The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-01-23
TRAGIC DEATH OF MISS KAHEA
ON SATURDAY.
Fell From Third Story Window-The
Coroner's Inquiry-Cause in Doubt
A Sad Funeral.

THAT Grace Kahea came to her
death in Honolulu, Island of Oahu, on
Saturday, July 21, A. ID. 1899, by fall
ing from a window in the third story
of the Kamehameha School for Girls,
thereby causing instant death, said
window being about forty feet from
the ground"
That is the verdict of the coroner's s
jury on the death of Miss Grace Kahea,
familiarly known as Grace Beckley, at
Kamehameha School for Girls, last
Saturday afternoon. The terrible death
of the young woman cast a shadow of
gloom over her large circle of friends
and relatives in the city.
The jury was composed of James X.
Kaulia, Joseph Kalana, Samuel Ku,
John Kalama and David Nahale. Dep
uty Marshal Hitchcock was coroner.
Dr. c. b. Wood, Miss Pope, Miss AHA
and Miss Woodward were the Witness
es examined. The last two were the
actual witnesses of the accident.
To understand the case a brief ex-
planation of certain facts leading up TO
it is necessary. Miss Kahea was the
daughter of a sister of George c.
Beckley, purser of the Kinau, and was
reared and educated by Mrs. Beckley.
At this term in Kamehameha school
she studied especially hard in order to
pass the teachers examinations next
time, she having been promised a
school or a position in of the schools
by members of the board of education
in case she passed successfully.
The strain was too much Her health
and, apparently, her mind became ov-
er-strained and affected On December
23rd she left the school and went UP
to live with her cousin, Miss Rose Da-
wilson, in Manoa valley, for a time in
the hope of restoring her strength. 1t
was there that she decided not to re-
turn to school, but to pursue her stu
dies as best she could at home.
Last Saturday, accompanied by her
sister Violet she went to the school TO
take away her clothing, books, etc. In
her room while packing up We're Miss
Woodward and Miss AHA, the latter a
cousin. Miss Violet was at the moment
on the floor below. On a sudden Miss
Kahea uttered a slight cry as If about
to faint and asked Miss AHA to call
her sister. At the same time she ran
toward the open window and went ov-
er. Miss AHA grasped frantically after
her and caught her dress. The gar
ment tore loose, however, the weight
of the young woman being upon II, and
the suicide plunged to her terrible
death tot ground forty or more feet
below sE.s'
The screams of Miss AHA aroused
the whole house. In few seconds the
PROSTATE form of Miss Kahea was
reached by scores of her excited school
mates and teachers. The young lady
was then in the last throes of death
Her neck had been broken by the fall
and her body was crushed in various
places. DR.. Wood was Immediately
summoned, but the patient was dead
before he arrived.
The funeral was held at 3 O'Clock
Sunday afternoon. Each one of the
girls schoolmates carried a bouquet OF
flowers, which We're laid on the casket
The remains were inferred in Nuuanu
cemetery. Pupils from the Kameha-
meha School for Boys officiated as pail
bearers.
There are two theories as to the
death, and it will probably never be
possible to determine between them
One is suicidal intent, and the other is
accident Miss Kahea told her reia-
tives before leaving home that morn
ing that she felt something bad would
happen during the day, and fervently
kissed them all good bye. This lends
strong color to the suicide theory. Al
the same time it is reasonable and
plausible that, feeling faint, she ran
to the window for fresh air and lost
her balance.
The blow is a hard one upon the mo.
ther of the girl and her immediate rel.
atives. Miss Kahea was just 1S years
of age.