The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-01-21
(From Saturday Advertiser)

Two little daughters of Mrs. johanna
Mascoto stood upon the steps of the
Kalihi-uka school yesterday morning
and saw their father shoot their moth
err down at the threshold of her own
home.
Just few minutes before she had
called their names from the register of
the school where they are pupils and
she is teacher. In those few minutes,
the worst passions that their innocence
was heir to was paraded before them.
Surrounded by her little flock, "Teach-
err arbiter of thirty.six small destinies
started up at the roar of 12-bore shot
gun, slowly spread out her arms, top
pied backwards and, with little sigh,
crumpled up on the lawn.
A few feet from her stood the hus-
band. holding a shotgun. out of one
barrel of which thin flicker of smoke
curled up. He was haif-bent over. one
arm raised clutching his weapon of
destruction, the other stiff over the
fallen woman, his face rigid and ex-
pressionless, except his lips, just apart
over his teeth.
Then he Strengthened up, slowly, and
circled around the body of his wife,
keeping his hand with its flared fingers.
between himself and her face. and
backed into the door of her home, the
cottage in the school grounds.
His Terrible Retribution.
He turned and walked swiftly into
the bedroom. turning through door
to his left. His poots were muddy. HIS
uneasy steps were marked on the mat
ting. He walked to the dresser, pick
ed up mirror on it and looked AT
himself. Then he dropped it back and
it split across. He faced the hght.
hooked a finger in the trigger and
holding the gun at arms-length, brought
the barrel around with the other hand
until it rested under his chin. Then he
fred. blowing off naif his face.
The gun dropped from his fingers and
he staggered forward over the thresh'
old to the kitchen. His blood blazes
his trail from the bedroom.
He made for the oblong of light that
represented the door and swayed out
and down the two steps. He crouched
and looked at the body of his wife
himself something british, inhuman
horrible. There were some Mortified chill
dren huddled together in the yard. They
screamed when they saw him, scream
ed at the top of their thin, scared lit
tile voices and ran.
His Penalty Of Life.
What was left of Manuel Fernandes
Mascoto stood up and walked Slowly
across the lawn from the teachers cot
tape to the back door of the school. Ht
was probably past pain. His brain
was operating on its refexes. He die
not feel the insistent little drops that
trickled out of the place where his face
had been. But he felt it.
For some. to him unexplainable, rea
son his veins and arteries seemed
empty. his body prot sting at beini
made to move. In front of the schoo
house door he sank slowly to sitting
posture and braced himself with hi
hands. There be sat during the ffteer
minutes that a police auto, careeninf
on two wheels over the worst road IL
the city, was bearing frantic officers II
the scene.
When Mascoto pulled the trigger II
end his own life the full charge has
passed through the under side of hi
lace. hls lower Jaw was sho' c"''P'S's
w away, and portion of his uppe
jaw, including all the teeth; but strang'
10 say his tongue was untouched ex
cept at the end. With this compleIel'
exposed to it's roots, with one eye stand
ing outside of his head and with tn
flesh on his cheeks drawn back, tn
place where his features had been wa
red skull aud in this condition b
later walked halfmile unaide'
through terrific mud from the school
house 10 the waiting patrol wagon.
In this inhumnn form he stopped a
he reached the natrol 10 kiss his it'll
en.vear.old daughter goodbye, b
with dripping red desh for a face, nm
tll he was seized hv Police Captai
Baker aud helped back into the patFo