The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-04-12
Dixie DOOLITILE' ?. =.
CASE RESuEISIN
FULL EXONERAT|ON
After Deliberatng and BaIIoting
For Eight Hours Decision
- Is Finally Reached ~
ATTORNEYS PRESENT ,
.i.sl LENGTHY ARGUMENTS
TaIesmen Stood Nine To, Three
For AcquittaI Until Final
Ballot Was Taken

lTuHI tiCVIupduyy VINO nus DeBn on LTlAl
in the circuit court before Judge Viii
liam II. Heen for the past week was,
exonerated of the charge of criminal
libel at eleven thirty o'clock last
night by the jury in the case after it
had Eleliberated eight hours.
This brings to a. conclusion the
charges made against Trent and r. o.
Matheson, editor of The Advertiser, in
connection with one of series of the
so-called "niSie Doolittle' articles,
which the Elks lodge, eOmpIainants in
the case, held was injurious to it as
an order. - .l..
Interest Wide Spread
u, The trial, which has been in prog
ress for a week, attracted the widest
attention due to the prominence of the
defendant, who is head of the largest
financial. institutions in the Territory
and federal custodian Of property
owned by alien enemies With r. o.
MathesOn, editor Of The Advertiser he
was indicted for libel in connection
with one of the series of so-called
"Dixie Doolittle' articles, which the
Elks lodge, compliments in the case,
held was injurious to it as an order.
Up to three thirty one clock yes
terday afternoon when the case was
at length given to the jury the day
was devoted to the arguments of OPP
posing counsel.
Counsel In Case
The accused financier was represent
cd in the trial by ATTORNEYS John
den. Attorneys f. G.. Peters and
cution of the case through its opening
stages when a demurrer ito the charge
was fled and overruled by the court.
When the actual trial started Peters
withdrew from the case, leaving the
burden of the prosecution to be borne
by Attorney Davis alone. Against the
odds he faced Attorney Davis made a
notable fight, directing the case in
all of its ramifcations without aid
from the Office of the county attorney.
When Attorney George Davis opened
his argum ent yesterday morning for the
prosecution he sought to impress upon
the jury that the trial could not be
regarded as life and death affair.
He chafaetefized thef5'ehafge' as sta
tutory misdemeanor, intimating that in
the event the defendant were found
guilty he could be let off with a small
fine.
In his opening argument the attorney
for the prosecution reviewed details
of the Testimony, going over what had
been said by the various witnesses
In a part of his argument Attorney
Davis himself said that the accused
financier had only been over-zealous
"Trcnt is not a bad man." he as
serted. 81 am satisfied that he has
good heart and that he has noble
traits. He was merely over Jealous. -
Attacks Defendant
Branching out from this point of view
he attacked the defendant sharply for
WhRt had heen said in the "Dixie Doc.
little" article of January "a. He ask
ed why Trent had not written direct
ly to the officers of the lodge over his
own signature instead of having pub
lished the article over pen name
He also said the defendant might have
taken up the question of liquor sales
10 the Elks club with the minority of
members whose effort to end liquor
salos in the club had been defeated.
All through his argument the attor
ney for the prosecution dwelt upon the
definitions Of terms used in the ar
ticle. Chief among these we're "JObn
Barleycorn," "hOOZe joint, and
joint. The attorney turned his guns
early. on the use by the defendant of
pen name, declaring that an anOnN
nous communication was deadly
weapon o.,
Watson Replies
Attorney T.. NJ Watson, represent
ing the defendant. followed Attorney
Davis and made reply to the things
he charged. He said, that the "Dixic
Doolittle" article did not carry the
meaning that the prosecution had
sought to show it held He held that
all the assertions contained in the ar,
ticle and had shown that it was fully
justified by conditions in the commun-
uy at the time it was written. He
asserted that the prosecution had en-
leavOred to read into the mhaning of
the article some hidden devilish mean
ing which ii did not contain.
Particular stress was laid by Attor. !
DeY Watson on his reply to charges
concerning the statement of the arti- |
Gle, which said the lodge was "turning
out few drunkards every year. "
Claims Charges True
Attorney Watson asserted that this |
was literally true, holding that any
Ilare whore liquor was served necessar,
lily turned out some "drunkar every |
wear" Emphasizing this point he refer, |
red to the historic experiment Of Bish- |
op Potter in New York about ten years
ego when the Episcopal churchman had |
sm~ht to provide a workingmen $ |
club" where thew could obtain pure
LIQUOR at reasonable prices. He point
cd to the fact that this experiment |
had to be abandoned after "A year.
One after another he took up the
charges contained in the article. show
ing that all that had been said was
true. He referred to the statement !
Of the article which said "lOyal young |
Blou would hesitate long before Joining !
such au order" and cOnteDded this had |
been proved bv the testimony Of I. 4. |
RnIrh If the Muiuel Telephone Com
many who had Snid he had refused to |
iniu the Elks when asked because Ii |
uuor was sold in the clab rooms