The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1907-01-18
MATEO COLON
FOUND GUILTY

Give me liberty. or give me DEATH"
quoted Mateo Colon. one of the tough
est Porto Ricans In the Territory In
the course OF his voluntary statements
during his trial before Judge Robin
son yesterday. Either was beyond the
power OF the Judge and jury, but they
gave him everything they could. ten
years at hard labor and a fine of one
thousand dollars. Colon was being
tried for committing a murderous as
sault upon Mrs. Koyo Akahoshi on
October Is last. His victim was a
nurse at the Japanese hospital ON Ii
liha street and was on duty at the time.
surprising Colon in the act of trespass-
ing, presumably with burglarious in
tent To escape he knocked the woman
down and. when she attemted to rise.
plunged n knife into her back, the
wound barely missing being a fatal
one.
After committing this crime Colon is
also charged with having made another
murderous assault the same night,
leaving n Japanese boy desperately
wounded in n Japanese hotel on Liliha
street. He was captured by officer
kanae some days afterwards. after
having pulled his knife on officer
Lynch who attempted to arrest him tile
previous day.
The police department, assisted by
chester Doyle, OF the Attorney Gener-
ais department, had worked up a
strong case against the accused. The
assaulted woman identified him posi-
lively as the man who had stabbed
her, another witness testified to seeing
him running away from the direction
OF the hospital on that morning and
other evidence went in to show that
he had had a knife at the time. His
criminal record was put in, showing
that he had already served two years
for an assault with deadly weapon
and had been released from Jail on
another sentence only a few weeks be-
fore he committed the wanton and
murderous assault on Mrs. Akahoshi.
In spite of the advice of his counsel, |
r. w. sutton. Colon insisted upon 60
ing on the witness stand. There he
protested his innocence OF any connec-
ton with the crimes charged, making
his Patrick Henry appeal for liberty |
or death. He desired, he said, to bring /
to the attention OF the court the ille-
gality of the charge against him, which |
had resulted from a conspiracy on the
part of A. NJ. Brown and William
Henry. Henry had circulated a report
that he was a bandit, this report hav-
ing been published in the Honolulu
papers on October rs. All the evidence
brought against him had been the per-
jured testimony of the police and that
of people who had never seen him in
their lives prior to the trial.
In spite of the repeated cautioning
Of the court, Colon rambled on in this
style for nearly half an hour, abusing
all who had had any connection with
the trial. Once, when those In the
smiled at his extravagances,
he lectured them on the improperly
Of laughing over such a serious mat
ter, cautioning them to wait until he
was in his grave before they made a
Joke out of it. He was sharply called
% order by Judge Robinson, who told
aim that that kind of testimony was
lot wanted from him.
"Of course l know that 1t Is i'm
proper to testify to the truth here" re- {
orted the prisoner.
Deputy Attorney General Fleming {
made good address to the jury, fol-
owing Mr.. Sutton, who made the best l
II the material at his command. The I
ury retired at n few minutes before {
I've and were just seven minutes in l
determining upon their verdict of '
,uilty. I
Judge Robinson then passed sentence &
Is above, giving the prisoner the ex- {
rene penalty of the law.
Colon will be put on trial tomorrow
OR his alleged attempt to murder {
Japanese man a short time after and !
lnder almost the same circumstances &
IS the crime for which he was sem /
enced today. In this case the author I
ties have as equally strong evidence a
s in the one just concluded and t
erdict of guilty is confidently ex- t
ected. 7
This desperate has a particularly I
icious record here and in Porto Rico. 7
n his home island he is known as a
strong candidate man." a thug who f
an be depended on to put a man out of v
he road If paid to do so. The express /
ion owes its origin to a Porto Rican S
factlse of winning an election before r
olling day by disposing of the strong /
in an informal way. leav- C
lg the field open to the others. h
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