The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-12-15
EMMETT MAY
TESTIFIES
DISTINCT CONFLICT OF IMPORT
ANT TESTIMONY IN BMBEZzLE-
MENT CASE NOW BEING TRIED.

now proceeding I'm Judge RobinsOn's
court. There can be no avoidance of
this conclusion for the stories told un-
der oath by the different witnesses
have not been tortured out in clever
cross-examination but have been given
calmly and cody in direct examination
and have been reiterated.
Just who has been guilty of the false
testimony is quite another matter, one
which the jury will practically decide
i'm its own wisdom when the time comes
for the delivery of a verdict.
Mrs. r. c. Silva was the first witness
of the day and as she stepped to the
box the first of series of minor Skin
mishes between Attorney General An
drews and Attorney Dunno, for the
defence occurred. Witnesses had been
excluded but the Attorney General
thought that Louis Medeiros, son-in-
law of Mrs. Silva and one of the de-
fences witnesses was standing in the
corridor within earshot.
81 protest against these bush whack-
ing, guerilla methods of the Attorney
General" broke i'm Dunno with a good
deal of heat. "Medeiros is not trying
to hear and could not if he tried"
The Attorney General protested in
turn that the evidence could be heard
in the corridor and Medeiros obligingly
went further away.
Mrs. Silva, who is a sister of F. ].
Dutra whose name has been prominent
ly mentioned in the case, testified that
she remembered conversation with
Mrs. Bettencourt at her house, corner
of Punchbowl and Emma streets. Mrs.
Bettencourt had been discussing her
affairs and had said that she was afraid
| that Davies & Co. would hear of her
late husbands insurance and would
take it for their debt but that May had
been very kind and had secured the
money for her so she had arranged for
him to invest the money for her as he
saw best for herself and her children.
Mrs. Bettercourt under cross-eXami-
nation had specifically denied that she
had ever said anything of the sort so
the exact language of the question was
repeated to the witness, the prosecution
Directing. The judge overruled on
the ground that the question was for
the purpose of impeaching the testi-
mony of a former witness.
| Continuing Mrs. Silva swore that on
Tuesday last she had met Mrs. Betten-
court in the Judiciary Building. Mrs.
Bettencourt then said to the witness
| that she was afraid that if Mrs. Silva
told what she knew it would make
trouble for her (Mrs. Bettencourt) as
she did not remember just what she
had said before.
Cross examined by Attorney General
Andrews Mrs. Silva was quite unable
to give the date of her conversation
with Mrs Bettencourt at the corner of
Emma street and Punchbowl. She
could not even tell the year that it was
| in She also swore that she had never
mentioned the conversation to a per-
son., except one woman at Kona, until
she came into court.
Louis Medeiros, Mrs. Silve's son-in-
law, also swore that he heard the re-
mark of Mrs. Bettencourt relative to
her authorizing May to invest her
money for her.
Under cross-examination he too was
unable to tell the date of the CONVEX
sation within couple of years. He
admitted that Nav had come to him
and had said that he was looking for
testimony to clear him from the false
charge against him. He did not know
why May had come to him rather than
to anyone else.
A number of witnesses were called to
testify to Mays good reputation for
truthfulness, honesty and integrity
Judge Humphreys gave formal testi-
mony i'm this direction and was not
cross examined Cashier Cooper of
testimony.
Edgar Lewis of Lewis & Co.. and c.
NJ. Cooke of the Bank of Hawaii spoke
we'll of the defendant as having a good
reputation Tough neither had ever
heard the matter discussed.
W.R. Harrington of the Bulletin fol-
lowed i'm the same line.
Emmett May, the accused man then
took the stand. He went carefully
over the ground of all of his transac-
tions with Mrs Bettencourt since he
first met her when she went to his
office to see about collecting the amount
of her deceased husbands policy He
saw that the policy had been made
payable to the estate and advised her
that it would have TO go through the
court so that an administrator could
be appointed. Then she had come tC
Office accompanied by f. J. Dutra and
the question of evading the creditors
who might want a settlement was dis
cussed. Finally after several refusals
| May had consented to become bonds
| man and it was arranged that when
the money came May was to hold II foI
SIX months. Dutra had then suggested
to Mrs. BettincOurt, i'm Mays presence
that as May had been so kind he might
invest the money instead Of allowing
It to lie idle and take the profits as a
recompense. May assented but said
that he wanted none Of the profits. Du-
ira then spoke to Mrs. BettencOurt IN
Portuguese and she replied. Dutra
turned TO May and told him that II was
| NIGHT Ia. t,,faht o., ahaaI upI "A