Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-10-27
CARACAS STORY
MAY GET PARDON
FOR BILINUEVA
Continued from PAGE II


Big island who believed Bilinueva was.
the guilty man.
Attorney Stainback, wno had recon-
mended that the sentence be COM
muted to life imprisonment, came IN
also for the criticism, but he chung
steadfastly to the belief that while
Bilinueva might be guilty there was
not enough evidence upon which TO
hang him.
Mr.. Stainback said today that ne
does not believe it will be necessary
to take Garcia to kohala to trace out
the details of the murder. Sketches
and maps can be used 20 answer as
we'll, it is believed.
1t is interesting to note, portions
of the opinion on the case sent TO the
governor on October II, 1916, by AT
torney Stainback, supporting an oral
recommendation previously made
Here are extracts:
ION Friday, October s, 1915, Harriet
Humane left the Kohala Seminary
about 1890 p. m. to go TO her home'
on the government road between
Union Mill and Halawa. She never
arrived but was found dead in a cane
field near the government road a
short distance from her house, with
her throat cut and other wounds upon
her body When found she was III
or IL feet from the plantation road
and about 100 feet from the govern
ment road. Certain wounds tended to
show that she had been forced at the
point of knife to leave the govern
ment road and accompany her muir
derer a short distance up the plant1'
ton road.
Before entering the cane field
there had been a struggle in which
the girl lost her hat and some re-
ceipts and checks which shewas car.
rying home. he testimony of Dr.. Bond
tends to show that the girls throat
was probably cut after she had been
thrown to the ground and that dealn
had been almost instantaneous.
Garcia yesterday described this
scene in detail, speaking OF the pa
pers which were thrown about as
examination papers from the school.
He said that he cut her throat while
she was down. .'...
That the girl was killed by 4 L ill.
pino," continues the opinion, I'VE lie
lieye is almost unquestionable from
the character of the crime and he
testimony of Ichikawa, a Japanese
chauffeur, who was, one fof the last
persons to see Harriet Humane alive.
His testimony, which is clear and con-
vincing, is to the effect that on Fri
day, about 1880 p. m. hewas gong
from Halawa toward Union Mill, and
near the place where the girl vas
murdered he overlook Filipino going
towards Union Mill and that about a
quarter of a mile farther on he met
Harriet Humane" .-.-.. -
Garcia told OF this meeting with the
chauffeur yesterday. The driver had
asked him If he wanted to ride, he
said, and he had refused Is he was -
meet the girl by note appointment
that afternoon. r.... 49,.
What was considered one of the
weakest links in the circums&antial
chain was that Bilinueva had con-
tinued to wear the shirt in which he
committed the murder and went back
past the scene OF the crime.
ITO accept the testimony of the
prosecution, says the opinion, "he
must have Immediately left his home,
still wearing the bloody shirt, re.
passed the scene of the bloody muir.
der. gone to the moving picture show
at Halawa that night with his shirt
still on, spent the night With his
friends at Halawa and remained there
until about 1890, and then returned
home to Union Mill, arriving at 2:3O
or 8 o'clock the day after the murder,
before changing his shirt. This seems
an absurdity on the face of it as the
condemned man appears to be a man
of shrewdness and intelligence His
answer to a question as to his wear
ing a bloody shirt brought forth the
reply that man who had committed
murder would be crazy to go around
wearing a bloody shirt. Furthermore.
the testimony of other witnesses who
saw him on Friday, one of whom was
close enough t take a cutie fish
firm his hand. is that such witness did
not notice anything unusual about his
shirt. ..t..... s..
If the Japanese chauffeur told the
truth with reference to picking up
Filipino at the scene of the murder
and carrying him to Union Mill, it
would seem that man with the
slightest intelligence would attempt
20 remove the bloody clothing and not
repass the scene of his crime with
such evidence fresh upon him. AL
though this witness identified the de.
PENDANT as the man he picked up and
described in detail every article of
clothing from his hat to his shoes
when these articles we're shown to
him and questions asked concerning
them still his testimony was not
voluntarily given to the police when
he first heard of the murder, but
several days later, after he himself
had been arrested in Hilo. Further
more the detailed description of the
clothing given by this witness and the
several Filipino witnesses (also
among the arrested) in my mind
weakens the testimony rather than
strengthens it. 1t is almost an alb
Suriity for so many witnesses tn OK.