The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-09-08
CAPTAIN JOE SPENCER IN THE
TOLLS.
Two Japanese Killed and Three
Wounded in a Sensational Fight at
Laysan Island.

HOOH Oll lilc DdIh OeylOu WIFI a TGIOTl
of the killing of two Japanese and
wounding of three others, on Laysan
island, and with 35 prisoners in the hold
of the vessel, will keep the police and
the courts busy for a long time, for
there are already enough sides to the
case to insure a bitter fight. The Jap
anese consul has made his appearance
in the affair
The tables were very quickly turned
on Captain Spencer after the Ceylon
| dropped her anchor. The Japs, who
had been confined in a suffocating hold
| for twenty days, were sent ashore and
| given freedom, while Captain Spencer
was placed under arrest.
| The police very quickly came to the
conclusion that the shooting of the Japs
was without excuse. They rely upon
| the testimony of the Japs, eX-police
captain Spillner, who was at Laysan
| when the trouble took place, and car
penter Louis Wohlers, also from Laysan
to prove that Captain Spencer fired
shots from his revolver into the crowd
of Japs without due provocation.
Captain Spencer tells thrilling story
! of the battle that was so disastrous to
| the Japs The Ceylon had been at Lay
san two days when the trouble occur
| red. A scheme was Matched to get
| hold OF the island for the Japanese, says
| the captain, and under the leadership
of vicious Jap who had just arrived
| from Honolulu the 40 little brown men
/ on the island started to take possession
| and kill all the whites.
| The climax came on the evening of
! the 11th when the five white men stood
at bay before thirty-five riotous Jap
! anese, armed with weapons they had
made out of old iron. A Japenese flag
was flying over their shed.
| With q siX-shooter in each hand, Cap
| tain Spencer, with Spillner, also armed,
/ close stood nlatfOrT
| front of his house and shouted to the
Japs that he would shoot the first man
who set foot on the platform. There
was a rush from the Japs and Spencer
gave the order "Fire!" and sent a
voley Of bullets into the crowd, Spill
ner firing with him.
| Two Japanese, one of them the ring
leader who had stirred up all the trou-
BILE, fell dead, and three others were
badly wounded. That ended the trou-
bic for the night and on the next day
1t was decided to round up all the Japs,
imprson them on the Ceylon and re-
turn to Honolulu. This was done, and
the first thing that happened on the
vessels arrival here was the arrest of
both Spencer and Spillner and the re-
lease of all the Japs.
The story of the Japanese is very diff
ferent from that of Spencer, and Spill
ner also opposes the old captains story
in important particulars. The Japs de-
clares that they were practically starv-
ing, having been kept on too short ra-
tions, and that they only came to Cap
tain Spencer to get some food.
A delegate was sent first, but he was
refused any supplies. Then the Japs
all came together, and they aver that
they were simply asking for food, in a
proper way, when they were fired upon
Spillner has declared since his return
that in his opinion the shooting was not
necessary, and both he and Louis Woh-
lers contradict Captain Spencer'S state
4, ment that there was any conspiracy or
, the part of the Japs. They state thai
there was not trouble before the 11th OF
August, and confirm the statement OF
: the japanese that they were nearly
+ starving.
t Captain willer of the Ceylon tool
r charge of the prisoners after they were
= brought from shore. All of them who
( had any weapons were compelled t
, give them up as they boarded the ship
r Captain Willer stood with drawn re
VOlver and sent the Japs below, anC
Y there they were kept until the Honolulu
/ police freed them.
. On board the Ceylon is a large bundl,
e of pieces of iron. These are to be KEEP
for evidence. They are the weapon!
f which the Japs are said to have mad,
i before they advanced upon Spencer'i
e little home on Laysan.
: were seen making knives out of hool
iron, it is said by Carpenter Luhrs
who reported the matter to Captain
Spencer.
= Mrs. Spencer was in the house at tn
T time of the trouble, and heard the vel
n ling mob outside. She also heard tn
y shots that were fired, and states tina
n there We're eight. She was in great fea
}, for her husbands life and was glad t
II get away from Laysan. Today she re
h manned on board the Ceylon, awaiting
= the result of the action of the police II
| the captains case.
Captain Spencer was ararigned in tn
district court this morning. TIL
charge was murder in the first degree
!. malicious, premeditated and wthou
" excuse The old man stood calmly be
p fore the judge during the reading o
the charge and then Attorney Chilling
wOth, who appeared for him, asked TO
a continuance till Tuesday, which wa
granted.
y IT would like to ask the authorities 4
court here what has been done with tn
thirtyfiye Japanese" said the attor
ney. Chillingworth has a big kick be
cause the police paid no attention t
charges preferred against the Japanese
Where are the 35 men who were charg
ed by us with riot and conspiracy?
asked the lawyer.
High Sheriff Brown replied that the
had been released. 1t is the posltlo
of the attorney generals department,
he stated, that these Japanese are nc
wanted at all except as witnesses in tn
case"
Japanese Consul Mkt Saito was /
court He has been making inquire
and is understood to be contemplatin
some action in behalf of the 80 prison
g, ers the three wounded and the rela
le tiVes of the two men whose bones II
~ buried on Laysan.
d. "I hall wait and hear the case o
Tuesday" said Saito, land talk wit
the men who came back, before I tai
any action. But It appears from whi
I'd I have heard that there is cause fC
complaint regarding the treatment
the Japs."
The thirty-fve men who spent an III
! pleasant twenty days in the hot, sun
(contInued on Page FiveO