The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-04-27
johnson
IS SANE

If any juryman who sat in the trial
of Frank johnson for the murder of lit
tie Simeon Wharton, or any person in
the community, had any lingering doubt
about the man s sanity, raised by the
mastery defense made by Attorney
Harrison, that doubt has been dispelled
by the defendant himself. The con-
victed man has given public demonstra-
rion of the possession of mental capac-
ity to distinguish between right and
wrong. He has even gone step far
thcr than that, for he has tried cleverly
TO shift the blame for his crime to an
other, while not making an open accu-
sation. And he has demonstrated that
his insanity defense was fake, and
that his own attorney was taken in
by it.
The case was called before Judge
Robinson in the Circuit Court yester-
day morning. that being the time set
for the sentence of the convicted man.
In the usual manner, the judge asked
the condemned if he had any reason to
advance why sentence should not be
pronounced against him. johnson com
menced talking at once, talking logic
ally and in the main coherently. He
began with the relation of the circum-
stances that had occurred at the Whar-
ton house on the morning of the kill
ing. and carried his story right along
TO the time of his arrest.
CONNECTED TALK.
Then. going back to his life at Wal
kiki, and with The Holts and Kent
wells he brought that story down log
ically, and connected it at the proper
point with the other. And then he car
ried the narrative right along through
his experiences in Jail, and during the
trial.
He touched upon points in the evi'
denee. and recalled remarks made by
the Judge, and he never bungled or
slipped on name, pronouncing names
that his counsel had been unable to
get out of him with perfect ease and
distinctness. And during the whole of
his narrative he adroitly skirted the
fact of the murder of the little boy,
while he tried to show that the Chinese
on the place had grudge against him,
and had threatened to get him out of
the way. The inference that he sought
TO create was that the Chinese was as
open to suspicion as he was, and that
the circumstances against the Chinese
were as strong as against himself.
The Chinese, according to Johnson
had so tortured little dog belonging
to the Wharton children that it had
been necessary to kill it, and had beer
addicted to vile practices for which
the condemned man had rebuked him
and which johnson had threatened t.
report to the boss, Wharton. Th
Chinese had then threatened johnson
with vengeance, and for this it was in
ferred the circumstances of the killing
of little Simeon were so twisted tina
they were made to point more strongl.
TO the condemned man.
MAKING EXCUSES.
johnson accounted for the dirt o
his clothing by saying that he had bee
drunk on the night before the killing
and being unable to open the gate G
the Wharton premises had climbe
over the fence, thereby getting re
earth on his garments. As to his coi
fession, he said that two drunken pc
liccmen had come to him in prison, ha
tortured him, twisted his legs, an
stood him on his head, beaten hin
Kicked him, abused him, questione
him, until he did not know what h
said.
He even explained the testimony O
Deputy Sheriff Cox of Waialua by say
ing that he had dropped on his knee
IL g.. -l,g