The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-06-05
TAYLOR TELLS THE
LEE LET STORY
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nav him a hundred dollars each day.
At this meeting another meeting for
the next night was arranged, but on
the advice of Attorney General Peters
Taylor did not keep the appointment,
going there again on Saturday night.
THE MONEY PAID.
Again matters of detail were gone
over. and finally Lee Let was about
to pass some gold to Taylor when
someone passed the door that opened
from the room and Lee Let withheld
the gold until the person had passed
Then he came over to Taylor and put
$50 in gold in Taylor's hands, closing
one of Tayiors hands over the other
and enclosing the two with his own
two and shaking them and saying Mr..
Taylor 1 hope we have good luck F"
Taylor looked at the gold and saw
that there was only $50 and said to
Lee Let that the understanding was
that the money was TO be paid 500
at time Lee Let sail the balance
of the hundred would be paid
later Taylor asked if it was to be
considered then that this was a part
payment of the first hundred dollars,
and Lee Let said it was. Taylor
thereupon wrote a memorandum stat
ing that he had received $50 on that
account and put his initials on it and
asked Lee Let to sign it. Lee Let.
however, replied, NO, Mr.. Taylor. we
understand each other; we don't need
any writing"
Taylor then put the gold in the out
side pocket of his coat, and presently
left.
THE CRIME FINISHED.
Larnach tried to get further testi-
mony from Taylor in regard to
meeting on Monday night for which an
appointment was made at the Satur-
day night meeting. and also a nLte
which Taylor received from a person
he had seen in Lee Let's store pur-
porting to come from Lee Let. But
this was excluded as being testimony
as to events occurring after the COM
mission of the crime and not being
part of the res gesta.
CROSS-EXAMINATION.
The witness was then turned over
to the defense for cross-examination.
Thompson asked Taylor where he was
born, to which Taylor replied that he
was born in ST. Louis, Missouri,
in $780,. Thompson then led him
step by step, and from month TO
month, and year to year in his life's
history from Salt Lake City back
to st. Louis, to Washington, to
New York, to Cuba, back TO New
York, to Elkhart, Indiana, to Chicago,
to Washington again, TO Salt Lake
City, to Honolulu. to Manila, and back
to Honolulu again. On his return to
Honolulu Taylor went to work for the
Advertiser and remained in that en-
ploy until the first Monday in January
1907, when after several times declin-
ing the offer of place on the police
force and to be placed in charge of
the detective department., he finally
consented and was appointed.
Thompson inquired in detail as to
Taylor's discussions of this case with |
Matheson and Ayres, other witnesses
in the case. Taylor said that he did |
not recollect discussing it with Ayres
If he had discussed it with him since !
then it was at the time they were |
both called to the Attorney Generals |
office to be examined is to their testi-
mony, though he was not sure that
they had discussed it then. And at the
noon recess when Thompson had seen
them together lin earnest conversa-
tom as he had expf essed it to the
court, Ayres had asked him regarding
1 certain date, whether ii was the
-hird, fourth or fifth. He had dis
;ussed the matter with Matheson at the
lime of the occurrences and he might
nave since though he did not recall
t except perhaps at the time they
we're called to the Attorney Generals
,ffice.
Thompson asked him if he left the
Advertiser when he became Chief of
Detectives and if his pay from the
Advertiser ceased then. Taylor said
lie had left the employ at that time
md his pay ceased then. Thompson
sked if he had ever written anything
or the Advertiser since or furnished
for articles. Taylor said that
lie had written a very few articles
ince, one of them Tuesday night, and
hat he had furnished material for
ther articles as he had for all the
apers.
Thompson then showed Taylor
opy Of the Advertiser of February 9.
9J7, containing the first account of
he Lee Let bribery, and asked if he
aG written it or furnished the ma
erial for it. Taylor replied that those
arts of the article which were copies
f the reports he wrote at the time,
lie had written, giving one copy to the
attorney General. one to the Sheriff
nd one he had left at the Advertiser 5
or Mr.. Smith for the purpose of let I
ing Smith know what was going on,
s he wanted the advice of Smith as
friend. He said he had not given !
hem especially for publication, and
hough he was not altogether sur !,
rised when they were published, they =
ad not been given for that purpose.
THE FORTY ARTICLES. p
Thompson then showed Taylor a copy s
{ the Advertiser of February Is. 1907.