The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-08-07


but the public? The public asks, first
of all, why did the prisoner commit
his crime? The representative of the
public, the newspaper reporter, has a
right to see the prisoner and ask the
direct question, among other lnterro-
cations, nor can a mistaken secrecy
safeguard the cause of the prosecution.
If the prisoner has nothing to say, or
refuses to talk, that is the prisoners
privilege, but the fact remains, moral
fy, practically, sensibly, and as mat
ter of human interest, that the re-
porter has as much business with a
prisoner as has the chief prosecutor
himself 1t is all very well to contend,
as do some, that the reporter may get
his information from the governments
attorney who interviews the prisoner,
but it is often miserable compromise,
for what is to determine that the gov
ernnment's attorney is as observing, or
as keen, or as alive to the situation as
the average trained newspaper man?
y 4 4 4
against a newspaper commenting on
a case in court, and, incidentally, the
objection to comment during a trial Is
an insult to the integrity of presid-
ing Judge and libel on the character
of the Jurors. If a juror had has read
the newspaper accounts OF a case is I'M
fitted thereby to sit in such case, then
he is either a fool or a BLACKBOARD, and
if the jury system depends on getting
alleged men, who neved heard nor read
of a case to be tried, then either the
Jury system is rotten or humanity is
without reason.
4 4 4
Talking about juries, / have served
on and have seen a Honolulu jury
effect verdict by nothing less than
an actual application of the hideous
third degree" where a feeble and
aged man was almost Frustrated by
the declaration of men who had maze
I'D their minds from the start, that
unless he voted a certain way he would
be ostracized by the community and
would be living disgrace to his wife
and family. The foreman had to bang
on the door to fetch the bailiff and beg
to send for doctor to attend the juror
thus hazed According to recent ma
gazine articles, similar incidents oc-
cur elsewhere. 1t is nothing strange
and it is nothing new, but it is an IL
lustration of what a hap-hazard dozen
men will encounter when locked VI
! over matter of opinion, and indirectly
goes 10 show that duty to the public is
too little appreciated, which brings ms
p back to the contention that no news
paper man should be denied an inter
view with any prisoner.
~
A word in regard to Honolulu Cos
. sip. Anybody who has lived in ;
small township understands the inevi
tableness of gossip, but it may not Oc
generally understood that the reason
of the peculiar effectiveness of Homo
lulu gossip is the mere fact that w
, are living on an island. There's {
sting to Honolulu gossip that is no
so apparent IN gossip elsewhere, ant
the reason is not difficult to find. Her,
: in Honolulu, except for the cable dis
: patches of earthquakes, tariff, Thav
7 cases, and the health of the Pope, ther'
|, is nothing to talk about except eacl
other, and we are apt TO get careless
$ even in regard to our friends. On
:. meets us on the street and remark
S that our friend, Jones, is riding much
r ly in automobiles, and we carelessl,
Q reply that we do not understand how
he can do the automobile act on $12
2 per month. 1t is but thoughts dis
S lance for our fellow conversationalis
d to remark to another that Jones
J, probably going into debt; with the re
e suit that another party passes it alonI
that Jones is robbing the till. Part,
e Number -Four takes it for granted tina