The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-06-28
Continued from Page Two).


And then the dreadful looking black
caps and the nooses were adjusted on
the men. The Japanese minister knelt
and uttered a brief prayer i'm japanese
and then at S:17 o'clock, the traps were
sprung. Just as High Sheriff Henry
pressed the electric button to signal to
his men to turn on the electric curren
that released the traps on which the
condemned men were standing, Oko-
motu who had stood with crossed
hands, suddenly clenched both fists
and the second later the trap fell and
both men dropped simultaneously. DR..
Moore and DR.. Oyama at once went to
the swinging bodies to determine when
life was extinct.
Ordinarily from eight to ten minutes
is the average period that will elapse
before such an execution is complete.
But not so with either of the men. 1t
had been supposed that the Japanese
owing to his stocky build, would have
more vitality than the sparsely built
Porto Rican and slightly longer time
would elapse before all signs of life
would become extinct. But this was
a mistake. 1t was fifteen minutes be-
fore the Japanese was pronounced dead
and 16 minutes before the Porto Rican
was dead. 1t was owing to the latter
man having a stronger heart that the
signs of life continued minute longer
than i'm the stronger appearing man.
The length of time i'm each case was
unusual. The only case where a longer
time occurred was in the case of Wo
Ming Sock one of the Koreans recently
executed. He took Is minutes
But the vitality of the Japanese was
exceptional. It was uncanny for a
thing unusual in the history of local
executions occurred. The drop given
to the bodies had been sufficient to dis
locate the necks of both men. All that
was supposed to remain was for the
physicians to feel the pulses and put
the stethoscOpes on the bodies to de-
termine when all signs of life had
ceased as the bodies gently swung
to and fro at the ends of the ropes. 1t
was while the physicians were so oc-
cupied that a CHASTITY thing occurred
with the japanese
Three minutes after the drop Dr.
Oyama placed his fingers on the pulse
of the japanese. 1t seemed that the
instant that the fingers of the physician
touched the wrist of the murderer that
life was sent into the body, for to the
establishment of those assembled at the
foot of the scaffold, the body of the
Japanese suddenly began to move
From the hips downward there was a
movement. The body moved it SEEM
ed several inches it was probably not
more than an inch, then the body drew
back. Within a few seconds the body
again moved, and within the minute
the body moved a third time. Few
people noticed the movement but to
those who did, it was a moment Of
suspense. one look at the throat Of
the man was sufficient to have set at
rest any uncanny thought The neck
had been disocated and the movements
of the body were due to the muscular
contraction. The Japanese possessed
remarkable vitality. But no further
sign Of life was given by the body
after the third contraction and at the
end Of fifteen minutes life was declared
extinct and a few moments later the
Japanese and the Porto Rican were
cut down and their bodies removed to
the prison morgue from whence they
were taken to the prison cemetery for
interment.