The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-05-16
ALLEGED SAyGGLER
ORDERED RELEASED
Charge Against Mrs. M. s. Tay-
lor, Former Mongolia Stew
ardess, Is Dismissed.
(rrom "Wednesday Advcrtiscr)


Tho sudden and unexplained dis
missal yesterday in the United States
district court of TIE case against Mrs.
NJ. S. Taylor, the former stewardcss of
the Mongolia, who was arrested sew
cral months ago in San Francisco on
charge of having smuggled opium into
Hawaii, was caused, il is said, by the
non-appearance, of T.. w. Bishop, the
star witness who was to have come
from Muncie, Indiana, to Honolulu to
testify for tire government. Yesterday,
the numerous local friends of Mrs. Tay-
lor escorted her EN- massc to the Korea,
upon which she left Immediately for
San Francisco.
The sudden withdrawal Of the
charges against the former stewardess
was made by Assistant United States
| District Attorney Biting, When the
case was postponed last Monday to be
| called Yesterday, after it had been cal
! endared for months to be held OIL the
twelfth of the month, it was felt in
| knowing circles that something had
gone wrong in the government end.
Bishops connection with the case
dates from the time when he was max
ing a tour of the Orient on the Mon
golia, and in landing at Honolulu he
was given box by Mrs. Taylor, with
whom in the course of her duties he
had bocome casually acquainted, to de-
liver at this port. BY chance the pack
age was found to contain opium, ere
it reached its planned destination, and
Mrs. Taylor, who was on the high seas
at the time, was later apprehended in
san Francisco when the Mongolia
reached that post and brought for in.
vestigati0n to Honolulu.
Mrs. Taylor upon her arrival here is
said to have broken down and partial
ly confessed, but her numerous local
friends have since stoutly maintained
nocent and had been used only as the
instrument Of r. criminal unknown
Their contention is that she was giver
the package, entirely unaware of what
it contained, to believer it on shore ant
that she had accepted the easiest means
|, of carrying out the favor by enlist
ing the assistance of Mr.. Bishop, whit
as passenger would land sooner thar
she, confined on board as she was by
her many duties. tn uU
Bltting'S StaUcmcnt OF WlCndraWui u
the court yesterday morning wa,
enigmatc. "For reasons Of which tn,
court is no donbt eognizant,' he de
clared, az consider it the wisest cours'
we can adopt to dismiss the cas'
| against the defendant Beyond thit
assertion, the district attorney woult
go no further yesterday. ta
"Of course the sudden termination
of the ease is a surprise to me-" sait
+. A. Douthitt Of thu law firm o;
, Douthitt & Coke, who represented Mrs
Taylor. ~ had, no more idea thar
anyone Of Bitting's motion for dis
missal ere he stated it in the cour
this morning. My belief is that no
, only was the government evidence in
! sufficient, but the expense of bringin,
Bishop from Indiana together with tn
expenses already gore to in prensrin,
the ease and transporting Mrs. Taylo
from San Francisco in charge of tn
t United States marshal of that city
5 did not warrant the government goinI
. ahead with the trial. At that, we wer
4 confident to certitude that we coul,
clesr Mrs. Taylor of all the charge
0 against her,"