The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-04-16

The Board of Health this afternoon
received a report from its Molokai IN
vestigatiOn COmmitte. a majority re-
commencing that the designations of
both DR.. oliver and superintendent
Reynolds be accepted while all agree
as to removal Of oliver The report fol-
lows a transcript of the testimony taken
bv the committee, which showed re-
voting neglect of the leper Pilipo while
he was i'm Jail. Following are the find
ings
We find that Piipo Mikila and Will
liam Kalani were not arrested upon
trumped up charge or without probable
cause; that NIildla's friends We're not
denied access to him; and that such
food as he had was at all times suth-
cient in quantity. We find that the
charges in other respects, although not
proved in all details are proved in sub
stance and beyond reasonable doubt.
on December End, 1901 Mikila and
KaIani left the settlement in violation
of the regulations of the Board of
Health. John Waiamau, captain of
police. believed and had probably cause
to believe, that they had been stealing
sheep. No one being on trial for steal
ing sheep, the Committee declined to
investigate the truth of this charge, be-
yond the question whether there was
probable cause for arrest. Upon the
return of Mtllila and Kalani, December
A. Waiamau arrested them and put
them in jail
Kalani made a confession, and was
put in light. airy cell.
MilIila denied guilt, and, as a puhi[h-
ment was put in a cell with no outside
window comparatively dark and lily
ventilated. He was given a diet Of sal
mon (Which he chose instead of meaD,
bread and water. and was more or less
closely confined for about a week, as a
punishment After that, he had or
dinary ratiOns and the liberty of the
Jail yard; during all of the TINE he was
in Jail from December 4th, 1901, ltntll
March 18th, 1902, he was not arraigned
on any charge, and no Wrls+cn accusa-
tiOn was made against him.
He was in an advanced stage Of le-
prOSy when he was arrested. AS the
disease progressed he beclme Ve~y
weak. and was little more than skin
and bones. AS early as about the ~ st
of March his hands and feet were alive
with maggots. The stencil was often
sive. On the 18th of March he was
taken home by members of a fraternity
to which he belonged. He died on the
18th. He had no proper care before
leaving the Jail He had no medical at
tention, worthy of the name, at any
time.
There is only one district magistrate
on the Island of Molokai. He lives,
thirty miles away-but as distant as
far as the physical difficulties of getting
to the settlement and leaving it are
concerned, as New York is from Chi
Cago. He did not visit the settlement
while Mikila was i'm Jail. Without a
magistrate in the settlement prompt
arraignments and trials are virtually
impossible. A resident magistrate can
be appointed under existing laws, al
though there is no appropriation from
which he can be paid. We recommend
the appointment of a magistrate, to be
paid such salary as the next legisla-
ture may appropriate
In Transforming the old church at
Kalabpapa into a Jail, windows should
have been cut to give every cell plenty
of air and light. We recommend that
this be done now.
Putting Miliila in a comparatively
dark cell and depriving him of poi, as
a punishment for not COnfessing or
for an offence of which he had not
been convicted, was an outrage upon
the fundamental principles of Anglo
Saxon liberty.
Waiamau bears an honest name. He
is a man of good repute. We think he
tries to do his duty, according to his
lights. Neither he nor the jailOr ap-
peared to be conscious of wrong doing
AS most natives would have done under