The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-01-10
SAM PARKER WTMG FAST 3U@ THE O@MD @lDRTE SAILING HTTR FOR COAST
PEARL HARBoR TESTIMONY ALL
IN.
Argument Began Early This Morning.
More Expert Testimony as to Value
of the Sugar Land.

The Pearl Harbor case testimony
came to an end in a few minutes this
morning. Court convened at o'clock
The detense wanted TO put on two
more witnesses, DR.. Crowley and j. +.
Morgan but neither of them were pres
ent Morgan was too i'll to attend.
Judge Estee ruled yesterday that his
/ testimony as to the value of the land
for sugar purposes would be merely
cumulative, and the case went on With
out him.
1t was stipulated between counsel
that the acreage OF the land condemned
! Is 56l.2 acres and Tax Collector Pratt
| was called, to testify as to the area in
Honolulu Plantation Company tax re-
turns, as to the whole plantation. Pratt
! gave IL as 4,774.82 acres. In cross-ex-
animation Silliman asked what taxes
had been paid, Dunno had an objec-
| ton to this last question in the case
as to most others, but this time he was
overruled. Pratt stated that in 1900 the
company had paid on a valuation OF
! $6OO,00O and in 1901 on a valuation of
$l,5OO,000. The large increase was due
! to the erection of mill on the planta-
ton.
The defense rested, and as there was
no rebuttal, argument began at once.
/ L
I began, as before, with a statement of
the governments right Of eminent do
main and the duty of the jurors to give
! 1t the land at fair valuation. Then
! he launched into a discussion of the
testimony of the String of sugar ex-
perts" who had placed high values on
the land, also of the testimony as to
the character of the soil.
! Yesterday afternoon the Honolulu
] Plantation (NnTnngnN fp off
expert evidence as to the value of the
! sugar land, until Judge Estee said
! there had been enough. During the ex-
! animation of G. BOlte, who placed the
value at from $2250O0 to $780, 600, the
4 court stated that no more such testi-
mOny would be allowed. The same facts
had been testified to half dozen times
and they had not been disputed, hence
| further evidence of such facts was not
! necessary Silliman stated that If he
had known that he was to be limited
in the number of witnesses he would
have called some of his other experts
first rather than so many plantation
managers. w. r. Castles valuation
was $3.50 900.
i Wong KoOn Chan the Chinese who is
alleged to have actually grown cane on
one acre of the land, was called as a
witness He testified to having grown
rice, cane and melons on about 80 acres
: rice had grown on the land for a num-
Der of years.
Judge Estee couldn't stand for this.
: He stopped further examination of the
witness with the remark that the court
and jury had been there, and knew
. that no rice had been or could be rails
ed on the land. Silliman stated that he
had right to prove it. Bring white
witnesses then" said the court. "The
E court will not listen to Chinese testi-
: mony of this sort when it knows that
no rice could be raised on the land.
} Manager Low was recalled. He stat
ed that for the past five or six years
rice. cane and melons had been grown
on the 80 acres near the well, being irri-
gated by fumes. 1t was there up to
last December, he thought. Under cross
examination Low insisted that the rice
growing had been success.
L. A. ThurstOn was also called TO tes-
tify as to the values. He stated that
4 he had had much experience IN sugar
! values, having given all his attention TO
I nlantation business for some time He
thought the sugar land being condemn
ed was worth from $500 to $500 an acre,
his minimum estimate being $7OO. rms
would bring his estimate for the 5fz
acres said to be good for sugar land TO
about the same as the estimates Of the
other experts.
- The reading Of the testimony formerly
given, to juror KOhn, was completed
early in the afternoon. 1t was a long
record, and Court Reporter Reynolds
has had a hard job keeping 1t up Ihe
order of the court from the start was
that the testimony of each day be type
written ready for the next morning
This has kept Reynolds at it till mid
: night every night, but in spite of the
long record and rapid work, the trans
cript showed up in first class condl-
ton. and neither side found any errors
to complain of.
United States Attorney Dunno occu
pied all this morning in presenting hi
argument in the case of the United
States against the Honolulu Plantation
Company, finishing at noon. SillimaI
q is replying this afternoon. When he Il
q through Dunno win have the last wore
and the case will probably go to thu
Jury tomorrow morning
yKTTTTTT1 STNTERSON A FATHER,