The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-26
EIGHTPRISONERS SRESCUED
ARMED CRowDoF TwoHUNDRED
GATHERED.
Captain and -Four officers Compelled
to Give Back Bail Money and the
Evidence Against Their prisoners.

What was practically an Asiatic up
rising, an emeute that failed to be
riot because of the overpowering num-
bers of the mob, occurred at Paauhau
plantation, March II. Sheriff Andrews
writes from Honokaa under date of
March % to Marshal Brown giving the
following account of the uprising.
II am at Honokaa in re a case which
occurred on the Paauhau plantation
last Saturday night, March H. in which
the Captain of Police and four officers
went to the plantation and arrested
eight Japs for gambling. Three of the
Japs bailed themselves out and then
went to look for money to bail the
others. But soon after going out the
camp was aroused and gathered to res
cue the prisoners. The policemen say
that between 100 and 200 Japs armed
with cane knives, cord wood clubs etc.
surrounded them, and rather than have
a row and bloodshed, they surrender
ed their prisoners, or rather gave way
to the push of the crowd until the
crowd was between them and the door
of the room where the prisoners were.
after this, the assembly demanded
of the police that they deliver up the
bail money that had been deposited
with them before they would be allowed
to leave the premises. The police con-
ceded this. Then they demanded that
the money found on the gambling mat
be restored or surrendered also. This
was also conceded by the police, and
they were then required to surrender a
list of the names of the Japs arrested.
Fortunately the original list had been
written hastily in the diary of one of
the officers, and while the Japs were
looking for the bail money a copy had
been more carefully written on a slip Of
paper to hand to the Captain of Police.
G. eli --swv 70 H. To 20
satisfy their demand, and they then re-
leased the police to go away.
"a report is current here that the
Japs also disarmed the police and re-
lieved them of their own pocket money.
But this report is not correct.
THE bad Feature of the case is that
the policemen say that the most of the
Japs arrested were strangers to them
and they cannot identify them sufIi-
ciently to pick them out Of crowd;
also that they cannot identify single
one of the rescuers. I fear that the
whole affair will have a very bad ef-
feet.
Zone of the gamblers who was ar
rested was a we'll known crook but on
this occasion he staid right by the po-
lice and tried to persuade the mob to
recede from its position. This was
probably because he, being well known
would have laid himself open to prose-
cution If he did otherwise. But having
done as he did we cannot prosecute him
for anything but gambling.
Another of the gamblers was well
known and he called to the crowd to
come and rescue, and after the rescue
he wasfone of the spokesmen who de-
manded the restoration of the gambline
evidence. 1 have had him re-arreste6
for rescuing a thing under legal seiz'
ure, but do not know what the out
come of the matter will be-"
Marshal Brown says that the place
where this affair occurred, like many
others in the country districts. is ont
that is difficult to handle with the
small police force allowed. In places
such as many of the plantations are
where the great bulk of the population
is Asiatic, there is no public sentiment
to assist the officers in affecting arrests
and holding their prisoners. In sucl
cases the few police who can be sen
are at any time compelled to choose, a.
they were in this case, between tn
bloodshed that would follow a conflic
with an armed mob, or submitting t.
the rescue of prisoners not charged
with felony but only with misdemeanor