The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-10-19
SUCCORS
DOOMED F|L|P|NOS
Three Murderers Die Bravely
Upon Scaffold Sustained n
BY Catholic Faith
Three FiipinOs were hanged at the

Three FilipinOs were hanged at the
territorial prison yesterday morning.
They murdered Wada, a Japanese, on
Kauai June 16; dubbed his wife so
that she afterward became insane; shot
two boys and dubbed another, and set
fire to the house. One of the boys
dragged his mother and brothers out.
They were young men. Feliciano
Hirano was twenty-One. Juan COronel
was twenty-five. Ponciano Colaste was
twehty.six.
All were buried yesterday afternoon
in that lot at Makiki which has re-
ceived the bodies of many who died as
the three died.
Comfort of their religion, the CathO.
lie faith, steadied the shaken nerves of
the men. Father Valentin, who has
given an arm to many stumbling along
that dark road, otherwise alone, was
with them to the end. He gave them
holy communion Thursday morning; he
gave them last absOlution on the scat
fold yesterday morning. he read the
burial service of the church over their
bodies.
Governors Mind Made Up
1t was all he could do. He had
promised the three that he would APP
peal to Governor Pinkham and he did
see the Governor, but without hope, for
he knew the executive had given the
! case long and careful consideration be-
fore he had signed the death warrants.
To that holy communion High Sheriff
Jarrett ascribed the ealmness of the
men. And the father, too, told of how
they had been moved by terror when
he told them the day of execution had
been set.
81 came to see them Saturday after.
noOn,n he narrated. "But there they
were, each Of them sleeping, and said
to myself, i cannot wake them, and
so waited until Sunday, the next day.
When told them their hands began
quivering-this way"
Some vague hope, thoughtless, un.
founded, or, if founded, having only a
careless word, perhaps, as a spring, had
shut from their eyes the vision of
death; but, when they heard of the
actual day, they were stricken pro
foundly. SO they remained, and there
Mas fear in the prison of what was to
come yesterday; and yet, into the
minds of the men, one of whom was
denomnated as a Savage when he
came, calm descended through the hope
of religion.
The prison quartet gave a short CON
cert for them Thursday evening, a
strange half hour. 1t was at their re
quest. The five musicians sat outside
the box like cells and the men stood
| at the doors.
Colaste Was Stronger
CorOnel and Hirano went together,
first. 1t was not of their choice; the
prison officials chose for them. They
chose wisely; for always it is the
strongest who must wait, and COlaste
was strongest. His apparent collapse
| on the scaffold was not q collapse, but
the vertigo of a man utterly bound,
hand, foot and limb. about whom the
moose had been pulled tightly. One who
saw how collectedly he listened to the
monotonOus reading of the death war
! rant saw he was most master of him
| self.
1t was eight twenty-five o'clock
when COronel and Hirona walked upon
/ the scaffold. Four minutes suffced
HiranO was cut down in thirteen min
utes; COronel, most nervous of the
three, was not pronounced dead until
nineteen minutes had dragged by. Dur
ing this time COlaste was waiting in his
cell. He could hear the clatter of the
trap. His heart ceased its beating in
nineteen minutes, at nineteen o'clock,
lie had stepped upon the scaffo!d at
eight-forty eight and the drop had
fallen three minutes after.
No body showed the slightest move
ment after the fall There was not
even twitching of the hands. Care
full arrangements by High Sheriff Jar,
lett left no opening for an untOward
incident.
Iir W. l.. Moore and DR.. w. w
Cress, /. :. ~, were physicians.