The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-10-27
WEEDS RUN
RIOT THERE

Kuawela was the first witness called,
In the Parker ranch case yesterday,
his examination being confined to the
familiar subject of noxious weeds. Jols
were plenty In parts of the Paauhau
paddock and parts were not covered.
but the witness was shy as to the APP
proximate proportions. When he was
asked as to conditions outside OF the
paddocks he cheerfuliy answered that
the weed was all over Hamakua, but
Magoon FASTENED to coufine him to the
Parker ranch. where 1t flourished liz
places. The ivy was also plentiful ~
a degree that could not be expressed
in figures. The witness had been one
of the gang of five to root 1t up bus
where the ivy was destroyed 1t grew
again.
Upon cross-examination Kinney de-
veloped that the witness had seen JOS
| In Hamakua ever since he was a boy
and that he never knew any ranch that
had cut them down. Work on the ivy
had been suspended about six weeks
before the receiver took charge because
the weather was so wet that 1t WIS
impossible to burn It, The reason that
he had testified that Kalopa paddock
had been abandoned because OF jos
was that his luna told him so about
five months ago.
The usual question as to the witnesses
relationship to Sam Parker or 'Eben
Low brought forth that the witness
was a brother of Eben Lows step
father.
Are there any relatives of Low left
in Hamakua or are they all down
here?" asked Kinney sarcastically.
You do not call that relationship.
do you?" put in Magoon.
1T is very close relationship in Ha-
waiian," answered Kinney, and turn
ing to the witness asked: Are not
Jack Low and Eben Low your children
according to Hawaiian custom2"
YES" answered the witness, they
are my keikis in Hawaiian fashion"
Sam Mahuka, bookkeeper of the
ranch, was next called to the stand.
Magoon asked him statistical questions
which necessitated a long searching
through the books of the ranch until
the court intimated that this work
might have been done before the wit
ness was placed on the stand. and the
case was adjourned until half past onc
to enable the required information to
be looked up.
At half past one the statistics were
not ready and Mr.. Wagner was called
to the stand. He was the most inter-
esting witness of he day. He had been
In the hog business all his life and on
two occasions had ridden across Wal
mea with his brother who had remark
ed that the Parker ranch looked like
good hog country. He was therefore
produced as an expert and readily told
how many filters of pigs could be ex-
pected to arrive every year and how
much they ought to weigh. He made
out q menu consisting of alfalfa, arti-
chokes and corn which was warranted
to put the fat on hogs rapidly and In
certain definite proportions. When.
however, Magoon led him to the sub
lject of the cost of operations on the
Parker ranch he Immediately disclaim-
ed any knowledge of the cost OF
freight, lumber, wages or anything else
that went to make up the cost Of oper-
Iations, and the court relentlessly sus-
tanned objections to Magoon showing
net profits under these circumstances.
On cross-examination 1t developed
that while the witness knew a great
deal about killing hogs, his only ex-
perience with raising them had been
in corral in San Francisco and in Ka-
lihi valley. His brother, who had made
the remark concerning the Parker
ranch, had been the hog farmer of the
family, and the witness was gracefully
excused from giving further evidence.
The bookkeeper was then recalled to
the stand and asked the cost of various
paddocks and other improvements on
| the ranch. Magoon also wanted many
, things which the books did not show,
including the areas of the paddocks, the
number of dead cows that had been
| seen, the number of hogs on the ranch
at any given time, and the number OF
cattle at periods between the annual
drives. Magoon also quarreled with the
, bookkeeping system because the dis
position of the cattle in the various
| paddocks was only on the monthly
: statements and did not appear In any
book. Both the attorneys had prepared
statistics of the cattle in the paddocks
2 and most of the afternoon was con-
sumed in checking this over.
VSH ~