The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-07-19
GOLDEN KEY
OPENS DOOR
CONTINUED from Page One.)

nQcn 11uFdWlnS u the DIedlhy oue
with an impassiFe face, except once
when he was asked how he came to
kill Sokada, and once when, from somer
thing that was said, he thought he
caught glimmer of hope. Then he
put his hands together in the attitude
of prayer, bowed very low three times
and talked rapidly and with evident
excitement.
"Charlie (Moore) he let me go, -
he said in answer to a question as to
how he made his escape from the jail
at Hilo. He did it for ten thousand
dollars. Me, I did not have ten thou
sand dollars. I had only six thou
sand. But my friends, they gave the
rest. One man gave dollar and an
other man gave two dollars, until al
together it made up ten thousand dol
lars.
"Then one night don It remember
now how many days it was before /
was to be hanged, the jailor came in
and took the chains off me and let me
go out of the prison. He got the ten
thousand dollars before he let me go.
And / went up into the mountains. i
have been there ever since, living on
berries and vans. Sometimes | saw
men coming and then I always went
and hid, for I was afraid of them. l
was afraid they would know me and
that I would be caught and taken
back to Jail.
"Why did you not go to Japana"
Fujihara was asked through the in
terpreter.
"Because I had no money and was
afraid to come down out of the noun
tains to see my friends. I had no.
body to help me. L lived all alone all
the time was free.
"Why did you kill sokadas"
For the first time the quiet face of
the Japanese became agitated. II did
not mean to kill Sokada,n he replied.
cit was an accident. We were fight
ing up on the mountain, side and gun
/ had with me went off and the ram
rod went through Sokada s side.
was sorry I had killed him, for I did
not mean to. =
nWhere did you get the six thou
sand dollars you said you had and that
you gave the jailor?"
ssMy cousin in America, he sent it
to me. Our family all died and he sent
me the money
Fujfhara was palpably evading the
truth, probably being afraid of getting
into trouble the friends who furnish
ed the money to buy him his chance
to escape.
IF Fujihara s account of his trial is
correct he had a mighty poor show
for his life at the trial before Judge
Little, at which he was convicted of
murder in the first degree and SEN
fenced to be hanged. He says there
was no Japanese interpreter present
and he himself was in absolute ignor-
ance of what was going on. He had
no chance, he claims, to tell his own
side of the story. Fujihara was de-
Tended by young lawyer who was
appointed by the Judge for the pur-
pose. It is claimed that Fuiihara kill
ed Sokada over a woman. Perhaps he
did. Who knows?
Today he is clean looking, intelli-
gent appearing man, with the clear
eye and healthy skin of one who has
lived out of doors for years. When
he was in the penitentiary more than
eight years ago, he was stopped and
worn. Today his back is straight and
his form vigorous. So much has he
done for himself in his fugitive days.
But his memory is faulty regarding
little things.
: viii Fujihara hang now2 Prob
ably, unless friends come to his rescue
and give him another chance to fight
for his life. He is still under SEN
tence, of death, and the fact that he
has cheated the gallows for eight long
years Is no mitigation of his alleged
offense. He has no money to, hire at
torneys, and without legal aid, it is
probable that he must die-unless
perhaps, Governor Frear commutes his
sentence.
That is all Fuiihara now hopes for
Yesterday he evidently took his inter
viewer for some one who might have
power to save his life, and he begged,
in dignifed way, that something
might be done for him. If he could
only get another trial, or even if he
were to be sentenced to prison for life.
That was all he asked. Life evidently
seems good to Fujihara now, after all
the years spent in the out-of doors un-
der the sun and stars He doesn t want
to relinquish his hold on it.
But his Oriental calm does not desert
him in the face of death. He is i'm
passive, digni1ed and respectful High
Sheriff Henry, who had him in the
prison for nearly year before he
was sent to Hilo to be tried, says the
man was one of the best prisoners he
ever had
AS to Charles Moore, the iailer who
according to the prisoner, released him
for the sum of ten thousand dollars
the law cannot reach him now. He is
dead. But before his death, he was
suspected of having allowed the Japa
nese to escape, and he was discharged
from his position It was not long
until he built himself costly house
and there were many speculations as tC
where he got the money
The following account of Fuiihara ::
escape is given by one who was in HilC
at the time and who is eonversant will
all the circumstances:
Fujihara had been convicted of muir
der in Judge Little IS court in Hilo an(
sentenced to be hanged. Sheriff An
drews, in whose charge he wsJs, consid
cred the man dangerous one and tool
precautions which he supposed woul(
I, t.