Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-05-25
TWO CALLS NEEDED
TO GET AMBULANCE
Man at Police Station Stops to
Argue While Injured Man
is Unconscious

| Residents and passersby in the VI
cinity Of Punahou street and Wilder
avenue at the corner Of the PIeasan-
ton hotel were thrown into turmoil
about s O'Clock last night by bloody
encounter between Christian Ihsen
and John Silva. both Of whom the po-
lice eventually took to the police sta
ton
According TO eyewitnesses the af-
fray was a handto-hand, knock-down-
and -drag-out affair I'm which Silva
was knocked unconscious for about
half an hour Too much liquor on the
part OF both participants is said to
have been the cause Of the whole
trouble.
Citizens OF no less prominence than
Ex-Governor w. +. Frear passing in
autos took a hand and ran down and
captured Ibsen after he had delivered
the blow that flOOred Silva. AS the
latter fell his head struck the stone
curbing and an ugly cash that bled
freely vas cut In the back OF mis- head.
Silva was treated at the emergency
hes ital and Ibsen was locked up for
safe keeping. This morning he was
discharged because, according to the
police, Silva declined to prefer
charges, saying that both were drunk
and that he hit Ibsen first.
Ambulance Not Started
Believing Shva's condition was Sc
rious and that the injured man might
be dead or dying, witnesses to the as.
saut sent a hurry-up call to the po-
lice station for the emergency ambu-
lance. They state that after waiting
about u minutes or ample time for
the ambulance TO arrive there was
still no sign OF it and they called
again.
On this second call the officer on
duty at the receiving station is aHeg-
ed to have said that the ambulance
had not yet started. It is also said
that he haggled with his informant,
asking what was the matter with the
he either did not care to despatch the
ambulance to the scene or else was
in no hurry.
Police Finally Arrive
The crowG gathered in the mean
tine and waited patiently. They won
dered what was keeping the police.
One citizen was holding Ibsen and
others were doing what they could for
the unconscious Silva. In another IL
minutes the police came.
why the man down at the reCeiv-
ing station should stop to argue with
me in such case when all indica-
finnc hot - l. /,
yound me, one of the eye-witnesspS
stated this morning. Il supposed the
emergency ambulance was for just
such cases. Even if had been wrong
1t seems to me it would have been
far better for the emergency people
to have made quick trip to the scene
and found that / was wrong rather
than to have dallied along and found
Fthe -fIlaHshad passed away while they
were on the way"
Shows Promptness This Time
AS an opposite case on the emer.
gency ambulance a Star-Bulletin EN-
ploye tells the story Of a near-smash
on King street, near Fort, this morn.
ing that was the result of speedy driv
ing on the part Of the ambulance man.
II was IOdTuSQ ldLeT III the Qdy LlaI
the ambulance was not on an emer.
gency call but rather was transferring
a patient. The driver was David IA.
mauoha.
According to the Star Bulletin man
a dray was backing out of the alley.
way between the Kauikeolani building
and as the Waikiki car going eva
approached Fort the ambulance put
on sudden burst Of speed and spurt-
ed through the narrow margin of the
dray and the street car in a Wild ef-
fort to get ahead Of the street car,
which II did by the rarest good luck,
but not without striking the street car
sharp crack with the left rear wheel
as Il passed.
Ramauoha explains for his side.
however, that he was ahead of the
street car and when he saw the dray
backing out behind In unruly team he
had to speed up suddenly to evade
being caught in a pinch by the ap-