The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-10-29
CHOOSES DEATH
At THRESHOLD
Hawaiian Youth, Coming Homs
From Japan, Takes Poison
on Board Ship.

Not daring TO face the quanntise
doctors, Ms they slowly passed up thH
line OF seeond.class passengers on board
the Japanese liner Chiyo Mam yesbsr-
day forenoon, Joseph A. Hamauku. n
young Hawaiian returning from YokN-
hama, broke from the line and hidirE
in passageway drank carbolic acid
Twenty FIVE minutes later, despite tAN
heroic measures taken by DR.. Gords1
Potter, the vessel Is surgeon and Dtes
tors Trotter and Gillespie of the quaz-
antine service, the man was dead.
Worry over tho condition of Esa
health was the cause Of the dramatHr
suicide. For ten days Hamauku, ar
cording to Doctor Potter, had fluctuakeS
in the scale of melancholia, sometimes
in the depths of depression, sometimeE
becoming almost cheerful. During the
entire voyage the idea of suicide wzS
riding his mind.
| A few days out from Yokohama hf
showed small bottle of cnrbolic aeiR
to n fellow passenger.
"See how this thing burns" he said.
lie poured several drops on his hama,
and the blister was still to be seen yeE-
terday as he lay dead in the firstclsxE
hospital OF the Ch1yO.
He clung TO life as long as he thoughs
possible, but his suicide was premeds
tated, and it was only until few scr
onds separated him from the doctors
examination that he took his last fatah
step. He left four letters bidding farN-
well to his relatives One of these wax
to his brother; others to his step.par-
ents. These are now in the possession
| - Ckar,H All of them
state his intention of committing Sun
eide.
Key TO Cause.
II was not until all the passengers
were Off the big vessel and Chief Me
Duflie, Sergeant Kellett and Doctor Pos-
ter were examining the body alone n
the hospital that the key to the mys-
terry of his death was found. Unth
then il was thought that money mattern
had driven him to suicide, but it then
became certain that he feared for htI
health and dreaded examination.
He had made desperate efforts to 70
main ON board the vessel and tried 70
Induce Captain Greene to sign him OF
the crew, but without success. He cor
ltinually expressed fear of going
ashore, and apparently had not cent
wherewith to pay his passage on u
the Coast. When searched there was
not penny in his clothes and he haN
no extra clothes or even grip IN hA
| cabin.
{ Hamnuku left on the Tenyo Mari
| | for Japan in an effort to improve mn
health. He either failed or else spent
/ the money he should have used to thax
end in carouses. He had bills ana re
ceipts on his person that showed hn
expenses to have been high, and par
t ticularly his liquor bill. Stories to TINT
: effect he retailed to Doctor Potter az
: the latter patiently drew his story rrom
him in an attempt to ascertain INC
cause of the obsession under which ne
apparently labored.
s Spent ALI His Money.
e Hamauku told him that he hae
: ugone on a booze,D that he had speM
c ali his money and that he had to cable
+ tn the Guardian Trust Company here
5 for funds with which to return. AZ
cordinp to the few details the doctor
was able to get from him his expe-
: riences in Japan must have been hghH
5 exciting.
j. His melancholia was consequently
h ascribed to financial matters. the ns'
e most attention was given him. he &C
n cupied second cabin with ChlnamaS
z but grew nervous and insisted tnat the
t Chinaman was watching him. lie was s
h then placed in the second-class hospIta'
: where three seamen who had been IN
!. iured in the gale were also under treSa
/ mcnt and was finally, IN last attemp'
|, 10 restore his mind to its naturah calm
h placed in the first class hospTUa Nshert
T he was alone in comfortable roomy quSi
d tiers.
|, But the idea that he must end his -GSs
& when the vessel hove to of his nAtivt
y city was in his mind. The moresatten
; ton was given him, the closerthe came
to his journeys end. The one fact OF
IS set the other, and his melancholia, in
!! stead of growing lighter, apparently IN
n creased the more was done for him
& He chung to his life, clouded rs n
e WAS, until the last moment. He ever
D lined up with the second class passen
d gers on the deck aft waiting with his
hands above his head, according torem
II mand, with his eyes fastened ON th'
/. town spread out before him on which hf
# looked for the last tins,
The quarantine doctor slowly passed
t. down the long line, carrying on his min
2. ute inspection and the closer he got Il
y Hamauku the closer death got to him
l. Finally the young man realized that ii
, he waited second longer the doctor
II would reach his place before he had
8 time to consummate his resolve.
e Finds One Man Shy.
u He slipped from the line into the pas
II sage.way that ran across the ship in
front of the door of Doctor Pratt's
n cabin. 1t was the nearest entrance IA
e the place where he stood.
$ The doctor completed his examination
g and finished his count. He was one man
y shy. About this time Doctor Pratt and
;, Doctor Trotter were walking aft from
the completed examination of the other
Z passengers and met the other examining
J physician at the purser's Office, who de
c clared he was q man shy. Almost a.
the same moment steward rushed
y down and told them that there was 3
man sick in the other hallway.
All the physicians FASTENED to the
! spot and the first Whit Of the carbolie
u and the appearance of Hamauku gave
them an instant cine Foam was issu-