The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-15
MOVING THE TRUNK
WHAT THE WILLIAMS BOYS
WERE DOING.
Not Burglars Nor Robbers, Only Nov
ing a Trunk by Night-End of Their
Trial.

Bob and Edgar williams took the
stand this morning in Judge Robin
sons court and told their stories of the
alleged robbery on Wards jewelry
store. According to the defendants it
was simply trunk-moving PROPOSE
ton. O'COnnell the police witness, in
duced them to move a trunk from the
store on the night of their arrest, and
great was their surprise TO find that
the police and Ward the owner of the
contents of the trunk, regarded it as
! burglary.
The jury was first made acquainted
with the fact that the two defendants
were acquitted before Judge Gear on
burglary charges growing out of the
transaction. Attorney Reynolds offer
ed the record of the former case to
show this, and after objections by AS
slstant Attorney General Douthitt, it
was allowed. Later Douthitt offered
! the same record to show that Judge
| Gear ruled out the confessions which
Robinson allowed to go in in this trial.
and this was admitted by Reynolds.
Edgar Williams was the first defend
ant to take the stand. He was a ready
| witness and at once there was a general
smile at his readiness. He told of hav-
| ing received a caller at his home on the
night of the alleged robbery.
Did Ehe caller request you began
Reynolds.
Yes, sir" said the witness.
Hold on a minute! Did the caller
request you to go anywhere with him?"
"Yes sir" said Williams again.
Williams then testified that the call
er, who it appeared later was the po-
| lice witness O'Connell asked him and
Bob Williams to go with him to move
Z tod 4 1aff hni
home with O'COnnell, the man who had
| told the police that there was going to
j be a burglary, so that Chillingworth
and officers were watching Wards
place At Wards store was a hack
that had been secured by O'Connell
and Bob and Edgar Williams put the
| trunk in it, There the story stopped,
and the witness was turned over to
Douthitt. The latter cross-eXamined
the defendant as to his acquaintance
with O'COnnell.
Bob Williams next took the stand.
He also told about the evening call
and the request to do some trunk
moving. His testimony closed the case.
Reynolds moved that the jury be in
! structed to aCquit on the ground that
| the prosecution had failed to connect
| the defendants with any larceny, and
| the motion was denied without argu-
ment The argument to the jury then
began. Reynolds claimed that the de-
PENDANTS were being prosecuted. He
said that it was a job put up by the
O'Connell, the agent of the police, to
trap the williams boys. OConnell was
roasted as a cOnspirator who entered
into the scheme for the purpose of win
ming favor by seeming to help the po-
lice to catch some burglars.
Attorney Douthitt discussed the evil
dence at length and this afternoon
Judge Robinson charged the jury. He
gave special instructions as to the con-
fession introduced in evidence. The
jury was told that the law regarded a
confession outside of court as evidence
to be received with caution. Where
there were two defendants a confession
made by one of them, not in the pres
ence of the other, was evidence only
as to the man who made such confess
sion, and must be wholly disregarded
as far as the other defendant was con-
I Cerned