The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1907-10-01
WHAT WYNNE
. SAYS OF HIS DEED
(From Mondays Advertiser.)

how l went to do sucn a thing 1 can
not make out,'' said John Wynne to
an Advertiser reporter in Oahu Prison
yesterday afternoon. Nynne is the
slayer of A. F. McKinnon, third as
sistant engineer of the S. S. Rosecrans.
Wynne, an oiler aboard the Rose
4 Grams, smashed in McKinnon's s skull
as the young engineer lay asleep in his
cabin on Friday night, September 20,
using heavy hammer. He was inter-
viewed for the first time yesterday.
II IN no lunatic and never was, -
said Wynne, 'tand how l went to do
such thing I can not make out. had
been drinking all day and the liquor
must have gone TO my head. You
may not believe me and perhaps no
body will believe me, but just as true
as l came in at that door, so help
me God, l have no recollection of go
ing aboard ship the last time 1 went
aboard that night and do not know
what happened after that. l did not
realize the enormity of what had done
until the next morning when I awoke
and found myself in cell at the po-
lice station. Then l looked about me
and thought to myself how it could
know at that time that McKinnon was
dead. I asked the people at the police
station how he was and they kept tell
ing me that he was getting better.
Always it was that be was getting bet
ter. I did not know that he was dead
until the night after the trouble"
''At the inquest you seemed to re-
member that you had secured a ham,
mer from below"
81 don't remember where I got the
hammer. I don't remember anything
about hammer"
you spoke of getting hammer
when you testified at the inquest
''Oh, yes, I know that hammer
had something to do with it, but II
can't remember where I got the ham
mer. The hammer may have been in
McKinnon' room. He may have left
it there. 1 don't know.o
"Do you remember that McKinnon
was aslep when you struck him7"
81 couldn say whether he was
asleep or not, perhaps he was.''
Wynne wanted to know how long
McKinnon had lived after 'sthe trou-
ble." He was told that McKinnon was
practically dead when he was taken
from his cabin; that the last sign of
any movement of the heart vanished
while he was being removed to the
hospital. 81 didn't know he was
dead until the next night said
Wynne. That was when U. S. District
Attorney Breckons told him.
''If it hadn't been for Bright but
ting in it would never have happened, I"
continued Wynne, in answer to ques-
tions. Bright is the Rosecrans' first
assistant engineer.
81 had a row with Bright ashore
IN the evening IN a saloon. He called
me some hard names and 1 answered
him back. But it was McKinnon who
put him up to it. McKinnon WASH t
in my watch, but he was a hard man
to get along with and he tried to get
Bright against me and also the second
assistant engineer. 1 was in MeKin-
mons watch on the trip before and it |
was at that time that l heard he was
trying to get me fired. But that was
nothing why l should go to commit
any crime like what 1 did. When I |
went to his cabin l most probably was
going to have an argument with him,
to talk with him. I didn't go to
do anything like what they say l did |
l can not understand it. 1t would be
only natural for man to have it out |
with another man who had been using
hard words to him, in the way of argu-
ment, but man who would take and |
kill a fellow for anything like that
would be loon. Yes, he would be a |
loon. Why it isn't natural that Il
should have had any idea of killing
him or doing him up the way they say
l did. If 1 had made up my mind |
to anything like that, wouldn t 1 have
got things ready9 Wouldn't I have
had everything laid outa A man would |
be loon to go in and do what they
say l did. I don't remember going
aboard and that's the Gods truth. |
Yes, l have some remembrance of be-
ing taken off the Rosecrans and being
taken to the police station, but 1 did |
not begin to realize what I had done
until the next morning in the cell. If |
Bright hadn't butted in with what
MeKinnon had told him about me,
nothing would have happened"