The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-09-07
ADMITS THE
MAIN FACTS
(From Saturdays Advertiser.)

Circuit Judge Robinson has virtual
ly apologized to the law firm of Kin
ney, Ballou, Prosser & Anderson for
the interview with him that appeared
vest erday morning in the Advertiser
in connection with the end Of the con.
tempt proceedings. The judge does not
repudiate the interview; in fact, he
reiterates several of the most import.
an statements made in it. The state
1uent in regard to a put-up job His
Honor smootbs over some and says
that in making the statement that the
stopping of Oyama by the strike pick.
cts might well be a put.up job between
Manager Bull and the japanese, he
was quoting Mr.. Lightfoot, rather
than expressing his own sentiments.
He was so quoted In the Advertiser.
But in making that statement to the
reporter, Judge Robinson, although
quoting Attorney Lightfoot, did so of
own initiative and in such manner
that the inference was unmistakablc.
He also mentioned the strange fact
that although the injunction was sign
ed only July 8, much of the mass of
documents in the ensuing contempt
proceedings was prepared by July 10.
Quoting this from Mr.. Lightfoot,
Judge Robinson made the statement
lust as he was quoted in the Adver-
tiser, that he didn't know, of course,
that the documents were already pre-
pared even before the injunction was
soued, but it did look very strange.
As a matter of fact, Judge Robin
sons interview, from the manner in
wh ch it was given and the intonations
ard looks that emphasized many of the
statements. was much more vigorous in
snoken words than in cold print. But
it frequently happens that man who
is being interviewed says things that
appear very different to him when
they come out in black and white.
The interview was vigorous, un-
usually vigorous, and the reporter who
obtained it was somewhat surprised at
the warmth with which the Judge
smoke, and pleasantly surprised at
finding man in his position so re-
CARELESS of personal consequences.
But His Honor appears to have con.
tracted a severe case of cold feet since
he publication of the interview-more
PARTICULARLY since he received a per.
emptory note from the prosecution,
which did not like his comments on
the contempt proceedings and the char
acter of the evidence introduced by
he prosecution. The Judge is not
quoted in the Advertiser as making
any comment whatever on the conduct
of the attorneys in preparing the case.
In view of the fact that Judge Rob.
inson's term expires in a few, months,
it would be interesting to know what
else took place between him and the
attorneys besides the exchange of the
following letters:
Honolulu, September 8, 1909.
Dob; ol,,1,,
Dear Sir: Will you kindly inform
us whether you were correctly report.
ed in purported interview published
on page II of this mornings Adver.
ser, in which you are represented as
discussing the evidence in the con-
tempt proceedings, reliability of the
witnesses for the prosecution and the
conduct of our firm in preparing the
ase.
Mr.. Prosser and myself called this
morning to see you personally in the
matter, but find you on the bench en-.
gagged in the trial of a case. We take
mis- method of reaching you, and of
requesting a reply at your earliest
convenience.
Very truly yours,
SIDNEY BALLOU.
Robinson's Reply.
Judge Robinson s reply was as fol.
lows:
Honolulu, September 8, 1909.
Messrs. Kinney, Ballou, Prosser and
Anderson, Attorneys-at-Law, Ho-
nolulu.
Gentlemen:-In answer to your favor
of this date, in regard to what pur-
ports to be a verbatim statement of
what was said by me in reference to
my remarks concerning the contempt
case recently ended ] have to say that
in my conversation with Mr.. Irwin
repeated to him many matters and
things that were contained in the ar
gument made by Mr. Lightfoot, but did
not at that time, nor at any time,
adopt them as my own views and did
not then and do not now intend that
any argument made by Mr.. Lightfoot
is at all in accord with my belief in
the matter.
l told Mr.. Irwin that the witness
Oyama, who understood English,
changed his testimony in regard to the
Japanese word used, which did not i'm.
port violence, to one importing violence,
after the discussion between counsel
and the Interpreter.
/ told him also that the testimony of
Mr. Bull and Mr.. Scoville failed to cor,
roborate the statements made by the
witness oyama, except as to his where
abouts on the day in question, and that
they contradicted him in several par.
ticulars which, while unimportant,
nevertheless cast doubt upon his
(Oyama 81 testimony as a whole.
In referring TO the whole affair as a
"put-up job, !" l merely referred to and
intended to quote the remarks of Mr.
Lightfoot, and did not intend to, and
did not, express my own views or opin-
ions to that effect. 1t was Mr.. Light
foot, and not /, who argued that he
could not understand how such mass
of documents as was prepared by July
10 could have been prepared after the
injunction was issued, when il was is
sued only the day before, / did not