The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-11-11
OFFICER
DIES FROM
WOUND
While Physicians Were Making
Preparations to Transfuse Blood
Into Weakened Body of Man
uel D. Abreu, He Lapsed Into
Inconsistencies and Passed to
Final Reward.
(From Saturday Advcrtiscr)

(FrOm Saturday Advcrtiscr)
Twenty hours after he was shot by
II. f. Ferguson, a dcscrtcr from the
regular army, Manuel d. Abrcu, inspec.
tor of weights and measures of the 20
lice department, died at the Queen IS
Hospital yesterday forenoon at half
past eleven clock.
His death put an end to promising
career and brought mourning to the en-.
tire department, where his excellent
qualities had made themselves felt to
an unusual degree. The flag a: the sta
ton was lowered to half-mast at noon.
Aureus last moments at the hospital
were touched with pathetic note of
heroism and adherence 10 duty. He was
conscious until two minutes before the
end. In the next room surgeons were
preparing to operate upon him once
more and effect TRANSMISSION of blood
from j. Amarino, n young man who
had offered himself to the surgeons to
save his frienu life.
Abreu smiled at the preparations and
told them that they would be of no
use. Chief Clerk julius Asch, who was
with him all morning until the end,
cheered him as well as he could and
told him that there was no danger.
Knew End Was Near.
Abreu smiled at him chccrfully.
81 m pau, he said, "and know it.
For greater part of the morning
Abreu chatted with Asch, posting him
on the conduct of the chief clerk s de-
partment, while Asch was on the Coast.
lie had acted in Asch S place, and, an
xious that no loose ends be left to
| worry the chief clerk, instructed him
| fully on what work had been done and
| what was still left from the previous
| month. He told him the drawers where
| he had left the books and made an ac
| counting of the fees that he had col
leeted as inspector of weights and meas
ures and where he had placed them.
He was dying slowly all the while.
The shock and terrific loss of blood
| had undermined him and while the
wound itself might have not proved ia
| tai, its effects did. The heroic offer of
| his friend to transfuse blood was in
vain. The victim of Ferguson S muir
derous bullet died while the prepare
tions were being made for the opera
tion.
Two minutes before he expired he
was still talking to Asch, making the
pathetic report of his trust. He had re.
NAMED conscious, except for short
sleep, from the time he had been shot
Suddenly his eyes closed; he gasped
once or twice and died.
Flag at Half Mast.
A few minu.es later the flag at the
| noliaa 81 lrnnuinr A.,
to the half-stafT.
An inquest will be held this morning
and will probably be followed by q
charge of murder set opposite the name
of Ferguson, murderer, dcserter and
burglar.
Fellow Officers Tell of Heroism.
At the inquest the full extent OF
Abreu S heroism which resulted in hi,
death is expected to be brought out
The stories of the other officers were
told fully yesterday and prove that
Abreu s attempt to disarm Ferguson
and protect his companions amounted
virtually to suicide and that in spit,
of the mortal wound he received as he
sprang at the man, he did succeed il
getting grip on the revolver.
He and Detective Swaden were stand
ing fully five or six feet away wheI
Ferguson who had just been arrested
as descrter suddenly wheeled OF
them. Swaden saw the revolver frs
and dropped fiat to the ground, draw
ing his own revolver as he went down
The bullet missed him hairsbreadth
Abreu jumped forward as Ferguson
pulled the trigger and helped to disarn
him before he rea. .zed that he wa
bleeding TERRIBLY from the abdomen.
Captain Nelson S share in the fierc
struggle for the possession of Fer
guson's weapon is spoken of by hi
superiors yesterday in the highcs