The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-10-20
R RUTLAND BODE VICTIM
OF A NUMEROUS Assault
trrom Mondays Adver,!ser.,

Almost unparalleled in the criminal
annals Of Honolulu was mysterious
and murderous assault made upon h.
Rutland Bode, the organist of st. An.
drew's cathedral, and his wife in the
sleeping room of their home, in College
Hills, about half past two O'Clock yes.
terday morning A fearful struggle be-
tween the unknown thug and Mrs Bode
took place in the room after Mr.. Bode
had been rendered senseless, the would
be murderer escaping through rear
window in the second story by which
he had entered. Mr.. Bode lies in the
Queen IS Hospital with fractured skull
and lacerated scalp, while Mrs. Bode,
who was terribly frightened by the
awful midnight visitation, bears the
marks of the marauder s fingers upon
her throat and mouth, where he tried
to strange her and choke her screams.
No reason can be found so far for
the murderous assault, but the police
detectives have placed under arrest for
Investigation the Japanese servant,
whose name is Huyashi, an employee of
the Bodies for the past three or four
days. The clues are few, and the solu-
ton of the crime may hinge upon the
discovery of a pair of damp underdraw.
ers beneath a clump of bushes directly
behind the house, where also was pick.
ed up an 90, or half-spade with brok.
en- handle, believed to be the weapon
For several months the Bodies have
resided on the lower Manoa road in the
bungalow of Mr.. Tarleton. Recently
they leased the two-story house of
Judge Matthewman, which crowns the
crest of the hill opposite the residence
of Montague Cooke, and which has been
unoccupied for long time. The house
was lately reprinted and the grounds
cleared and in the past three or four days
the Bodies household goods were NOV.
ed in. On Saturday evening the Bodies
slept there for the first time. Their
bedroom was in the front of the house
facing Oahu avenue and an adjoining
room was occupied by Miss Grifliths, a
friend from Australia stopping in Ho-
nolulu for a short time. The doors and
windows We're locked when the house.
hold retired, save one upper.story win
dow at the rear of the house. Below
the kitchen and rear lanai. The house
was built on the side of n steep hill
and to furnish level foundation con.
siderable excavation into the hill was
necessary. Therefore, at the rear of
the house and about twelve feet dis
tant there rises the bank of the hill
which overtops the house toward the
back.
A little makai of the main house and
to the rear is the servant Is quarters,
occupied at this time by the new SER
want.
About half past two yesterday morn
ing Mrs. Bode was awakened by a
noise and n shaking of the bed and
instantly found herself grappled by
some one standing over her. A blow
had just been given Mr.. Bode who was
grooming. AS Mrs. Bode struggled to
rise the mysterious and almost unseen
visitor called out hoarsely: "Keep
quiet or III kill you airs. Bode,
however, attempted to scream and free
herself from the person, who then pass
ed one of his hands about her throat
and the other over her mouth. Then
shifting the position of his hands, he
held her chin in the palm of his hand
and his fingers were jammed into her
mouth, She was struck during this
struggle, a slight wound showing just
over her temple.
The assailant is also reported to have
made an indecent cpithet to Mrs. Bode,
a threat to do her some harm if she
screamed. She did screamed, however,
for help and the man then turned to
leave the room. At this time Miss Grif.
fiths came in from her bedroom and
came in contact with the intruder at
the doorway. She tried to hold him
but he slipped from her and fled
through the house and from all &C.
counts of the occupants OF the house,
he went out through the window and
escaped. As he went out the terror.
stricken women understood him to say
that he would come back and kill them
all.
Then, with Mr.. Bode lying half un.
conscious, with blood oozng from his
terrible wounds, the women were afraid
to move lest the fellow carry out his
threat to kill them. They remained,
shut up in the room, watching and lis
tening, afraid to leave the house to
rat ia or 10 tolaphona frn., a ,a;,,h