The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-24
GUILTY., The
VERDICT
William Ester Killed
Togo Jackson.
JURY ALL Of ONE MIND
lmprisonm. mt for Not Less Than Ten
Nor More Than Twenty
Years.

OF manslaughter in The first degree, by
jury at 6 o'clock last evening. He is
the negro who killed the local base ball
player, on Saturday evening, March 10.
last, by stabbing him with a pocket
knife, and at the same time severely
wounded Isaac Cockett, the companion
of the murdered man. The affair grew
out of a persistent demand on the part
of the colored man for a dollar from
Jackson, which the latter refused.
Words were passed between the two
and Jackson struck the negro. The lat
ter went out and later returned with
something in his hand. Another fight |
ensued, in which Ester was pursued |
from the saloon into the alleyway,
where the fatal wound is supposed to |
have been gwen.
1t was coincidence that in one court |
room yesterday one cololed man receiv-
ed jury verdict which made him justly |
happy, for he is entItleu as a mem Der |
of the Hogan minstrel troupe to re- |
ceive s1l5 from the Canadian-Austral
liam 5. 5. Co. In the other court room
different case was enacted, for the
verdict which the second jury rendered
will either place the murderer behind
prison bars for period of not less
than ten nor more than twenty years.
1t was one of the shortest murder tri-
ais in the history of the local courts.
The actual commencement of the trial
was on Tuesday afternoon, quite late,
but the examination of witnesses did
not take place until yesterday forenoon.
The evidence was mostly circumstan-
| tial, but of a directness which pointed
| to the guilt of the defendant in the
case. The details of the affair leading
up to the tragedy in the street were all
depicted with remarkable clearne=s and
frankness by the eight witnesses, whose
evidence was not refuted to any de-
gree by the counsel for the defendant.
A gruesome but silent piece of evil
dence put in yesterday by the prosecu
tlon while DR.. Cooper was on the stand
was a glass jar containing the heart
of Togo Jackson, showing the knife
wound in it which caused the death of
the young man. Counsel for the de-
Tense objected to the Introduction of
such an exhibit unless the lifeless heart
! self was taken out of the jar and
shown to the jury.
Judge Stanley asked the prosecution
to remove it, but the ght of it no doubt
had it's effect upon the minds of the jury
as it did upon the spectators.
One of the principal witnesses of the
prosecution, upon whom the stress OF
evidence was placed, was John Wells,
who saw the struggle in the street and
tried to stanch the wound of Togo
Jackson as he lay upon his back, slowly
bleeding to death. He also saw the
knife which was lying in the street
near Jackson, and the negro Ester, who
was endeavoring to rise to his feet af-
ter having been struck to the ground
by Jackson's last effort.
The knife shown on the witness
stand was an ordinary pocket affair,
with a long. keen blade, tapering abb
ruptly at the point, almost In the shape
Of a triangle He testified That the knIIe
looked like the one he saw picked up IN
TIE street This witness saw the run
hing fight as all three men engaged in
il enc ged rom the sa o)n allay way I'M
til the wounded man whirled about sud
denly and fell to the earth upon his
back.
Captain Parker's testimony brought
out a startling piece OF evidence agalns
the negro. Not that the negro admit
ted to him that he was the one who d.
the stabbing, but on account OF his
peculiar answer in response to a ques
ton of the Captain. Both were in the
patrol wagon riding from the hospita
t. where Cockett had identified Ester as
the assailant, when Parker asked,
"Why did you stab Togo Jackson ant
Cockett?" Parker stated the defend
= ant made a monosyliabic answer o
two words only which were Self De
;" Tense" Nothing more was said on tn
: trip to the prison.
9 Isaac Cockett, the companion OF TOyt
!, Jackson, YVES also upon the stand, AM
J, exhibited the scar of the wound whicl
he received when Jackson was killed
He testified he did not know who stab
= bed him. neither could he swear tina
r Ester stabbed Jackson. He witnesses
the quarrel in the saloon, and tn
events leading up to the run through
the alleyway.
DR.. Cooper testified professionally
When asked if the knife which wa
= shown in Court could have been tn
one which penetrated the heart, he re
pied that it could have been. TIL
wound was made by a blade, and tn
knife blade exhibited would have titte
into it exactly
John Dickerson, a hack driver, ties
titled that Ester came to him day o
two before the murder was committed
and asked for loan of twenty-tiv
cents, for which he offered security /
the shape of a pocket knife. This wa
returned to Ester on Saturday some
: time between and 6 o'clock prior
, the tragedy. Ester at that time cam
TO Dickerson and rendered the borrow
ed twenty-five cents to Dickerson an
received his knife in exchange. TT
one on exhibition in the Court roor
was similar to the one which Dicke
I son had from Ester.
= Late in the afternoon Mr.. CreightC
for the defense made his argumen
stating that the prosecution had n
8 proved a clear case of circumStanti
evidence. or ANYTHING which cou