The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-11-02
.LUNA[|[O'S TOMB
BROKEN OPEN AND
R|FLEDBY VANDALS
Silver Crown Symbolic Of Royalty
Stolen BY GhouIish Thieves
Who Leave No Clue 4
ROBBERS OVERLOOK
PRICELESS TREASURE
Ancestral Feather Cloak Worn
BY King Was In Casket But
Was Not Disturbed

Nandals forced the lock Of the iron
doorway Of the tomb Of King Lunalilo,
in Kawaiahao church yard, sometime
during Tuesday night, and stole the
silver crown resting upon the beautiful
koa wood easket, and also the silver
plate descriptive Of the monarch whose
remains have rested within these
wooden walls since 1874, after which
they despoiled one of the tombs in the
old churchyard, tearing open the cot.
fins and strewing the interior with the
debris . D..
The crown was not valuable sym.
boil Of ROYALTY days, but composed prin.
cipally Of thin silver strands with few
Earnishments and but half the height
OF the crowns that in life were used TO
symbolic high Hawaiian authority.
This crown rested upon representation
of n crown. bearing pillow made Of koa
wood, and fastened to the coffin lid
just above the head Of the former ruler.
Farther down the lid was another koa
piece shaped like a sLield, and upon
this had been screwed the heavy plate
npon which was inscribed the bio
graphy Of the people Is king" .
To gain entrance to the tomb the
vandals slipped into the garden enelos-
ure over rear wall which is not
guarded by an iron railing. The door
Of the tomb is also guarded by an iron
doorway which is locked with a pad
lock- Behind this is heavy double
wooden door, the lock of which has
long been broken and the key has not
been turned in It for years. The only
lock was TO the iron doorway, and this
was forced with an iron bar, presum.'
ably. The vahdals apparently knew ex.
actly what was to be obtained in the
tomb for little else was disturbed. The
heavy black pail, upon which are
raised embroidered crowns studded with
imitation jewels--sapphires, rubies and
diamonds-was thrown back, revealing
a long koa wood box which fitted oyer
the inscription plate and crown. u ,Deft
fingers had removed the plate leaying
very few finger marks on the wood.
work. These were infinitely examined
by Captain McDuffie yesterday safter.
noon and impressions taken. "a.
Treasure Overlooked ....,E
The casket was undisturbed, but had
the thieves known, il contains one of
the most priceless relies in the Islands
an. ancestral royal feather cloak, which
the king asked to have buried with
him The lid was intact and there
were no marks of jimmies or ehisels
upon its beautifully polished surfaces
The easket was especially built bY the
father of Henry Williams, thesAnder.
Al a. II. Al
mains of the members of the Kalakaaa
dynasty, is an extremely beautiful ex.
ample Of cabinet handicraft. ~, -.
Close to the easket of Lunalilo is that
Of Raiana,. Lunalilo's father, who died
many years afterward, and who, nc.
cording 70 Innalilo's will, was buried
in the same tomb. The silver inserip.
ton plate upon this casket was nn-
touched. ~ 70.
When the Hawaiian attendants at
the tomb, entered the enclosure yester.
day morning they were hOrriRed to see
the non doors standing ajar, and more
SO when upon closer examination they
found the lock on the steps twisted,
torn and wrenehed apart as with an
iron bar. The wooden doors were open.
Then they saw the disorder upon the
coffin and knew that the tomb of the
friend of the aged. infirm and the poor
among the Hawaiians, had been ruth
lessly despoiled. S..
No Clue Pound
II was not until later in the after
noon that the trustees of the LunalilO
Estate were notified. when +. A. Mott
Smith, one.Of the trustees, accompanied
by A. J.. Judd and w. w. Chamberlain
of the Guardian Trust Co., made hur-
ried visit TO the tomb and questioned
the Hawaiians. The latter reported
that the last time the tomb was opened
was on October - when they swept the
place. They could give no clue what.
ever. ~.
Mr. Mott-Smith sent for Chief Me,
Duffie, who arrived and took impress,
sions Of finger prints and closely ques-
toned the attendants. "."-.
But the worst was yet to come. Over
in the cemetery the Hawaiian earetak-
ers had found iron doors gaping wide.
ly at the tomb which is owned by Mrs.
Koolau Male, tomb which has seldom
been opened during the past forty or
fifty years, but the doors Of which had
Deth WTeHfntu smear OFT from Ine MN
ges and left lying in the black sand,
From the low doorway steps descend
steeply into vault lying about eight
feet below the surface. The lower
steps were broken. Six collins had
reposed In this vault in two tiers be.
hind q wooden screen, with wooden
doors the locks long rusted out 81.
Just Like Hun Work g..
Here the Lunalilo Estate trustees and
the detective chief found n scene of
almost Understandable vandalism. The
doors had been broken and thrown into
heaps on the floor. The coffin lids had
been pried of and broken when thev
refused TO yield TO pressure; ends of
Baskets had been broken in and parts
~ the remains pulled ont and scattered
on the floor. Most of the Baskets were
wooden cases enclosing metal interiors
and the latter had been ripped and cut.
pppnreBtlv, with a can opener, or sheet
metal cutter. ,'H &C.. " ...~.
Evidently. the vandals had used cleo
trio seardlllights for no burnt matches
were found mt either the kings tomb
or thot in the ehurehvard.
Resfino hpon me Of the Baskets was
small polished ltoa box about two and