Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-08-22
KjRALA COURT Term
MT AFLW EXCITING
AND AMUSING INCIDENTS
JURY THAT TRIED PORTO RicAN
FOR MURDER-CouRT BAIL
IFF RATTLED-oTHER
CASES.
(Specidl to The Buiiotin)

reopened here Wednesday after having
adjourned last week because DR.. Nc
Lean OF Eva was wanted as a witness
in the pending murder case, had not
shown up.
Sheriff Brown and Attorney General
Andrews had sent wireless messages
to Kohala stating that Or. Mclean had
refused to obey the subpoena, and as
Judge Matthewman thought the doctor
would not be here he had adjourned
court and allowed other witnesses to
return all the way to their homes 10
Kau.
Doctor Mclean had professional
business upon his hands, so 1t seems,
which detained him at Eva, but he UNI
expectedly arrived here by the Kinau
last week. The court opened again
Wednesday but the same murder case
has been dragging along slowly as
these witnesses who returned to Kau
have not had time to return as yet to
Kohala.
The murder in question Is the case
against Libcrato Soto, Porto Rican
of Kau who is accused of killing a
Chinaman over there during April
last.
1t is quite an interesting case and
Is in fact the only one of any great
| importance which will be tried before
the present term of court.
Great difficulty was found in OBJ
tanning jury but at last twelve men
qualified for jury duty this week and
the trial of the case proceeded. Sew
eral would-be jurors at the present
term were notified of the fact that ac-
cording to the ruling Of the Circuit
Judge they were not American citizens,
although they had gone through a
process assumed to be naturalization.
The following men constitute the
jury: A. Perkins, c. Ontai, r. Spen-
GER J. Smith. G. Smith, T.. Quinn, r.
Lange, John Wise. w. Wassman, +,
I.angheim, J. upchurch and D. Kaaua.
County Attorney Williams is the pro.
scouting attorney and Is assisted by
Chester Doyle, while Attorney Harry
T. Mills Of Kona is defending Soto
he having been appointed by the court.
II seems that the defendant, Livera-
to Soto. and the rake who met his
death. were working together attend
ing to the water supply Of the Hutchin-
son Sugar Plantation Co. away UP ma
uka of Hilea in Kau.
| According to the Porto Ricans story
he had been working away cleaning
| he IN n
April 2Sth last when q heavy shower
OF rain drove him back to the house
OF Chas. Macomber, whom he was
working for. Not having much else 10
do he picked up Macomber's rifle al
the house and started out hunting.
Soon he came upon the Pake who was
working upon the fiume and Soto says
he ordered the Chinaman to do some
thing or other about the flume, but
that the Pake objected most strenu-
ousy to being ordered around by Soto
and called the Porto Rican vile names
and said he would carve him with the
cane knife, which he held in his
hands, II the Porto Rican did not move
along and attend to his own business.
Warm and peppery words were passed
back and forth between Soto and All
Lum, the Chinaman, until at last All
Lum advanced upon Soto with the
cane knife and at this point the Porto
Rican whanged away with the rifle and
sent Mr.. John Chinaman to the happy
hunting grounds where cane knives,
rice and Porto Ricans are unknown.
Chas. Macomber testified that when
he came home Soto turned over a re-
volver and a watch chain to him. say,
ing that he had obtained them from
two japanese yet 1t seems that Soto
went to the Chinaman's house after
he had killed him and obtained these
articles together with pair of trous
ers which Soto kept for his own use.
1t Is said that Deputy Sheriff Haysel-
den had worked out a clear case against
Soto, but through several reasons II
now looks as though the case Is hang.
ing in the balance due great deal ia
the mastery defense put up by Attor-
ney Harry T. Mills, who Is defending
Soto.
According to the ruling OF the court
witnesses We're debarfed from the
court room before they had given theis
testimony but for some reason or an.
other Chinese witness from Kau, and
the only living person who could
swear that the revolver which wal
turned over to Macomber by Soto after
the killing, ever belonged to All Lum
the dead Chinaman, sat around in the
court room listening to the testimony
and when the prosecuting attorney
called this witness to the stand At.
torney Mills objected to allowing his
testimony to be admitted and the court
sustained the objection.
Many amusing occurrences have hap
pened during the trial Of this case but
time and space will not allow theil
telling. One day Judge MatthewmaS
said that the court would be adjourned
until the following morning and thu
; bailiff arose and beloved out Heal
We hear We hear We. this court will