The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-01
BLEW HIS
HEAD OFF
w. R. Miller Committed
Suicide.
|HE USED GIANT POWDER
Verdict Of Coroner's Jury on Death
of Water Prospector Near
Waialua.


use of explosives, to wit, giant powder"
The above is the verdict reached by the
&C rcner's jury at the inquest held yes
terday at Waialua on the body of the un-
fortunate water prospector of Waiaiua
plantation who was found dead in his
tent west of Gaspar Slva's ranch at
Mokuleia near Gays place The coroner's
jury was composed of the following rep
resentative men of Waialua: J. S. Orme,
Mr. Johnson, Peliki, David Kaapu, Ma
mini Silva and Homanu.
Deputy Sher If Chillingworth, accom-
lpanied by Chester Doyle and Aapana, left
Honolulu yesterday morning for Waialua
ON the 9:15 train, reaching Mokuleia al
IL O'Clock. The party alighted at the lat
ter place, which is five miles or so this
side of Waialua. and were met by Deputy
Sheriff Cox with horses for the trip to
the tent formerly occupied by NJ Her. Aft
| er hearing the evidence no decision as to |
the cause of the mans death was reach /
| ed and the inquest was postponed until
| the afternoon in order to give Deputy /
Sheriff Chilhngworth an opportunity to
visit the scene of the supposed murder !
or suicide.
| The party went as far possible horse |
back and then travelled the balance of
the distance by foot. Their path lay
through zigzagging rayine up the noun
tains. They found the tent as it was
when visited by Mr.. Cox. A wire fence
had been built around 1t by Miller to keep
out cattle and horses which pastured on
i the mountains The tent was fourteen
feet long, eight feet wide and about eight
feet high. On the mauka side of the in
terror two large holes were found about
six inches in diameter. besides several
smaller holes. The canvas did not have
! the appearance of having been burned
out, but looked though 1t had been
ripped and forced from the inside. The
ragged portions hanging on the exterior
of the tent were slightly burned along
the edges
The body of Miller had been living on
I bed composed of oil cloths and blankets.
Directly under the body was a blanket
3 and when Deputy Sheriff Cox examined
the remains a blanket and oil-skin coat
were lying over the body and tucked in
{ at the sides. The left arm was lying out
side the covers and parallel with the body
The right arm was under the blanket
The mans head had been blown complete
3 ly off the shoulders and even the body be-
= tween the shoulders had been torn away
= as IL by an explosion of some kind.
3 peculiar feature in connection with
2 the position of the left arm and hand
z p" as that the latter was burned and with
4 cred as If by contact with a sudden blaze.
3 but was not mutilated or torn The in
e side of the tent was spattered with blood
!. stains, portions Of the skull and brains
g and presented q sicken.ng sight. Outside
z the tent on the side where the large holes
= were found, pieces of the skull were pick
= ed up and shreds of flesh were hanging
!: on the wire fence.
g box of giant caps, a box of giant
q powder sticks, besides three or four hun.
g dred feet of fuse-these were all used IL
!. Miller's prospecting work. 1t is supposed
= that Miller used his left hand in carrying
g the lighted fuse to his mouth in which
g he had placed stick of giant powder
g The explosion probably took place al
3 most instantly and the hand becam,
g Scared by the force of the explosion be
3 fore 1t could fall into the position il
g which 1t was found by Mr.. Cox. Miller;
g position on his couch seems to poin
q clearly to the supposition of suicide, an'
g also that giant powder was the means
q used TO send him to eternity Beneath
g the place where his head lay before tn
g explosion, the ground is furrowed out b,
:. the force Miller's felt hat. which hat
% evidently been on his head when the ex
. plosion came, found outside the ten
e filed with remnants of the skull
- The body was buried on Monday abou
g three feet away from the tent by Deput,
g Sheriff Cox. They were unable to re
g move it further, as the decomposition wa
g so far advanced that they had difficult
80 III keeping tne remains together. Deput
IS Sheriff Chillingworth and Mr.. Doyl
8 made a cross of sticks lying about an
q erected it over the mound.
g The tent was built on an incline an
. beneath a couple of kukui trees and nea
g the place where he was working No evi
q dences of robbery were traced. as $i.15 i
g cash, a gold watch, provisions, oil-ski
3 coat and many other of the deceased
e effects We're discovered by Deputy Sherii
q Cox and taken to Waialua Monday Afte
g taking note of all the horrible details, tn
g party came back to the station just i
- time to catch the 3 o'clock train back t
e Honolulu.
q The coroner's jury met again in tn
$ afternoon, and unanimously agreed upo
y. the verdict above given. 1t was though
q that murder was the cause of death whe
g the jury first met, but after hearing fun
g ther evidence the suicide theory wa
g agreed upon.
s: Miller was a German by birth, about
g years old. and is not known to have ar
q relatives in Hawaii. He has been en-
g ployed by the Waialua plantation for Sc
s eral months as a water prospector al
q had dug several tunnels. He was call,
e peculiar by those with whom he can
q in contact, and was last seen on Frids
q by a native boy who was running hors
r. over the range. AT that time he was a
q parently well, and was working. On Mo
e Gay John Showalter, an employee of NJ
q Candies Brothers, and Joe +. Fernand
s. were out shooting goats. Showalter b
3 came thirsty and, spying the prospectol
q tent. went there. They smelt the cd
8 of decomposing flesh, but neverthele
went to the tent and opened the fla
g What they saw was enough to eau
q them both to take to their heels and
s. race was begun for the nearest nous
- Even the guns which they were usi
g were left behind. They notified the De
- uty Sheriff at once
q The deceased, when he mingled wi
g those on the plantation, had habit
u muttering to himself and making o
& gestures The mans mode of life m
3 have produced a melancholy feeling a
q Isutcfde followed. This is the general It
g DRY advanced by the police and the re
. dents of Waialua.
g When Chillingwortn left the tent sol
q Japanese who had been sent by the pla
g tation management to bring the tent ba
q appeared. The stencil filed them w
~ CONSERVATION, and they had a confereI
g az to whether it was worth their while
q carry 1t down the mountain or not. TT
! -tfl t1If- ii