The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-10
USED KNIFE
TO MURDER
Japanese
Seriously Cuts
a Sailor.
ASSAILANT NOW
IN PRISON CELL
Asai Obiectedto to Drinking Party in
Adjoining Room and Wounds
Two Brothers.


the room of a Japanese in Kakaalo
yesterday morning, from the results or
which, Kawano, a Japanese fisherman.
lies wounded at the hospital, with a
deep, ugly cash in his thigh; his
brother is at the police station with his
right hand bandaged to close up
wounds which almost severed the fore
finger. and Asai, a bull-necked coolie.
who halls from the north OF Japan, Is
confined in a cell, charged with assault
with a deadly weapon. The weapon is
an ugly looking knife used mainly by
japanese for the cleaning OF fish. It
was buried in the right thigh of Ka-
wano lodging between two bones, and
was thrust with such force that the
point was broken off. leaving about an
inch of the blade in the flesh OF the
wounded man. This little pfece OF
steel was extracted by DR. Wood, and
is now, with the rest of the knife, at
the police station, to be used as evil
dence against the wielder Of the mur-
derous weapon.
The would-be murderer is of type
of Japanese who hail from por-
ton of the empire where ~rhe inlsabf4y
tants are heavy of intellect. and Of
mongrel breed. resulting from inter
marriages with the. Ainu and with nom
descript people from nearby shores.
These people are mainly OF Ainu blood,
as shown by the heavy name or hair
which they wear. They are physically
a hrsyf str - lob, uoIA
found In the inhabitants of the South.
Asai is powerful fellow, and only the
combined e1Hts of five or six of the
friends of Kawano prevented the en-
ragged man from burying his knife in
the breast of the wounded man. -
The stories of all the witnesses to
the affair, taken one by one, are al
most alike, and each charged Asai with
having attempted to murder their
companion. On the other hand. AsafS
maintains that he was the man who
had suffered, and that he had been as-%
saulted by the others because he was
from different province from their
own. He claims that he did not Use
a knife, but he is at a loss to explain
why it was. if he was assaulted, one
man should be lying in the hospital
with a gaping wound in his leg, ana
another with his hand slashed by the
blade, especially as all the others are
the best of friends.
Yesterday forenoon Kawauo, his
younger brother, Hamasake, and an
other Japanese, were in the room of
the Kawanos drinking sake and sing
ing songs Most of the men are sail
ors, and had just came in from their
trips to the other Islands. A japanese
named Nakamura also dropped in to
enjoy the hospitality and the liquor
which the Kawanos were dispensing
with a free hand. He was a sailor on
the Iwalani, and had just returned
from Kauai. The Kawanos are sailors
on the steamer John Cummins.
While they were singing and drinking
each others health, Asai. who lives IN
an adjoining room, became enraged.
He was not friendly with the others,
and therefore was not invited to come
in and assist in lowering the liquor In
the demijohn. According to the state
ments made at the police station by
the members of the drinking party,
Asaf came to their door and demand
ed in a loud voice that they desist from
their singing and keep quiet as he
wanted to sleep. The KawanoS imme-
diately replied that they were in their
own room, and would do as they liked.
Asai then tried to open the door, but
the merry party had taken the precau-
ton to lock it. The man put his
mediately yielded. Asai rushed into
the room, and before the others were
aware of his intentions, he grabbed
Kawano, the elder, by the throat with
one hand and struck him in the face
with the other. Kawano's friends came
to the rescue, and after much scuf-
| fling. Asai was given few hard
knocks, and was thrust out OF the
room. Asai muttered threat to get
even and went to his own apartment.
The party soon settled down to their
| drinking bout when suddenly Asaf
rushed into the room welding nsh-
cleaning knife. He made for Kawano.
the elder. who grabbed his wrist and
prevented the weapon from being
plunged into his breast. Asais arm
was thrust downward. and when oppo-
site Kawano's thigh, he regained pos
session of his hand and wrist and
thrust the knife full into the others
flesh. The blade was worked backward
and forward until the end snapped on
and the knife was then withdrawn by
the now infuriated japanese. Before
he could make another thrust Kawano.
the younger, caught the blade In his