The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-05-21
WOULD SAVE TWO
DOOMED KOREANS
fCcntinued from page ID

!
mended the club to adopt.
Deputy-Attorney General Milvertor
was present by invitation, as were a
number of other gentlemen.
After the presentation of the report
to the club, Mr. Milverton was asked if
there was any evidence against the
defendants which had not been men
toned by the committee.
He replied that he thought of only
two points, viz: First, that the com
mittee had failed to point out that one
witness had said that defendant No. )
took the man, afterwards murdered.
from the Korean camp to the japanese
graveyard to hunt for the money which
he said he had hidden there.
And, second, that the committee had
not pointed out that defendant No. >
had said at the graveyard that he in
tended to kill the deceased.
The committee in reply pointed out
that they had quoted the evidence that
one witness had said that defendant No
), together with defendants 1, 2, 8 and
4. took the deceased to the graveyard.
! They also pointed out that there were
a number of conflicting statements as
! to just who went with the deceased to
the graveyard and the order in which
the nine Koreans who went there, ar
rived Moreover, they maintained that
it was an immaterial point, as the de-
ceased went there voluntarily to show
where he had hidden the stolen money.
As to the second point, the committee
replied that they had made no mention
of the threat by No. to kill the de-
ceased, as he had made the same threat
several times before, evidently for the
purpose of intimidating deceased. Fur
thermore, defendant No. 2 was not an
issue in the matter under consideration,
as he had been convicted of murder in
the second degree and sentenced to %
years imprisonment and his case is not
now under consideration.
Mr.. Milverton made no other criti-
cism of the committee analysis of the
evidence and it may be taken as full
and fair presentation of the evidence
for and against the defendants.
The substance of the conclusions of |
the committee are that defendants Nos. |
l, and are properly convicted of f!
murder in the first degree.
That q differentiation may properly !!
be made between defendants No. l and
Nos. 5 and in favor Of No. 1, in that
he made repeated efforts to have de- !
3 and i.
That the evidence only warrants i
verdict of assault against defendant !
No. ), and that his sentence should !
therefore be commuted.
That the evidence not only does not
Justify the conviction of defendant No.
on any charge, but proves conclusive
ly that he is innocent, and the commit
tee recommends an unconditional par
don be issued to him.
The report was discussed for several
hours and the resolutions recommended
by the committee, adopting the con-
clusions and recommendations presented
by the committee, were unanimously
adopted by the club.
A synopsis only of the general story,
of the circumstances attending the
crime and the summary of evidence for
and against defendant No. 6, is printed
herewith, owing to lack of space. T.
The following is the report of the
committee:
REPORT OF A COMMITTEE OF THE
HONOLULU SOCIAL SCIENCEt
CLUB. UPON THE TRIAL, CON i
VICTION AND SENTENCE OF I
FIVE KOREANS CONDEMNED /
TO DEATH FOR MURDER. /
Honolulu, May 10, 1906.
To the Honolulu Social Science Club. {
Gentlemen:
REASONS FOR ACTION BY TIE {
CLUB. t
It is unusual for an investigation of
this kind to be made by an organiza I
ton of this character. A brief expla- q
nation is in order as to the circum- g
,1al,&
notice of this matter, and the reasons U
why it has done SO. a
l. Five men were under sentence of t
Heath for the alleged murder of one h
man, and the day Of execution was close c
1T hand.
?. No proceedings in the nature of a
IN appeal were taken from the trial $
court f
3. No paid counsel had appeared for d
defendants in the trial court, counsel n
assigned by the court acting for them g
It the trial t.
4. 1t was stated in the public press a
hat the prosecution were unable to sug- q
rest to the Governor any difference in n
he degree of culpability of the defend u
lnts, on which to base a recommends n
ion for clemency for any of them, but il
hat they were all equally guilty. b
.. 1t was stated in the public press
hat the attorney who had defended g
he defendants in the trial court had Il
written to the Executive recommending Il
hat no clemeney be shown any of the Il
defendants. L;
6. The defendants We're poor and igl
lorant, recently having arrived in the a
ountry and had no means to employ g
md We're not represented by counsel, g
he only one who had raised his voice p
n their behalf being clergyman whose
work was connected generally with the \
Koreans in Hawaii. q
Z. There was no indication of any o.
'ther person or persons interesting n
themselves in the subject matter, so
hat, unless this club took action, it APP n
'eared that the matter would go by de-
ault and the five men be executed with W
ut further investigation. e
Under the circumstances it appeared II