The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-07-20

.
that would be caught and taken
back to jail"
"why did you not 90 to Japanf''
Fuiihara 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. 1 had no.
body to help me. ] lived all alone all N
the time I was free'' n
"Why did you kill Sokadafn
For the first time the quiet face Of
the japanese became agitated. 81 did
not mean to kill Sokada," he replied.
1T 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. II
was sorry 1 had killed him, for L did
not mean to.i'
"Where did you get the six thou
sand dollars You said you had and that (
you gave the jalori"
"My cousin in America, he sent it
to me. Our family all died and he sent /.
me the money"
Fujihara 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 IS 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 h
and he himself was in absolute gnor-
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. 1t is claimed that Fujihara kill
ed Sokada over woman. Perhaps he
did. Who knowss
Today he is a 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.
Will Fujihara hang nowH 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 Fujihara 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 digniied 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 I'M
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, dignified 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 jailer 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. 1t was not long
until he built himself a costly house,
and there were many speculations as to
where he got the money.
The following account of Fuiihara's
escape is given by one who was in Hilo
at the time and who is conversant with
all the circumstances:
Fuiihara had. been convicted of muir
der in Judge Little IS court in Hilo and
sentenced to be hanged. Sheriff An
drews in whose charge he was, consid-
cred the man a dangerous one and took
precautions which he supposed would
prevent his escape. Jailer Charley
Moore was instructed to iron him and
keep him handcuffed from the time of
his conviction and sentence until he
was taken out to be executed. Extra
guards were employed for the death
watch and there were never less than
Two nights before the time set for
the execution the watch changed, as
usual, at midnight, and the relief saw
that Fujihara was chained and lying
on his bunk when they entered the cell.
When those men were reliever at six
o clock in tn morning Fujihara was
missing. The chain which had been
attached to his ankles was lying loose
on the floor and the handouts were on
the bunk. An alarm was at once given
but the man could not be located All
the ports on the island were watched
for months and it was finally reported
that he had made away on sailing
vessel for the Coast and had sailed
from California to Japan.
Search was abandoned when the au.
thorities were convinced that this story
was true. Moore and his brother, jailer
and deputy, were discharged from their
positions and Judge Little called the