The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-06-18
CHARGES UNNARRANT[D.
GRAND JURY REPORTS ABOUT
BRIBERY.
over a Hundred Witnesses Examined
and No Evidence Found-Governor
Dole's Testimony.

The Grand Jury made it's long-await-
ed report yesterday afternoon to judge
Gear The report is quite a lengthy
one, reviewing with good deal of de-
tail the evidence given before the jury.
The jury declared that the bribery
charges were not warranted, though it
states in the report that Testimony
was given that warranted the belief
that persons not members had asked
for a commission for furnishing PRINT
ing to the printing offices and for dis
counts when they paid bills"
over a hundred witnesses were eX-
amined by the jury the testimony be-
ing according to the report contra
dictory and unsatisfactory" AS to the
governors testimony the report says:
THE Governor testified that the in
formation he had received was from
second or third hands; that at the
time his reply was given to the Senate
in which he stated that he had infor-
nation from a source which he could
not ignore that bribery of members
was going on in the Legislature, he
had no legal evidence of bribery or
corruption of members of the Legisla-
ture.'
The testimony of the attorney gener-
al, secretary, superintendent of public
works, treasurer and high sheriff fall
ed to supply the jury with any definite
evidences of bribery. All of them said
that they had no evidence or only
hearsay evidence, which, as previously
reported, some of them refused to di-
vulge.
Jacob Coerper gave the jury the
names of the three legislators whom
he declared asked him for money to
assist his franchise bill through the
House, but when the members in ques-
ton were called they denied having
made the demands. Coerper refused to
give the name of the officer of the
House to whom he paid money for
helping his bill along, on the ground
that it might incrminate him.
DR.. Russers $4,000 corruption fund
to defeat the dispensary law was
traced to it's origin and found to have
no existence, says the report, and in
vestigations' of a supposed fund raised
among liquor dealers to defeat the
bill, resulted in testimony that the
fund was for securing legal advice as
to the constitutionality of the law,
etc The Nolte free lunches were found
to have been paid for out of a fund
raised by the Home Rulers, to enter
tain country members while they were
in Honolulu.
The Officers club was investigated
and is reported on at length. 1t was
found that cards of invitation were
issued by the club to members of the
Legislature, newspapermen and others.
The report says: "The privileges of
the club were explained to be the use
of the club rooms, the right to pur-
chase liquor by the bottle only from
the club supplies, and the use of
locker to keep a bottle in, and the
Of I1a NJ of
That these privileges were openly
abused was made clear by the testi-
mony of several witnesses. AS there
were not lockers enough for all. the
persons enjoying the privileges of the
club, general locker was provided,
in the CHARGE of Japanese servant,
in which bottles with labels of owners
names upon them were kept. There
was testimony that liquor was sold by
the glass; the charge being twenty
cents a glass, one witness saying that
ne kept no bottle at the club, that he
called for drinks for himself and
friends and always paid for them as
matter of course; that friends invited
him to drink and paid for the drinks.
Witnesses testified that representa-
tives of the press were not required to
pay for liquor drinks being free to
them and to other persons"
Turk and Lewis were called to eX-
plain the charge in Pearsons affidavit
that Lewis had offered to pack a jury
to try the w. G.. Smith case. They
both denied the charge, and Deputy
Attorney-General Cathcart, on being
consulted, told the jury that even if
the charge were true, the offense charg
ed was not actionable, hence the matter
was dropped.
The legislative matter is summed up
in the following concluding paragraph:
"As to the charges of bribery and
corruption of members of the Legisla-
ture, the majority of the witnesses
called testified that their information
was based upon newspaper reports
and street rumor."
In a supplementary report the jury
says that the Legislative inquiry was
concluded on June 5, and mo warrant
was found" for the charges of bribery.
The jurors then visited the insane asy-
lum and Oahu Jail and they recommend
increased accommodation for females
in the asylum, better facilities to fight
fire, and removal of the rock crushing
plant to a distance away from the
asylum, so that it's noise Will not
bother the inmates. The reports are
signed by all the members of the jury,
as follows: j. o. Carter. Foreman; John
f. Colburn, o. Stillman c. II. Cooke,
f. c. Macfarlane. j. c. Quinn S. c.
Dwight John ID. Holt, Jr G.. r.
Smithies, c. II. Brown j. G. Cohen, w.
Allen, A. V. Gear, Edward b. MikaIemi,