Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-05-04
FIVE HUNDRED DAMAGES
MENTAL SUFFERING As
RES 1t Of FJECTMENT
RAPID TRANSIT MUST PAY FOR
PUTTING MRS. RHODES OFF
AN ELECTRIC CAR IN
THE RAIN.

Five hundred dollars, half OF the
amount OF damages asked for mental
anguish, suffering and other physical
and psychological Inconvenience and
discomfort occosioned plaintiff. were
awarded Mrs. Charles l.. Rhodes in
Judge Gears court yesterday after
noon by a jury which took less than
ten minutes to come to a conclusion.
against the Honolulu Rapid Transit &
Land Co.. for illegal ejectment from an
electric car and refusal of transfer.
The story Of the ejectment is as fol-
lows: Mr.. and Mrs. Rhodes attended
81. Clements Episcopal chapel on Wild
er avenue one Sunday last year. At
the end OF services the rain descended
In torrents. The Rhodes residence was
within comfortable walking distance
OF the sacred edifice towit: on Aloha
lane, between Young and King streets.
but a walk home meant drenching.
In order to ride Il would be necessary
TO board q Wilder avenue car going
McCully way and transfer at King. Or
o Wilder avenue car going downward
could be boarded and transfer secured
to King at Liliha junction. Rhodes
favored the latter itinerary. as he de-
sired to stop of at his Office downtown.
the Star Office. They boarded town
ward car. Rhodes dropped OF at Hotel
and Fort streets, telling his wife to go
ON to Liliha, transfer to King and he
would be waiting for her car at King
and Fort streets. his business at the
Office would occupy but few minutes
and 1t was better for her to remain on
the car than to get of In the pouring
rain.
Left alone, and nearing Liliha juno
ton, Mrs. Rhodes asked the conductor
for a transfer to the King street line.
going Waikikiward. The nickle-grab-
Der refused. The lady alightsd at Ii
liha an dsuddenly realized that she had
put all her change In the plate at
church and that she was penniless.
However, boarding a King street car.
Mrs. Rhodes told the conductor that
the fare gatherer on the other car had
refused her o transfer and that she
was without nickle. but that her hus-
band was waiting for her at Fort stree,
where he would get aboard and pay the
fare. The intellectual bell-puller turned
on the stoney stare. the cold eye and
the marble heart Briefly. he put Mrs
Rhodes OF the car In the rain; in the
light OF developments he saved Ave
cents worth Of company's rules ant
regulations and deprived Rapid Tran
sit stockholders Of dividends on nv,
hundred dollars; the company losei
just 10000 times the amount Of the fart
Mrs. Rhodes did not pay.
Rhodes made an interesting witness
] He was asked by the defense to de
scribe the condition Of his wife's min,
when he saw her after she had beel
, elected from the car. He said he di,
. not claim to be psychologist. bu
could say that Mrs. Rhodes was hyster
4 ical, incoherent In her remarks, dis
5 turbed In mind and that II was hours
l. even days, before she was restored I
0 her normal mental composure. "Wher
y were you'll have had Q drsadfu
!, tine.-they put me on the carl" Thes
: were some OF the incoherencies test
: fed to by the indignant husband.
e Defendants counsel endeavored I
Q get Rhodes to say that his wife's indie
n nation, vexation and anger was all d
rected toward her husband aud not u
ward the Rapid Transit Company an
h.