own
advantage. Her thrift was peculiarly no
tceable fortnight ago. Pau has been
sort of fieldhand around the village. cook
ing for the hula girls and chspeTening
them when such service was desired.
which was infrequently. lncldentallysne
has been exhibiting joblot Of Hawaiian
curios In a remote corner.
The day that o, accidentally knocked
over a caIabash and broke the Rourd INTO
minute fragments. Paau raised d now over
the destruction of her property. Its value
was about 81 90 but Pau claimed that be-
cause 1t had once been handled by an an
Gent mem Der of the Kamehameha dynasty
it was really worth 500. and she demanded
this sum in compensation. Opu c0uid not
pay, and would not pay III ne coulo' faau
vowed vengeance and publicly announced
her intention os praying him to death. 1t
| was big bluff on her part, but she al
| fected her belief in the efficacy OF her pun
| ishment.
Every night Pau diligently and audibly
| offered supplications for Opus death. Inc
| victim writhed at every syllaole, ana
howled and moaned as genuinely as IL he
| had been in the Jaws OF one oil the SHARKS
which he fights. His dismal cries disturbed
the entire village and made slumber i'm
possible. With the dawn Opu was lnVari-
ably restored to health, put every nlght
he was very sick.
AS he grew worse he conceived the idea
| of retaliation. With unlimited faltn ne
|
! god. to whom he was dedicated at bis
birth. and besought this liscatorial deity
to bring pains and ailments to the body
of his enemy. Pau. But Pau was en-,
lightened enough to know that to DO prayed
| to death required unlimited cre9eDce on
the part of the victim. She was above the
superstition which proved upon what Opu
termed his mind. Consequently Paau
health continued as good as that OF the
| ignorant savage was Dad.
HThis gave Opu ground for new griev-
ance. In addition to plotting against his
health, Pau openly expressed his con-
tempt for the potency of his shark god.
After spending several days in continuous
thought and stimulating her miniature
brain by much bad whisky, Opu deter
mined to seek civilized methods 10 help
him out.
Accordingly he procured Ratchet with
rather quicker wits than his own. and
when Pau was hard at work praying him