The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-01-22
DEAD IN CANEFIELD
4 MYSTERIOUS TRAGEDY A
MOANALUA.
A Coroner's Jury Quickly Disposes of
1t. However-Corpse Is Buried
Among the Cane.

A dead body was found yesterday in
a cane field at Moanalua. 1t was the
corpse of a white man who had evident
.ly been dead about ten days. The only
indication of the cause of death was
pistol found on the scene. A cOrOner's
jury, after looking at the body and lis
tening to the stories of those who first
found it, decided that the deceased had
come to his death by a gunshot wound,
self-inflicted.
The body had been blackened by ex-
posture to rain and sunshine. Behind
the left ear was what might have been
a gunShOt wound, but there was moth
ing to show that it was not decOmpOsi-
ton, and the fact that the mans hat,
still on his head, partly covered the
opening, indicated that if there was a
wound, the hat had been replaced after
the wound was inflicted. The hat was
not removed.
The revolver was found leaning
against the dead mans body, near his
waist. Rust on his coat and on the
weapon showed that it had been there
some time. The man lay fiat on his
back. with his right arm grasping a
stalk of cane and his left arm out
stretched. The pistol was on his left
side and not in such a position as it
would naturally fall into, being stood on
end, prOpped up against the dead body
If the man shot himself and then fell
into the position in which he was found
he must have fired with his left hand
and then lain down on his back and
died so peacefully that a revolver,
standing on end and leaning against
his body, did not fall away.
A search in the pockets of the de-
ceased brought forth S11.55 in coin, a
cheap silver watch, with the minute
hand gone, a box of pistol cartridges
and Chinese laundry ticket. These,
with the revolver, were taken by the
police
The body was found by Thomas Tay-
Tor, an employe of S. NJ. Damon, who
was first attracted to it by the odor
of decomposition. Taylor and mounted
Patrolman Gumpher, who was sum-
mOned, gave their testimony on the
scene, as it was decided not TO remove
the corpse. They knew nothing beyond
the simple facts that the body had been
discovered lying in the cane. No one
was missing from among the WOrkmen
and there was nothing to indicate the
identity of the deceased. He appeared
TO be a white man, dressed like a WE'LL
to-do workman. His clothes were not
at all shabby. Beyond a search in his
outside pockets nothing was done to
md out who the dead man was, and if
ms back pockets contained anything, or
If his underwear had marks that would
have told who he was, the information
is buried with the remains in Damon's
caneheld As the jury left the scene
one OF the labOrers began with pick and
shovel to make a hole alongside the
corpse, to dump the latter into it.
1t didn't take the jury long to arrive
at verdict. The pistol was evidence of
gunshot wound and the Jurors were
satisfied that it was self-innicted. Their
verdict was as follows:
THAT the said John Doe, white man.
whose true name is unknown. but iIen-
uty known, came to his death at Mo-
analua, in the district Of Honolulu. ISL
and of Oahu, on or about January 18th.
l5O2 from a self-inhicted gun-sbot
wound. The Jurors were f. W. Weed
II. NJ. Ayres, II. A. Giles, Paul Ehlers,
b. Nickers and j. l.. Aholo.