The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-09-23
GRACE'S STORY
MASS OF LIES
BreCkon's Counts Murderer's
Pulse With Watch of the
Murdered Man.
orrom Wednesdays AdvertIscr.l

ftrom We0nesdays AdNertiser.D
"The strangest mass of improbable
lies, weak invention and tangled
stories" is what United States Dis.
triet Attorney Breckons brands the
story told to him yesterday morning in
Oahu Jail by Anderson Grace, the mur
derer of Mahu, who, having escaped
and been at liberty for over FIVE
months, was captured Monday night.
Melodrama, high tragedy and histri
onics figured in the interview between
Breckons and Grace Grace, describing
his sufferings and privations, told
BreckOns that man suffering from
fever caused by the long consumption
of guavas and sugar cane could hardly
be expected to answer all questions in
telligibly.
Breckons reached out and grasped
the hand of the negro. Fever" he
| said contemptuously; "you have no
more fever than l have.
. But my pulse is fast, complained
Anderson Grace.
Well, I'm going to see whether it
is or not, said Breckons, "and I'm
going to do something dramatic. Here,''
leaning forward and grasping the ne
gro's wrist in his hand, "'I IN going to
count your pulse-and l I'M going to use
David Mahu s watch to do it by, too -
And Breckons pulled from his pocket
the cheap silver watch once worn by
the murdered man and which he himself
has carried ever since the time of the
crime. And, holding Grace wrist
between his fingers. he carefully count
ed off the pulse-beats of the negro,
which quickened perceptibly under the
ordeal
Grace told a story which differed con
siderably from that published in The
Advertiser yesterday morning concern
ing his wanderings, and which will
probably be found to differ a good deal
from the stories he tells in the future.
''Grace is beginning just the same
way he did when ne was first arrested, -
said Breckons yesterday, "and it will
probably be about a week before we
can sift out the lies and get at the truth
of the matter. Grace insists now that
he was alone all the time and received
no aid from anybody. But L know that
that is lie. He certainly did receive
outside assistance, and I'm going to
find out who helped him before l get
through
Grace contends that he simply walked
away from the prison gang, crossed
Beretania avenue, stopped at Chinese
store in the outskirts of town to buy
some chewing tobacco, and disappeared
into the country. This story is not be-
lieved at all by Breckons, who is sure
that somebody helped the negro out of
town. And Breckons has made up his
mind to learn the truth before he gets
through with Grace.
Reward Dwindles to $3.50.
With Grace safely slowed away be-
hind the bars and too emaciated at
present to contemplate further esca.
pades, great many people are evincing
curiosity as to who falls heir to the re,
ward of five hundred dollars which was
posted by High Sheriff Henry both here
and on the mainland.
lgnace of, the section luna of Homo.
lulu Plantation, was caller at the ter
ritorial prison yesterday, presumably to
ascertain just what chance he has to
enrich himself by the amount. OFF was
the man who found Grace in Halawa
and who carried the negro IS message to
Harry Denison, who in turn forwarded
it to Henry.
The advertisement reads that the re-
ward shall go to the man who shall sup
ply information leading to his arrest,
and this of course, fits OFF exactly.
At the same time, however, five hun
dred dollars is a pretty big chunk of
money when it comes to paying it out
for goods that have already been col
lected and can't be taken away. OFF
is said to have been but partially salts
| fed and there was a marked tendency,
on the part of High Sheriff Henry and
the other officials, to permit the amount
to dwindle down to $50, which was
the first reward offered.
This amount was offered out of the
territorial funds, Henry afterwards
raising the amount to five hundred by
promising to pay the balance out of his
own pocket.
The police look upon Grace's story
with amusement. There is a general
concensus of opinion that the arrest of
Jim Sticker, John Dow and another
negro, who were caught under suspi-
cious circumstances and held for inves-
tigation for almost a week, was what
sent Grace scurrying into Halawa and
finally reduced him to the condition
that forced him to seek help.
At that time the men were found
preparing food every morning and ear.
rying it to a hut in Nuuanu Valley
where they left it. This practise had
continued for some time and upon learn
ing of it the police surprised the house
and caught the three.
Had they been supplying Grace his
rations would, of course, have stopped
as soon as they were arrested which
was long enough ago to reduce him to
the condition in which the police found
him.
If he had any communication with
the three others, who are said to be
bound with him in a voodoo bond, the
most binding that negroes know, it will
probably come out by the time Breck.
ons has completed his investigation.
VIVIAN LEWIS WILL