The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-07-19
A PUBLIC SHANE.

| - FSoe'N
| There IS a sickenins frequency in the
| police court reports Of cases III which
husbands are charged with brutal as
saults on their wives. Following the
records of divorce proceedings, also,
| there is found a large proportion OF
libels brought by wives on the ground
of extreme cruelty. The specifications
in such divorce complaints are often
of most abhorrent brutallties committed
by the creatures in the outer sembiance
of manhood against the women they
have solemnly vowed to love, cherish
and protect. Here are two examples
from one days court report in the Ad-
vertiser within the past week:
Judge De Bolt granted divorce to
Becky Kaluna against Ben Kaluna on
the ground OF extreme cruelty. The
complaint thus succeeding contained
n pitlful tale az woman's suffering from
mans brutality. Kicking his wife i'm
the abdomen. gouging her eyes and
breaking her leg with a club were
among the instances OF the husbands
attentions.
Lono Keanini has brought a libel IN
divorce against John Keanini. alleging
extreme cruelty, desertion, failure TO
provide and criminal inhdelity. one
Meleana Is named as his partner IN
guilt. The allegations of cruelty are
horrible in detail. After II statement
that the parties were married in ho-
nolulu on Dec. /, 1899, the libellant
says:
THAT shortly after the said mar
rage said respondent began to treat
libellant with extreme cruelty, and Tor
over a year thereafter continued to so
treat libellant; that during said period
of one year. at intervals of few days.
respondent either beat libellant with
his fists, kicked or otherwise Ill treat
ed her. and that more particularly on
or about the first day of January, a.
d. 1901. without cause or proVocatlon,
respondent made n brutal attack upon
libellant, and beat her upon the head
and face with his clenched fist, kicked
her in the abdomen with his feet. ne
then having heavy shoes on, and drag
ged her over the floor by the hair of
her head; that in consequence OF SAID
Ill treatment as aforesaid libellant be-
came Ill, was confined to her room Tor
several days and by reason of the
wounds and bruises inflicted by re-
spondent on the face of libellant she
was unable to leave her home for two
weeks"
Such instances of atrocity occurring,
without criminal prosecution to follow
as inevitable, makes it appear that
there is a serious inadequacy of law in
this Territory for the protection OF
women. Warrants of arrest ought to
have speedily followed the proving of
Becky Kaluna's libel and the filing of
Lono Keaninis complaint. Those as
saults described are not mere INSIDE
meanors, but of an aggravated nature
that constitute felony. 1t is not enough
that the woman, in any such case,
should be relieved of the tie binding her
to "a monster Society owes it to itself
that the man who maltreats a woman
shall be punished as a criminal
With evidence of acts of the kind de-
scribed in the foregoing examples avail
able, the existing laws relating to Of
lenses against the person should suffice
for securing the infliction of exemplary
penalties upon the Offenders. All that
seems needed is to bring the culprits
before a committing magistrate or
grand jury and thence let the law take
its course. Often miscreants of the
type in question go unscathed of justice
because the victims, with the diminu-
tion of their pains and perhaps through
power of woman's affection or fear of
revenge, relent toward their brutal
spouses and refuse to appear in court |
against them. Yet the authorities
should not leave any fragrant case of
the kind to the chances of private ac-
cusation and prosecution. 1t is mat
ter in which the civilization of the COM
munity is at stake.
Where new legislation might be put
on the statute books with advantage
would be in the facilitation of justice.
For instance, the divorce court records
might be made competent as prima
facie evidence in the criminal court to
prove an assault case. 1t might also
be made the duty of Il judge, when
granting a divorce on the ground of
physical cruelties, forthwith to sit as
an examining magistrate and commit
the respondent to the ensuing criminal
term. Again, district magistrates could
be prevented from taking jurisdiction
as of a misdemeanor in case of wife
beating where the facts presented be-
fore him indicated aggravated assault,
and required instead to commit the ac-
cused to the higher court for trial on
whatever charge of felony was appro-
pirate.
At all events, there is no human
grievance existing in this Territory
more loudly crying for redress than the
one here indicated.
The other day We published an eX-