The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-09-02
RELEASED FROM OAHU PRISON
THIS AFTERNOON.
oahu Sugar Company Requests Gov
ernment to Let the Men Go, and This
is Done.

The thirty-six Galician men who have
been imprisoned in Oahu Jail since No
vember 1S, 1898, for deserting contract
service with the Oahu plantation were
released at 1 o'clock today upon orders
from Attorney General Cooper to Jailor
Henry.
They worked during the forenoon on
the roads. At 10 o'clock Mr.. Cooper
advised Henry that the release should
take place, as soon as the gang return
ed to the yard.
This morning Hackfeld & Company,
who were the contract employers of the
men, sent to the Cabinet a formal con-
sent to their release.
"The releases are signed purely upon
the request of Hackfeld e. Company"
said Attorney General Cooper this
morning.
Under the law the Government had
no authority in the matter" said Pres
ident Dole. "Hackfeld SS Company pos
sessed the sole legal authority to re-
lease the men. Their request that 1t be
done is entirely satisfactory to the Gov
ernment."
Hackfed & Company lose over $4,000
in cash in the matter, this being the ex-
| pense of bringing the original forty
| men to the country and cost of pro-
ceedings against them.
! The matter of releasing the men was
under consideration by the firm from
| the day they were imprisoned, in case
| repeated overtures to them to return to
| work failed.
| These Galicians were in a lot of over
200 brought here something more than
! a year ago under three years contracts.
1t is said that the strikers were the bad
| eggs of the shipment. One of the num-
| ber wears eleven bayonet wounds re-
! ceived in riots in Vienna, Paris and 9TH
er European cities 1t is said.
! Attorney General Cooper stated that
| the men would be turned loose to hoe
their own row." They will be expected
to find employment somewhere, other
| wise they will soon come under the ban
of the vagrancy law.
The cause of the Galician trouble will
| be well remembered. Early in Novem-
ber they struck on account of alleged
| i'll treatment by an overseer and march,
ed into town. This matter was salts
factorily arranged. A day or two later
the men again marched into the city.
At that time the forty men had about
forty different grievances. They were
received by Paul Isenberg ST., who was
then here. That gentleman tried to sat
isfy the laborers, but could not
All measures failing the Galicians
were told that they could take the
choice of going back to work or airing
the matter in the court. They chose
the latter course and next morning ap-
. | DtdTGu DelOTe the ulSlIlCl
The trial lasted several days. Two men
were released on the ground that they
claimed to have misunderstood the
character of labor they were to perform.
Several were released because they
We're minors at the time they signed
the contracts. The others We're found
guilty and sentenced to be held in Jail
until they consented to return to the
plantation. Still refusing to go back
to work this order was signed in each
case:
Defendant still persists in his refus-
al to comply with the order of this court
to return to service. Sentenced to be
imprisoned at hard labor until he con-
sents to comply with the order of this
court to return to service according tC
the terms of his contract, as by law re-
quired."
This was signed by Judge Wilcox
district magistrate of Honolulu, and
was put at once into effect. Following
are the names of the persons so SEN
tened and imprisoned:
Josef Demskl, MARGIN Kolez Micha
Continued on page five)