The Hawaiian gazette., 1900-09-14
WHITE MEN ALL FIRED,
SAY LAYSAN ISLAND JAPS
tFrom wednesday, paiiy)


yesterday in the Police Court in the
preliminary examination Of Captain
Joseph Spencer charged with murder
in the first degree. The examination
begun In the morning about 10 o'clock
before Judge Wilcox. Attorneys Kin
ney and Chillingworth appeared for the
defendant and Attorney General Dole
and High Sheriff A. NJ. Brown repre-
scented the prosecution.
A CROWD PRESENT.
The court room was crowded. many
old wa;erfronters and shipping men
were present and friends and acquain-
tancos OF Captain Spencer and members
Of the Pacific Guano and Fertilizer
Company were also on hand.
Captain Spencer. calm and in the best
Il spirits. paid the strictest attention
10 every word of testimony given by
the two japanese who had their In
nincs Now and then. in a strong,
deep voice which was almost impossi-
bic TO confine to whisper. he answer
ed some question put to him by his
attorneys during the examination OF
the witnesses and often his placid coun-
tenance broke into broad smiles at some
subtle question of the lawyers or some
tangle OF assertions unwittingly gotten
into by the long -winded little Japanese.
Occasionally he mopped his brow for
il was exceedingly warm in the court
room ard every once in q while he
would look up to smile greeting to
some acquaintance who would drop in
to listen q while TO the stories of the
japanese.
PHOTOGRAPHS OF LAYSAN.
On the table, in front of Captain
Spencer and his attorneys. were spread
photographs of the buildings on Lay
san Island in which Captain Spencer
and his wife used to live, the laborers
quarters. the guano house, the plat
form and 80 forth. A map Of the place
was also handy together with the off,
cial log-book of the American bark
Ceylon which brought the Spencers.
Captain Spinner. the carpenter and thir-
ty-eight Japanese guano laborers back
from Laysan Island few days ago.
On the floor. near to the hand of At
torney Chillingworth, lay carefully
wrapped bundle containing assorted
hoop-iron weapons. something of the
nature OF cutlasses, with which the
Japanese were armed. according to
Captain Spencer and Captain Spinner
and the carpenter when questioned
aboard the Ceylon as she was coming
into port the other day.
THE CHARGE READ.
Stenographer Davis was sworn in as
the official recorder of what everybody
had to say, after which the charge of
wilful and premeditated murder of one
Goto. on Laysan Island, within the
jurisdiction of the court" on August
II. was read. The defendant was noti-
fed that as this was only preliminary
examination he need not plead. At
torney Kinney, however. said that the
prisoner would take his privilege of
pleading and entered plea of not
guilty.
Then the first witness for the prose-
.cutlon was called. This man was Hi
guchi Shire. who. according to his ties.
tmony. stood close by Goto when that
person fell after the shooting had TAX
en- place.
HIGUCHI SHIRO TESTIFIES.
High Sheriff Brown kept the witness
q considerable time. making him go
over carefully in detail every event of
the day on which the shooting occur
red. Saturday, August II. Interpreter
Gibbs translated for the japanese wit
nesses.
Higuchl Shire. who is pictured in the
witness box in the illustration, testified, |
in substance as follows:
The japanese on Laysan Island went /
to work at 3 o'clock on the morning OF .
Saturday. August II. the day on which .
Goto fell At . o'clock In the morning
q number Of the Japanese. representing
the whole number went to Captain
Spencer for the purpose of arranging
with him, If possible. for the men to
alternate In wo. king ashore and on the
water. 1t was their desire said the
witness. to work one day on land and
the next day afloat.
The reason of this was that the guano
dust, blown by the fresh sea breezes.
got into the eyes OF the laborers ana
greatly bothered them.
WANTED EXTRA PAY.
Captain Spencer Informed Tauakn,
the luna OF the Japanese that he could
not very well comply with the request
of the men In this respect. said the
witness. Then the loborors applied for
higher wages in view OF the fact that
their eyes were suffering from the suc-
cessive days Of work under the same
uncomfortable conditions. shire tes-
tlfcd that the Captain had said that he
could not give the men extra pay and
that he had said lie would send the
Japanese back 10 Honolulu on the nest
vessel II they repeated their request,
"Then whit did Captain Spencer
say?" asked the High Sheriff
WENT TO THEIR QUARTERS.
"He said Get outp 80 we all went
20 our house" answered shiro, Some
slept "a their quarters while Others
passed tho morning In reading accord
inR 20 the witness,
when AID you next speak 10 the
Captain
NAhout n o'rIoef iu tba nnorninu