The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-01-14
DID JOE ROSA
DIE OF DRINK
PLENTY OF EVIDENCE TENDING
TO ESTABLISH THAT
THEORY.
CIRCUMSTANCE OF HIS LAST
HOURS DETAILED.
DR.. Alvarez Describes Conditions Just
Before Death and Inferentially Puts
1t Up to the Board of Health Omcials.

Despite the showing made at the
post mortem and the evidence submit
ted by various witnesses, DR.. Alvarez,
the physician who gave the certificate
of Joe ROsa's death, finds it hard to
convince himself that the death was
due to any violence connected with the
brain although he admits the pOssi- |
bility Of foul play
THE great surprise to me-" said DR.. |
Alvarez this morning Lies in the fact
that they did not notify me of the post
mOrtem nor invite me to be a witness
thereat as they do in all other American |
communities. There was a good deal OF
pertinent testimony that l could have
given which will have an important |
bearing on the case If criminal proceed /
ings are instituted, l will tell you the
history Of the case exactly as 1 told DR.. |
SlOggett, the president of the Board of
Health yesterday morning when 1 con-
suited him as to the advisability of is
suing certificate without an investiga- |
ton. l am not attempting to throw any
responsibility on DR.. Sloggett whatever, !
my visit and talk with him being simply /
part Of the story of the case.
Sunday evening George Rosa came
to my office and told me that his
brother was very sick. George had beenl
drinking and l could smell his breath
even before he entered my room. At.
first 1 did not feel like going, as in this
vicinity Sunday night drinking and rel
sultant sickness, not serious, and quar-
rels, are -regu,S affairs and 1t is more
the role Of peacemaker than of a doc
tor that is generally required. The man
insisted that his brother was very sick
and 1 went to the house.
The door was open, in native custom,
and 1 could see the woman Rosa lying
on the bed by the side of her husband.
h1 Nu-ng Il nETvr IL, -
but got off the bed and Dut on holoku.
She had also been palpably drinking, by
her breath. The man, now deceased,
was lying in a stupOr and the taint of
alcohol was strong upon his breath. His
heart beats were dropping which might
result from imperfect valvular action
induced by excessive drinking. His
pulse was 140, his temperature six above
normal or 104. His lymphs were in a
state u rigidiJy, or contracted, i in
jected a strong solution of stryChnia to
stimulate the heart which it seemed to
do. | noticed a scratch on his left tenn
pie which, had apparently been intliCt-
ed an hodr or so before, there being al
ready a sCab over 1t. There were also
scratches on his back merely abrasiOns
of the skin. The man was naked save
for the covering of the bed clothes.
| There was blood on the pillow case,
| several spots of it about the size of
]
might be imagined from the accounts in
| the morning papers and indeed nothing
i more than might have resulted from the
aforesaid cut.
Il mentioned these marks, which were
| eEplained-to me by his brother as hav-
! ing been incurred in holding him down
| as he had been very violent and appar-
! emily in a state Of delirium tremens
! George Rosa also told me that the de-
| ceased had been drinking heavily for
| three weeks past. There was a witch
! hazel bottle half emptied which may
! have contained wood alcohol and which
! he may have drunk from, I did not
! obtain any satisfactory answer az to
| what he had been drinking.
"A man who Is a hard drinker and
has had the drink deIrium can readily
! be subjected to the delirium with
very little additional liquor under the
j stress Of excitement as a quarrel The
! man had also, hear, decided tremor
i in drinking from a glass that should
u tend TO show excessive alcoholism in so
\ young man. George Rosa also had
! scratches on him. one very similar ex-
4 ternally to the one on the deceased
i mans temple. These he explained by
L the struggle.
\ Il did not probe the scratch as 1 was
not suspicious. The wound was si-
Il tuated over the side of the skull where
! attempt to cover up anything and moth
1 Ing led me to suspect foul play. The
wife was lying on the bed beside the
SICK man. The brother Acknowledged
i a struggle the nature of which 1 did not
! inquire into. The holding down theory
] was plausible. A quarrel would as I
i nave said have been nothing eVtraOr-
! dinary in that neighbOrhood. The evil
4 dence OF the native woman that she
j neard quarreling is superfous in that
j district. On Sunday nights there are
/ rev houses where passers by cannot
! hear quarreling.
! My diagnosis of alcoholism was made
! Dy exclusion. The stupor might have
] been caused by conclusion of the brain
! put IN that case the temperature should
! nave been low not high, the pulse low.
! not unusually high, the muscles daccid
! not rigid. did not think Of a wound "a
! the brain as that should have brought
S a now OF blood that would have evi-
! uehced It's existence, the blood should
nave spurted from such a wound as
| Ihey describe George Rosa came TO
! me again at eight the next morning and
said that his brother was dead ana aslC-
ed for certificate. / told him that Z
| would nave 10 see the Board of Health
as the scratches ] had noticed might
call for an investigation. He asked how
| long IL would take and I told him I
/ would attend to il presently. Al nine
o'clock l Informed Dr. Sloggett of the
| occurrence as l have Just stated To you
| and asked If he considered an investi-
! cation necessary, thinking he might or
! der 1t, as i'm case a short time ago
| when l thought matters looked suspi-
cious and when he sent another doctor
! with me to examine the body.
His view of the subject yesterday
! coincided with mine, but he told me
| that / had better take another look at
! the body which 1 promised to do
| when / went again to the house the
! body had been laid out but there had
\ been no attempt to hide the wounds and
i no suspicion of deliberately foul play