Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-03-21

the bottle, before II left California.
Miss Berner stated that, before starting
for this Territory, she and Mrs. Stan.
ford had partaken of the bicarbonate Of
soda together and no unpleasant con.
sequences were experienced. Her testi.
mony, as reported, was in these words:
THE last occasion when Mrs. Stan.
ford took the bicarbonate was, | think
the week following New Years. This
was the last time She used 1t to my
knowledge. I also took some then and
felt no III effects" The supposed anal.
ogy to the Botkin case is not sustained
by any part Of the official enquiry. In
that case, the mailing Of letter con.
tanning the poison by the defendant to
the murdered person, and received in
Delaware. was proved to the satisfac.
ton of the jury, beyond a reasonable
doubt, and, in the present instance,
there can be no legal certainty as to
, where the poison was inserted.
s. The police authorities of this Ter.
ritory had no right to 60 behind the
official investigation and the verdict.
The crime on its face was committed
In Honolulu and was to be proved here.
The responsibility and the duty cannot
be questioned. except by mere sophis.
try. No community can Justly abandon
the investigation Of a murder perpe.
trated In its own midst. High Sheriff
henry and Deputy Rawlins have done
very good work, down to a certain
point. But, while they were perfectly
authorized to act in concert with the
San Francisco police and to afford ey.
cry facility to the two detectives sent
from that place. they had no right to
be Influenced by ex parte statements,
assumptions or conclusions. to turn tho
whole matter over to San Francisco,
and to allow the California detectives
to take away on the Alameda the bot.
tie of bicarbonate Of soda or the in.
ternal organs of the deceased. When,
II ever, II is proved that the admix.
ture OF the poison occurred In Califor.
MIA and the murderer is there. then.
and not till then. could this Territory
avoid its pIain duty and save expense
by allowing further action to take place
in California. where then. hut NOT un.
iii then. coordinate Jurisdiction would
exist. Nothing can Justly or properly
be considered here but the official en-.
ouirv and its result.
6. II is. therefore. I'M to this Ter.
t;tory to accent n responsibility from
which under present circumstances.
and in the face of the civilized world,
II cannot escape. Mutilated though
the police Investigation already Is. IL
ought to be resumed and carried for.
ward i'm the most thorough manner.
and not under the supervision or con.
troll of any State or municipality in tho
Union, but solely as an Hawaiian ques.
ton. There Is evidently a determined
effort. which originated In California,
to end the proceedings by the asser.
ton, inaccurate under the proofs SO far
adduced. that Mrs. Stanford died a
natural death. Wealth and influence
can accomplish a great deal in tho
United States, though not, | believe,
with such men as President Roosevelt.
or, | am quite willing to add, the Gov.
ernor Of Hawaii. Nor do | suspect that
the Attorney General or High Sheriff
Henry, or his chief deputy, really de.
sires to escape his evident relation to
the case. All the San Francisco and
local papers were united In the belief
that foul murder had been wrought.
What the reason or motive of the sud.
den. even violent. change Of attitude
In some quarters was, cannot divine.
II may have been a mistaken humani'
,tarianism-the hope that all the tragi'
cal circumstances attending this pre-.
mature death might be swept into obi.
won. 1t may have been the scent Of
possible injury to property interests In
the future. IL some person should ba
tried for the crime and should defend
upon grounds that might tend to vi.
tiate deeds or wills.