Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-02-20
HAWAIIAN INQUlSITION.
Capt. Davies Of an American Vessel
Strung Up by the Thumbs
Officers Torture Suspects.

San Francisco, Cal, Feb. 16.-The Call
prints the following from Honolulu.
1.-The success of the government of Ha-
wall in conducting its treason cases was
due to the discriminating evidence given by
Capt. William Davies, of the steamer
Waimanalo.
The manner in which the sworn state
ment was wrung from Davies is interest
ing as showing the peculiar process at
present existing in the Hawaiian islands.
Davies and his mate, knudsOn, were
arrested on the morning of January D..
KnudSOn made a confession, telling what
little he knew. Davies, who is an Amerl-
can citizen, refused any information and,
while protesting his innocence, demanded
an interview with United States Minister
Willis. This was refused. Davies was
then taken into the prison yard where
he was shown two ring bolts in the wall
above his head. The uniformed inQulsl-
tor of the government then gave the cap
tain to understand that If a complete con-
fession was not forthcoming he would be
strung up by the thumbs
Davies did not finch, but determined
that if the American minister could not
come the consul-general should be in
formed that he was an American c1tl-
zen and wished to see him. His protest
was in vain. His legs were bound below
the knees and his thumbs were dashed
with whipcord to the bolts. A cord was
placed below him SO that the unfortunate
mans toes just touched 1t. Dawes was
stripped to the waist while Marshal
Hitchcock, Acknowledgement Smith and
Surgeon Cooper, with stenOgrapher
awaited the statement which they be-
lieved would be forthcoming. They were
mistaken. Davies would not weaken.
Sweat oozed from every pore. The. strong
man in his agony begged for drop of
water to cool the thirst that consumed
him. The tendons of the victims limbs
stood out like strands of rope, blood YES
sells knotted ON his arms and legs, swell
ing as if to burst with congested blood.
Ills tOrmentOrs urged him to lmpll-
cate all known to be politically opposed
to their methods, but without avail Da-
vies refused to surrender the secret he
had sworn to protect. At last, when 1T
was apparent by his respiration that 1t
would be impossible to hold out longer,
nature succumbed and Davies, cursing
the fendS who were tOrturing him, faint
ed. DR.. Cooper used salts and ammonia
to revive the captain, who had passed into
the painless realms of unconSciousness.
AS soon as he revived two negro convicts
suspended him again by the thumbs.
This inhuman operation was begun at
noon and it was O clock in the evening
before Davies, more dead than alive,
made the statement that reSpited him
from the inhuman barbarity of his perSe-
cutors.
Another case of torture was brought
to light in military inquiry. A young ma
tive, who was known to be intimate with
Carl Widemann, was handcuffed at the
wrists. Then with a refinement of cruel
ty which would shock the Persian satrap,
he was placed in 4 tank of ice-cold water.
He was kept there until circulation of
the blood in his extremities had almost
ceased and Dr. Cooper who appears in
the unenviable light of an arch-inquisitor,
declared that action of the heart was al
most suspended. The chief of police,
Marshal Hitchcock, had the young Ka-
naka taken from the tank and, after be-
ing restored from his condition of semi
consciousness, the torture was admins
tered again. Flesh and blood could stand
such inhumanity no longer and the much
needed confession was given"