Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-08-27
NARROWLY
AVERT RIOT WHEN
SAILOR IS NABBED

Officer Punches Drunken Sea-
man in Chest and Several
Hundred Enlisted Men Make
Threatening Advances; One
Other Scrap
LOWNISH, laughable antics of a
II partially intoxicated American
- sailor led to a serious clash be-
tween the Honolulu police and en-
listed men Saturday night.
The fun began on Hotel street at II
! o'clock and the trouble ended half an
hour later at the police station where
several hundred angered men congre-
gated
Doing a sailors hornpipe in the
street, during which he hoped on
rapidly moving street car and Topped
off backwards, followed by witty re-
partee with the spectators, the sailor
soon gained the attention of a police
man who placed him under arrest.
The enlisted men protested and muir
mureQ at the Object.
The policeman used bis fist in
short jabs at the chest OF the sailor
to force him out into the less crowded
part of the street, meanwhile menac-
ing the crowd behind him to check an
attack. Jabbing the sailor in the
chest Infatuated the soldier and sailor
spectators.
y A big sailor rushed the officer
while others began shouting, rake
him away from the policeman" mean
ing the arrested man. The police Of
. ficer blew his whistle for help as he
started afoot to the police station.
Motorcycle Officer Ferry in civilian
: clothes came to the aid Of the other
officer and this still further angered
the enlisted men who began shouting
that civilians we're helping the police.
Two other officers appeared, one OF
them mounted.
BY the time the corner Of King and
, Bethel streets was reached the crowd
had swelled to nearly 500 men threat
, ening the police. From all indica'
, tions the crowd was intent on rescu'
: ing the prisoner in the darker part
j of Bethel street in front OF the NC
= Candless building. Fortunately
d though, as the crowd started across
h King street, it was split asunder by
q an Eva bound street car and an auto
:. mobile headed in the other direction
= This gave the mounted officer an op'
: portunity to get directly behind the
Z one leading the prisoner until the ar
a rested man was hurried into the police
station.
+ Arriving at the station the men con
e tinued their threatening attitude. The
l. police did not attempt to dispense the
J. crowd, although precautions to stop a
2 charge were taken.
The enlisted men would not leave
the vicinity of the station until they
we're demonstrated with by army or
, ficers on provost duty.
While there was no bloodshed, po'
tentially it was the worst incipient
riot that the police have had to queli
t for some time. That the streets
might have been turned into a sham
+ bles was evident by the declaration
of one soldier in the crowd that II
: he had a gun he would blow that
policeman out of that saddle"
II the trouble had reached the stage
of a fight between seamen from the
Serapis and Sherman with the police
an hour later on Nuuanu street the
notice would likely have been unable
to control it, as they were greatly out
numbered by the enlisted men.
Nuuanu Street Fight.
The Nuuanu street fight started
r without warning shortly after the
closing of the saloons. A drunke:
sailor stumbled into man carrying
a tray and others resented it. They
started fighting and others took sides
J. all those engaged oeing civilians. Nc
enlisted men were involved. A rio
call was sounded and detectives and
+ police swarned into the street ant
: began battering the combatants apart
Q While another officer soon became
y non-combatant through a vicious
- swing in the face, Detective Machads
quickly accounted for four or five
:, seamen whom he put out of the SCRAP
with free body swings to the heads
of the fighters. He used only his fist
= Many of the fighting men, who must
S have numbered close to Is, made their
:, escape when they realized that the
S plain clothes men were authorized Of
ficers, but five seamen and firemen
8 from the Sherman were arrested. None
!. of the Scraps men were arrested, al
8 of whom seemed to have gotten mixed
t in the affray through accident. One
or two town civilians also received