The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-02-08
ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE.

The Advertiser has rarely had story
to tell which gives more pain in the
writing and will give more sorrow in
I the reading. than that which relates the
shooting last night Of Mortimer !.
Stevens, one of its reporters, by Edwin
s. Gill. editor of the Republican. The
whole affair is so deplorable that 1t
cannot be thought of cooly; though II
is the purpose of this journal In mar
rating the circumstances leading up to
and including the tragic acts of Mr..
Gill, to be as dispassionate as it can.
Yesterday morning the Republican
printed an extraordinary story supple
mented by more extraordinary lead
ing editorial, in which the social privacy
of some young ladies from the Main
land was questionably invaded. That
the reader may see for himself what
was said, we print both articles in full.
Naturally the friends of the ladies took
offense and one of them, a man named
Rawlings. went to the office of the Re
publican and had some kind of an en-
counter with Gill. II Is said that the
editor was slapped or cuffed; it is also
said that before Rawlings could com
nit an assault he was seized by the
Republican printers. At that time GIL
did not seem to be armed with anything
more formidable than pair of shears;
the pistol he used on Stevens he may
have got later, fearing more bodily
violence.
/ Mr.. Stevens felt the insult to the
ladies as keenly as did Mr. Rawlings.
1t is reported that one of the ladies had
been his friend from childhood. When
he read the Republicans article yester-
day he was deeply stirred but he said
nothing of reprisals. Later he heard
that his friends were to be traVestied
again and that Gill regarded their per
secutlon as good joke" When this
news reached him the young man asked
for ten minutes leave and as further
events proved he went to interrogate
Gill. What happened at the Republic
an office appears in Mr.. Stevens print
ed statement-a story told in the pres
ence, possibly, of death. The reporter
asked the editor if anything more was
to be said about the ladies; the editor
replied coarsely, Stevens hit him t
blow in the face, Gill drew IA revolve
and aiming at Stevens stomach fired
the ball entering the body of the younl
man near the hip. The rest was mat
ter for the surgeons and the police.
This is the second time that Mr.. Gil
has had a shooting ARRAY, the first on,
being in Arizona. His employer anC
preceptor, Judge Humphreys. boasts OF
having had one or two and was arrest
ed and fined in this city for assault and
battery. Both men were reared in al
atmosphere of gun-fighting and perhaps
regard such things in a more tolerant
light than will the law-abiding public
of this city and this Territory. 1t is
less surprising that one of them should
have tried to commit a homicide thar
it is that either should have singled out
reputable women for insult. The chiv-
airy of the South may be quick at the
trigger but it also respects women; in
this case the nobler quality was forgot
ten in the desire for blood.
The Advertiser does not excuse the
blow given by Mr.. Stevens, great as his
provocation was. But when he went
unarmed to an office whore his enemy
sat among a score of friends and en-
ployes, he had right to expect fair
play. He would not have complained If
blow had been met by blow; he would
have seen no injustice II the Republic
an stan had seized him and bound him
hand and foot; but he did not think
that manly fist would be met by a
cowardly ball. Yet an editor who would
insult defenseless woman might be
expected after all, to shoot an unarmed
Elan.
y