Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-23
CONVICTED, HE
WEEPS And VOWS
TO KILL HIMSELF

3 ~ i
/ Sentenced to life Imprisonment for
the self-confessed crime Of crfminally
abusing a girl less than twelve years
old, Louis Rodrigues, a native of
Porto Rico, broke down in Circuit
Judge Roh:ason's court this morning,
wept tempestuously and threatened to
commit suicide. Rather than spend
all the long remaining years of his
life in the treadmill of penitentiary
life, serving on the penance for his
terrible crime, the prisoner vowed he
would slash his throat at the first OPP
portunity.
His declaration of this suicidal in
tent may necessitate a closer guard
and greater confinement OF the man
for a number of years, until the mind
mas lost its purpose in the heavy grind
of prison labor.
Temporarily, however, he seemed
dissuaded by the gentle words of P.
Maurice MacMahoil, the court stem
ographer and Irish poet, to whom be
had confided his intent to take his
life. Catholic in religion, he was
reminded of the church's belief that
so long as there Is life there is hope
and a possibility of atpnement. bnt
that suicide of the body means sui
eide of the soul.
Rodrigues. who was indicted few.
days ago by the territorial grand jury
for carfial abuse of a female child un-
der twelve years Of age, entered &
plea of guilty when taken before
Judge Robinson this morning for ar
raignment But with 1t he at first
persisted in making an excuse. He
is unable to speak much English, and
through the court interpreter he stat
ed that while he knew he had COM
mitted a crime he had done 1t with
no real intent to injure his victim.
He declared he did not know why he
had done twas actually unable to
account for his own action. The
court declined to accept the addition
al statements as part of his plea.
George A. Davis, who had been ap
pointed his counsel by the court made
strong plea for leniency. reviewing
the mans history, reputation and the
story of the crime. Rodrigues is thlr-
ty-six years old, and for years has
been steady, faithful plantation
workman, with whom his employer had
never found fault. The child he as
saulted is his second cousin, q girl
of whom he had always been fond and
whom naturally he would not think
of maliciously. iniuring. Rodrigues,
during part of his stay in Homo.
lulu, had lived with the ehild,s par
ents. -
But ever 10 his attorney the man.
had been unable to explain why, or
under what circumstances he had at.
tackled her, reiterating the statement
that he had no intention of harming
her. 1t was not until after sentence
had been pronounced and court had
adjourned, that Rodrigues broke
down. MacMahon approached him and
quietly asked him why he had done
it. Trying, in broken English, to ex-
plain that he had not realized the OF.
tense, Rodrigues' nerve gave way. He
had been considered one of the stol-
i'd, Unconditional type, and his surren-
der to tears came as surprise to all
who had witnessed his previous beha-
Vior. .... !
One bystander who heard the threat
of suicide remarked loudly:
, We'll, he ought to commit suicide.
Serve him right---a. man that'n do a
thing like that!"> He was promptly
and witheringly rebuked by P, Maurice
MacMahon. T.. . t.. ~.-.@..
There We're no women in the court
room to witness the confession, pro-
nouncement of sentence or the specta-
Gle that followed