The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1906-01-19
[Y-BU[LER BEVERLY ON
The STANFORD TRAGEDY

Y Albert beverly, formerly butler -
Mrs stanford has made statement
about the Moana hotel tragedy Of
which the following il part.
| At FIRST. while the case was IN the
hands ~ the police and press. It was
| looked upon as an accepted fact that
| the good woman had been murdered.
| The public yielded agreeably TO the
| natural cause theory when the press
became silent and the police Inactive.
The acceptance OF this decision was
| helped along by the much exploited
idea that no person In a position TO
| commit the crime could possibly have
any motive. IL was thought that the
person, or persons. that could realize
any advantage by her hasty death
| were those who were In line OF inherl-
| lance. Such persons were publicly
| known not TO have been present at the
| time when an attempt was made to
| kill. nor at the time OF death 1t was
also logically argued that even II the
| heirs desired her death they would not
| trust the execution of such a crime to
| an agent or agents. 1t was also cal
| culated that the members of her house.
hold could in no way possibly profit by
such death, as they were not heirs at
law, and the small legacy that any en-
ploye had a right to expect would not
offset the loss of position in her SER
vice. When no motive was thought OF,
| or suggested, the idea that there was
no motive became general. 1t was con-
coded that any person sufficiently
criminal to murder such a woman
would not incur the risk without
| lnr oil nor q
With these deductions IN mind. the
| public was prepared to accept the nat
ural cause theory, especially when 1t
was invented and promoted by a man
| in such an exalted position as that of
| DR.. David Starr Jordan, president OF
Leland Stanford Junior University.
Men in the position of DR.. Jordan are
looked upon with even more venera-
ton than men high. in the church.
\ Their moral integrity is not only ac-
| cepted as being the equal of church,
men, but they are supposed to be larg-
| er in general knowledge. Thus 1t has
come about that a right-minded and
| intelligent public has allowed this re-
! voting crime to have passed almost
| into history without any proper effort
being made to avenge the victims
| death. The public has been deceived
| into taking 1t for granted that those
| who have assumed dictatorship In the
case would do the right thing in the
right way.
| / hold that Mrs. Stanford was MUIR
| dered. l hold that those whose official
business 1t is to investigate crime and
prosecute criminals should unearth
( and hang the murderer. / also hold
that no private person, or persons, no
matter how highly held in the esteem
of the public, or how exalted their
i character may be, should be allowed
to snatch the case from the agents Of
the people. The city, county the State
and Government have delegated au-
thority to men of their choice for such
work. These men, who are criniinolo-
gists by profession, and who have won
their distinction by success, resulting
from experience, are better qualified
for dealing with crime than are men
who have given their lives to letters
in moral environment.
1 consider the allowing OF this case
to pass from the hands of the police
into that of n self-created and private
commission is not only an act of stu.
} pidity on the part of the officials, but
"A gross audacity and impertinence or
the part of the men constituting the
dictatorship
4 1t has been implied that my attitude
, in this matter is opposed to expert
, opinion. l deny this ] simply accept
the public and official records of the
case. The police and detectives proved
Q conclusively that the bottle of POLAND
s water at the Stanford mansion In thi.
h city contained a large quantity o.
" strychnine There is no secret OF tn,
, fact that Mrs. Stanford took drnl
of this poisoned water and elected thu
I same. 1t has been manifest to all tina
this water was poisoned for the pur
a pose of causing Mrs. Stanford's death
1t is a matter of record that, between
the time of this incident and the nigh
l. of the fatality, Mrs. Stanford wa
s.. much agitated and talked freely wit
j. the members of her household an
4 friends, and all of her statements con
Veyed the firm conviction that an at