The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-07-10
NO PROSECUTION
Subscription List Has
Been Called In.
Marshal Brown Talks of Com
plants - Other Testimony
Wanted.

Influence has been brought TO bear
| an effort to secure funds necessary to
prosecute certain officers in the police
department and the man has been call
ed Off" The reason given, it is under
stood, is that to have it known that
there was a conflict between the native
policemen and the American blue jack
cts ESQ far not marine has been in
TROUBLED, would have a bad effect upon
the annexation cause.
This may be true for Americans have
never had much love for Chileans since
the boatswains mate, Riggin, of the
Baltimore was killed by Valparaiso po-
licemen some years ago.
So far as the policemen are concern
ed, they sometimes over do the thing
in performing their duty, and on those
occasions there should be, unquestion-
ably, an investigation and if the men
are guilty of brutality or highway rob-
berry they should be punished. The
prisoners physical appearance is often
sufficient evidence that brutality has
been used and it should at least be
enough to warrant an inquiry by the
higher officials. Policemen, sometimes
three of them, have been seen tossing
an unruly Japanese up in the air and
allowing him to drop to the ground in
order to quiet him. In the cities in the
United States. one officer, armed with
pair of nipperS, would find no diff
Guilty in landing such a prisoner at the
station house without finding it neces-
sary to use him brutally
AS to rolling DRINKS, that is a
more serious charge The policemen
are expected to prevent crime not to
commit acts which bring them within
the pale of the law. In speaking of the
matter yesterday, Marshal Brown said:
eff 1 could get disinterested people
to give testimony in these cases I
would think there might be something
in the charges. The policemen are,
naturally, doing everything in their
power to obtain a conviction, while
the sailors, on the other hand, are do
ing all they can to secure an acquittal.
eff, as I have said I could get the
testimony of disinterested people to
these charges of robbery, the men
would be dismissed and prosecuted the
same day 1t seems strange that half
this man Williams robbed by Kamaka,
while the officers tell a different story.
I was around the Pantheon saloon af-
ter II o'clock on Monday night and
saw the officers attending to their duty.
I have from another source that the
was drunk and incapable in
front of the Commercial saloon about
one hour before the trouble at the Pan
theon. man connected with the Po
lice Department woke him up at that
time and told him to get away and go
to the ship. If he was so drunk at that
time, it seems strange that he can re-
just the AMOUNT of money in |
his possession and identify the officer |
who, he says, relieved him of it.
GAS to the clubbing, the officers have |
rules under which they perform their |
duties; the same rule as to clubbing |
applies to charges against the officers,
as in cases of pilfering. Sailors are ar
rested and say on trial that they have
been abused; half dozen officers will |
testify that they were assaulted by the
sailors and unusual force was neces-
sary With Officer Espinda, energy
seems to predominant at times over
and he sometimes gets into
bad places and makes a mistake. If
outside or disinterested witnesses to
these alleged acts of cruelty would
come forward and testify to the
charges, the truth of them would be
reached. I find in some in
stances after a case has been finished
hat witnesses in these affrays-men,
who for some reason or other do not
come forward and tell what they know
are the ones who howl loudest
against the department and curse the
police for their cruelty"