The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-07-22
BOLD GRAF 7 IN
H|LO ROAD
WORK
Confession of Nahakuelua Tells of
Forgery, Padding and Double
Payrolls-Kealoha Debonair as
Ever When Sentence at Hard
Labor is Passed Upon Him.
(Man Special to The Advertiser,

(Mail Special TO The Advertiser.)
HlLO, July lS.-The case of Super
visor John Kealoha, charged with hay.
ing falsely certified that David Mat.
toon worked twenty days as road su
perNisor FOR North Hilo, was the first
OF the county graft cases to come TO
trlal. II was heard before Judge Wise
last Wednesday morning, and was in.
tensly interesting. The prosecution
was conducted by Prosecutor Breckons
who conducted his case with his usual
Vlgor, making the many people in the
audience who had never seen him in
action before, sit up and take notice.
MS conduct of the ease, more particu.
larly his cross'eXamination of David
Nation, and his argument. were worth
gong far TO hear. Kealoha was de.
Tended by Attorney Correa.
Correa wasted no time in dilatory
tactics, but was as ready to 20 TO trial
on the issueo as was the prosecution.
Inc prosecution = first witness was
county Clerk Kai, who testified to the
signature OF kealoha and the pay roll
winch formed the basis for the charge.
hai also testified to the usual routine
of pay rolls, claims and the like. On
cross-examination he admitted that the
NATION item had been approved by
the supervisors.
j. A. Wilson, the Laupahoehoe Su.
gar Co. bookkeeper, testified that Mat.
toon had worked in his office. as MS.
, sistant bookkeeper all last May lie
came to work at about seven in the
morning, and worked until about half
past five in the evening, with one hour
| "a fnr lnnuhnau O., 90.
, son remembered he had been there all
these hours every working day during
q May
/ On crossexamination Wilson stated
that Kealoha had asked him for per.
mission to use the services Of MattoOn,
7 and Wilson had sad he might have
A these, provided that Nation Is work
. for the plantation was not nterfered
A with.
G Wilson Nahaluelua testified in re.
!. gard to what were the duties of road
Q supervisor, basing his statement on his
/, own experience as road supervisor for
o North lilo for six years. He said
that during May the county road gang
in North Hilo, consisting of from fifty
to sixty men, worked from six until
:, three at Maulua, Mt the LaupahoehOe
A pail and at Kaiwilahilahi. They
- worked at distances from one.eighth OF
Il q mile to three miles from The planta
a. fion office where NATION was.
e Smart Witness Wilted.
e. David Nation was called by the de
d Tense, but he proved to be almost the
It very best witness for the prosecution
n, He is a rather wonderful young person
Is arrayed in fanciful garb of daring
SO composition He was inclined to Civ,
ID smart answers, bordering closely
70 on impertinence This did not las
y very long, however, for Breckons skill
full cross.examination wilted the younl
10 man considerably.
IN Nation testified in answer to ques
n tons by Correa, that he was the as
N sistant bookkeeper for the plantation
TO but that he had acted as Il road super
visor since May ~. As such he super
u intended the road work, gave orders Il
the lunas, supplied the laborers witt
tools and material, and went out on thu
Is roads to look after the work. He di'
this nearly every day. He looked at
ter the road work in the morning iron
half past FIVE to six, and on Sunday
he conferred with lunas and looked AT
ter the time boohs.
II was Joy to witness the ease wit
err which Breckons picked the evidence
,g this self.assured young fellow to pieces
% The witness was apparently deceive
" by Breckons' quiet and retiring man
eu ner at the beginning, but lie 500
nc learned that he was mistaken, and tC
N, wards the end of his cross.examinatio
u: he developed a case of lapse of memor
Vi as bad as that of a trust magnate.
N M EElt
OF Breckons being particularly strikin
re- and forcible. He pointed out that an
he county which would allow certification
of such claims az that of Nation t
m pass unchallenged would soon be banl
IN rupt. The court took the case unde
IN advisement until the following morning
yes Light Sentence.
w. On Thursday morning the court roo
was filed with people who had con
nm to hear the Judgment of the cour
~, Judge Wise found Kealoha guilty I
40 charged, and Breckons made n stat
"a meht in which he pointed out how vci
a. evident it was that the Oifense ha
a,'. been committed with deliberate Grin
ha inal intent, and that the recurrence {
an such cases. Of which there were a grei
~. MANY, bore out this contention. /
flttu. us an lHSIhHct III pOlnli lht va
me of Moses Kawaha, who year az
:, worked under Kealoha in South Iii
Az, for Al 50, but who now. under u
"a, benefcent North Hilo regime, is 60
inns ting - so day. fH
Ia "In matters Of this kind the que
see tion is not what | would IKE to d
pc. hut what ! should do. said Judi
MS Wise in pronouncing sentence. "Sin
sci yostardaV | have gnpnt cougilprab
'he time thinking over this matter. | fe'
and | am sure that ! am right, tn
when man has been placed by d
-, people in a position of public trust,
,m you have been, and he then makes
As misuse or misappropriatiOn of the pm
We lie funds which have been entrusted
ia his care, then he is entitled to and d
vas serves a severer punishment than do
rk- the man who, by day or by night, go
IN into the house of another to take !
monde Gnah n man NJ ,angt takau 4