The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-01-09
DEFECTIVE YOUTH
HELDFOR Staying
TWO LITTLE BOYS
Blood Smears On Trousers and
Shirt Lead To Arrest Of
Hawaiian
HIS STORY TOLD POLICE
FULL OF CONTRADICTIONS
Mother Of Murdered Children
. Saw Him Leaving Shack
Where Bodies Were Found

Suspected by the police Of being the
perpetrator of one Of the bloodiest and
most brutal murders that ever shocked
Honolulu, Keawekane, Hawaiian,
twenty years old, is held at the police
station. He is believed by the officers
to be the man who early yesterday
killed two little Hawaiian boys, Kama
and George Kanuha, nine and thirteen
years old, respectively, with an axe and
a hatehet.
Keawekane denies any completely in
or knowledge of the crime, but the
police say they found blood on his legs,
the bottom of his trousers and the
back of his shirt, and that there il 9th.
er evidence connecting him with the
crime. ...
No reason has yet beer adduced for
the brutal murder of the two little
boys. They we're alone in a cabin far
mp Makiki Valley when they were
killed. When they were found, il was
discovered that an axe had crashed in.
to the center of the skull of the older
boy, dashing out his brains and killing
him instantly. The younger boy was
struck in the back of the neck by a
Ratchet, which was still lodged in the
wound when the frantic mother of the
boys entered her home to find them
both lying dead, in their blood.
No charge has yet been placed against
Keawekane. He is being held for in.
vestigation.
Believed Mentally Defective
Keawekane is said to be mentally de.
fective. He served a term in the re
form school, and the police stated last
night that when there he was generally
looked upon as half.witted. Later Kea.
wekane was in the employ of the gas
company and, according to the police
again, was discharged on the ground
that he was mentally deficient.
According to Deputy Sheriff Asch,
suspicion attached to Keawekane soon
after the crime was discovered. Asch
was on his way to the little cabin at
the head of Makiki Valley, where the
double murder was committed, when
he was met, he says, by Keawekane,
who wanted to lead him to the house
where the bodies lay.
The young Hawaiian took Asch to
near the cabin but then, apparently
frightened, objected to going any farth.
er. Asch then noticed, he saws, that
Keawekane' 5 feet and legs were splash.
ed with blood, that there was blood ON
the bottom of his trousers and that
there was a big smear of il ON his
shirt. The trousers had no buttons and
were held up by strings. Asch declares
that they had just been changed.
Keawekane's Story
RlanIty
FOUND on mat in the house where the
two little bodies lay. Questioned con
corning these, Keawekane said that he
had gone into the house with the bows
mother after the crime was discovered
and had stepped into a pool of blood.
The blood smear on his shirt he ex.
planned by saying that when Mrs. Ka.
nuha saw her sons lying dead, she tried
to pick one Of them up, and then
grasped Keawekane by the shirt, stain,
ing it with the blood on her hands.
At the time Mrs. Kanuha was too
hysterical to make any statement in
this regard, but later in the day, when
she had in some degree regained her
composure, she denied that she had en-.
tered the house or had seen Keawekane
do so,
She said, however, that she saw
heawekRne come out Of the house.
Mother Tells Her Story
The mother told tie deputy sheriff
that she and her family had lived in
the house only one night. She said
that her husband, who is laborer en-.
ployed on the Kalakaua Avenue road
work, told the family Sunday that they
were to move that, day from Moiliili to
the shack in Makiki Valley.
II appears that Keawekane and his
brother had been living in the shack
and were told to move to make room
for the Kanuhas.
Yesterday morning, according to the
story told by Mrs. Kanu:a, the father
left to go to work. His wife and sons
went to the bottom of the road and
waited at the home of Keawekane's
father for the arrival of Chinese who
sells poi. When he came, the mother
bought two bags of it, and sent the
children up to the shack with iustruc,
lions to place the food in cool place.
she saw nothing of Keawekane at this
time. +.
When the boys did not return in
about half an hour, Mrs. Kanuha says
she became impatient, and went up the
road to where she could see the cottage
perehed on the side of a hill. She
called to the children, but received no
response, Then, she says, she saw Ke
awekane leaving the house. He came
to meet her, but made no mention Of
anything unusual He accompanied
Mrs. Kanuha back to the cottage, and
when they entered she saw her boys
living dead on the floor.
She Owned No Axe
An axe and a Ratchet were found by
the police in the blood. spattered cot
tage, the Ratchet still imbedded in the
neck of nine'year-old George Kanuha.
Mrs. Kanuha declared she did not have
an axe or Ratchet about the place.
When the elder Keawekane was, aues-
TONED, he said he had never owned
hatehet and that none was ever used
around his house.