The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-11-17

corpse. incidentally they find bottles
and they assuage their grief by empty
ing them Three of these men die.
Then the matter becomes one to be
examined. Why did they die? The stuff
in the bottles was poisonous
Now let us see what the executive
officer of the Board of Health has to
say on the subject. In an interview
he says:
THE old man Silva had been i'll for
six years. For a long time he had
not had a physician. l saw him after
death and investigated the case. From
what l found out l was firmly con-
WINGED in my own mind of the cause of
death, and believed then, and believe
now, that there was no need for
coroner's inquiry nor an autopsy. The
three subsequent deaths resulting from
liquor taken in that house. may APP
pear to cast suspicion upon the orig
inal case, but / do not think the facts
bear out any such conclusion.
Il received positive evidence from a
man living in the nurseryman's house
that the latter had taken nothing for
three days but tea. During this time
he had been deathly sick at his stom-
ach. 1t was denied to me in the strong
and l believe he had not"
This officer, whose business it is to
have proper certificates for burial is
sued satisfies himself that there was
no cause for having an autopsy upon
Silva upon very flimsy evidence. He
says he knew Silva had been sick and
he was satisfied that no autopsy was
needed. He says the three deaths after
wards may cast suspicion" but he
does not think the facts bear out any
such conclusion. He goes on to say
that he received positive evidence
from a man living in the nurseryman's
house that the later had taken nothing
for three days but tea and the state
ment goes on to say that the old man
had never taken any liquor during the
time finishing up with the statement
II believe he had not" AS to the
latter, the executive officer of the
Board of Health must be a very credu-
lous individual If he knew anything
of the ways of alcoholic sufferers he
would know that unless there were a
strong repressive action upon the pa
tient he would run to his stimulant.
Upon this aspect of the case he had
better consult a few trained nurses.
Then it might be added, that the evil
dence obtained from mere bystanders
not under oath, is very fiimsy stuff in
deed.
Now as to responsibility, and it is
here where the true essence of the case
comes. 1t was manifestly the duty of
the executive officer of the Board Of
Health to have turned the case of Silva
into the hands of the police authori-
ties, and have had a coroner's jury en-
quire into the facts of the case. Had,
he done so it is more than probable
that the lives of the three men who
drank the poisonous stuff. found in
Silvas room, might have been saved
and the community would not have to
support some twenty-five or twenty
three children. Had the matter been
properly investigated in the first in
stance, the whole house would have
been put under guard and at the coro-
ner's inquest the poison would have
been produced in evidence.
The easy going, happy go-lucky way
of doing things in the matter of death
must come to an end. Every unattend-
ed death should be a matter of investi-
CATION 1t was not so long ago that
the late Lord Russell, Lord Chancellor
of England insisted upon having a
corOner's inquest held upon the body
of a guest who died suddenly in his
house, saying that he was no greater
than any other householder in the king
dom, and that a death under the cir
cumstances should be properly and
thoroughly investigated. Not only was
Lord Russell right in law, but he pro-
tected himself, because a coroners
jury gets facts and relieves the in
dividual of responsibility" A coroner's
jury in the Silva case would have re-
lieved the executive officer of the Board
of Health of responsibility which he
can now never wipe out, no matter how
long his life may last.