The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-07-29

knowledge he really had and let
the court close it's Investigations still
in the dark, although at that time he
was not charged with any misconduct
in reference to the missing sight and
had no reason as he himself admits,
providing his hands were clean, for
concealing from the Government he
served the information he had received
from Rhodes. He let the Government
grope blindly around for the facts
when he could at any minute have
made the entire mystery clear. His
fore the board of inquiry is puerile,
consisting, as it does, in his contention
that he did not understand the exact
wording of the question. He was not
there as police court witness who
his fellow officers were supposed to
quiz and follow up so as to prevent
as an officer to deal frankly, openly
and above board
Had no appropriate question been
asked at all it was his simple plain
duty to have informed the court of
the truth. Much more so when the
question was put to him whether he
knew anything about the finding or
disappearance of a sight from one of
these guns
His conduct is more indefensible
when we consider that he was the one
who reported the sight missing and
thereby provoked investigation, the
key of which he held concealed and
never showed until the last minute
when he produces Rhodes in an at
tempt to save himself and springs
this story upon the court which he had
utterly masked from his superiors
against his plain duty and honor as an
officer.
The regret was expressed by the
Judge Advocate that the Captain had
allowed his passions and feelings to
take possession of him as they had.
He had stood well with the authori-
ties and community heretofore, and
Justly so. but the evidence against
him in the matter of the sights was
simply overwhelming.
l The condition of the sight received
at the Foreign Office in itself was
sufficient tc refute the claim of Rhodes
and Good that it had been taken off
of one of the guns in May. 1t was a
witness that could not lie and one
only had to compare the stains and
dross upon it with the clean sights
upon the guns to know that they had
not been mates, for many long months.
The sight lying in Col. McLean's Of
flee for year or so uncared for was
cleaner than the sight that went to
the Foreign Office.
The relations between Rhodes and
Good were dwelt upon, particularly
the long confidential talk they had
on the Executive building steps upon
the night of June 18th. :
The Judge Advocate said that the
sight found in the grass some four or
five months ago has been traced di-
rectly to Capt. Goods hands and he
can give no account of what he has
done with it. And that sight in the
| Of
gone back into one of the guns or it
is the sight that went to the Foreign
Office. This the defense admits and
by the evidence of Camara, Good and
Rhodes attempt to show that it was
put back in one of the guns. But
this proposition is swamped by an
overwhelming array of witnesses.
commissioned and non-commissioned
officers as well as privates Men who
inspected those guns from day to day
and cleaned them from month to
month and who swore unqualifiedly
that but one sight had ever been miss
ing from the guns and that was the
Waikiki gun, the sight from that gun
having been i'm Col. McLeans office
since last year. Capt. Good admitted
seeing the sight in Col. McLean's Office
as contended for by prosecution and
if the sight that Capt. Good received
did not go into the guns where did it
go?
The Judge Advocate elaborated
other points and closed, it then being
past midnight.
DESERTERS.