The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-04-05
AUTO DRIVER
NOT TO BLAME
The Coroner's Jury Exonerates
Manuel Richards in the
Kekai Case.
CONTRADICTORY TESTIMONY
Witnesses Differ as to How
Swift-Running Auto Killed
a Hawaiian.
(From Saturdays Advertiser

named Luf sheka1 Paole; was o native
of Kau, Hawaii, and aged about forty
five years; that he came to his death
on the 31st day of March, A. d. 1910,
from a fracture of the skull and cere-
bral hemorrhage caused by being run
into by an automobile driven by Man
uel Richards. This jury further believe
from all the facts and circumstances
that the killing of him, Kekai Paele,
was entirely accidental and that no
blame should attach to said Manuel
Richards for the same"
49,
The above verdict was rendered by
the coroner's jury last night in the
matter of the inquest over the body
of Kekai, who was killed by Manuel
Richards automobile just before mid
night on Thursday. The inquest was
quite lengthy one, and there was
much evidence that the machine was
travelling at very high speed. Rich
ards, the driver, didn t testify, or give
the jury any statement at all as to
how the accident happened. His own
statement to the police, made just after
the accident, was not given to the jury.
The evidence in the case was in some
particulars quite contradictory, but
most of the witnesses agreed that the
auto was going at high rate of speed;
that the night was very dark and
stormy; that the deceased and COM
panions were walking in the middle of
the road; that there was no footing of
the horn of the auto, and that the man
who was killed was fairly sober.
Hakalau, who was nearest to Kekai
when the latter was struck, testified
that the deceased and three others
drank one bottle Of wine, while play
ing cards, before the accident. They
were on their way home when the
auto came along. III saw the flash
of the headlights" he said, "and I
shouted to Kekai that an auto was
coming and told him to get out of the
way. Before he could do so, he was
struck.
"There was no sounding of horn
at all. After Kekai was struck I
called to Captain Weisbarth and be-
gan to pull the body off the road. Ke-
kai was walking straight. After the
machine struck Kekai it continued on
almost to the Kalihi store (about a
block and it was five minutes before
it came back.'
In answer to the question, elbow
fast was the machine goingan Haka-
Tau said, cit was running like don It
know what"
Doctor Macdonald gave a technical
description of the wounds which caus-
ed Kekai's death. 1t showed that he
had died from fracture of the skull
and hemorrhage of the brain. One of
the deceased g ribs was broken. He
had been in good general health. Elk
animation of the stomach developed a
strong odor of wine.
Doctor Katsuke testified next. He
was in a back seat of the machine.
The weather was rough and it was
very dark, and he couldn't see much.
BY the glare of the autos headlights,
he saw the four or FIVE pedestrians in
the road, when about block away
from them. He thought they would
take notice of the approach of the
auto. Then he saw one of the men
turn to the right, and in a minute the
machine was over him. The doctor ex-
pressed his sorrow over the accident,
but said he "didn't know but what it
was unavoidable.
Deputy Sheriff Rose asked il Rich
ards footed his horn. Doctor Katsuke
said he didn't remember any footing.
He was tired and drowsy and didn Il
remember very clearly. Answering
other questions, he said that the man
who was struck had staggered in the
road. The doctor thought the man
walked in front of tho machine. In
reply to question by Brown, the wit
ness said he couldn Y express any opin-
ion as to the speed at which the ma
chine was travelling.
The testimony of Lac Paa (w) was
mainly TO the effect that the deceased
was not drunk.
Capt. William Weisbarth, one of the
patry of four who were in the road
when the accident occurred, said the
machine was going "Iike streak Of
lightning. F." He had been playing
cards with Kekai, and the latter had
not drank much. He was walking gu
right and had had only his share of
one bottle of wine. The captain was
positive that the machines horn had
not been footed. He knew of the ap.
proaeh Of the machine when he heard
tho whirr of It's engines. lie said that
II II had been ON the side OF the street
he was on, he thought he might not
have been able 10 get out of rs way.
Mrs. WeishaIth gave about the same
testimony. When she was asked how
fast the machine was going she said,
81 don't know anything about n. II
was going too fast"
BENNETT Brown, who WAS with Man.
uel Richards as 4 companion, was iha
only sliness 10 tell of i0oflna Of a
horn, lie declared that lhe horn was
repeatedly footed, and thai II sesmsd
10 sAlss tho AeesAssa 10 skaaea NJ
course. lie also sald that II was not
fainiRg - tie flme ~ fke aselasni.
The anlo skladed 90 the lTaeh nhen
Richards tried % lurn Il, eald nroHn.
There HaF 30 elIeH - slas dean after
he nsh nele saen IN lhs read. heeanse
fhef hfamnd - bafe infne4 aRi - ihe
sef, keAal, haaefef. lalnaa aaa alsp
80 u fsaaf u ihe mashlaa.
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lsnlAnkF0islH, Apdl a ~
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