Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-06-08
SHERIFF ANDREWS STATE
MENT.


NENT.
As to the alleged thumb hanging cpl.
sode Sheriff Andrews said:
The prisoner was not hung up by
the thumbs. His hands were raised
over his head by a string tied to his
thumbs, but his weight was not taken
off Of his feet. was present person
ally to see that It was not overdone or
carried too far. The reason for resort
ing to this method was that a most
atrocious crime had been committed
on a little Porto Rican girl and she had
also been most foully murdered in a
small room occupied by three other
persons, and separated from another
family only by thin board partition.
All of these people, while admitting
their presence, denied absolutely to
the Coroner's jury any knowledge of
how or when the assault was commit
ted. or the fatal blows struck. Under
certain circumstances, few and far be-
tween, person is justified in taking
even the life of another. | do not be-
lieve in lynch law, but do feel that
was justified in resorting to meas
ure which, while II was to a certain
extent a passive torture. 1t must neces.
sarily result in a mans saying some
thing to give us Clew as to who per-
petrated this most abominable crime.
We were not seeking for confession.
but for information from person able
Sheriff Andrews personal statement
OF his participation in the thumb
stringing episode in the Hilo Jail shows
that his version OF the affair differs in
no essential detail from the account
given in this paper. As stated editor.
tally by the Hilo Tribune, Sheriff An
drews enters plea of confession and
evasion"
Andrews says the prisoner was not
"hung up" by the thumbs and Els
weight was not taken off his feet. He
says the boys hands were raised over
his head by a string tied to his thumbs.
Presumably, from this statement, It
was the weight of the string that
caused the marks on the boys thumbs
after the ordeal was over.
Sheriff Andrews says he was present
at this ordeal ito see that it was not
overdone or carried too far. This as
sertion serves only to give rise to the
question of what Sheriff Andrews con-
siders 'overdone" when applied to plac'
ing a prisoners hands above his head
with a string tied to his thumbs. The
only conclusion The Bulletin can draw
from Andrews statement is that his
dictionary of police methods makes a
division on degrees OF torture. This
incident he. later in his interview. puts
under the heading of passive torture,
which must necessarily result in a
mans saying something to give us a
clew to who perpetrated this most
abomlnable crime.
This passive torture, absolutely
without result in obtaining clews, pre-
sents a situation that speaks for itself
Civilized law does not accept testi
mony obtained by this form OF passive
torture. The prisoner did not say
anything which gave Sheriff Andrews a
clew. The boy is said by reputable
witnesses, and Sheriff Andrews does
not deny the truth of the assertion, to
have confessed that he committed the
atrocious crime. The Court could not
and did not accept such a confession
and the most eloquent criticism on the
irregularity Of Andrews methods in
this instance is the fact that the boy
was released. and, together with the
inmates Of the house, was at last &C
counts living near Hilo.
Put in a nutshell, Andrews claim
like that put forward by certain Off
Gals in the Philippines, is that the END
justifies the means. Excuse himself
as he may Sheriff Andrews does moi
find this principle laid down in any
American textbook Of law or justice
No one has ever questioned the atroc
fly OF the crime. No one doubts tina
Andrews carried the heavy responsi
bility OF bringing the criminal to jus
tice. Sheriff Andrews is not, however
the first police officer who has had I
serious crime to ferret. This was no
the first time the police of Hawaii o
the United States have been put Il
the test of running crime to earth. An
drews says he does not believe II
lynching, and he seemingly forgeti
that lynchers offer the same excus,
for their acts as he infers in tn,