Imperial Valley press., 1932-05-02
TROUBLE FEARED
BY AUTHORITIES
IN ISLAND CITY
Precautions Ia ken To
Prevent Racial Battles
In Honolulu.
BY DAN CAMPBELL
United Press Staff Correspondent

United Press Staff Correspondent
HONOLULU, T. H, May 2.--U.P)
An undercurent of tension
spread through the city today,
bringing out emergency police re-
serves, while four Americans con-
victed of manslaughter for the
honor Staying of half-caste native
began their fight to escape sentence
to Oahu prison.
Growing feeling against the rec
tally mixed jurors who voted the
conviction led to fears for their
safety. Police guards were furn-
ished four islanders awaiting Sec
ond trial on charges of attacking
Thalia Fortescue Massie, wife of an
American navy lieutenant.
Deserted streets that usually
swarm with sailors on weekend
leave gave Honolulu an outward
appearance of calm. Authorities,
however, took every precaution to
avert a new outbreak of racial ami
mostly that swept the city last
January and was climaxed with
Kahahawais death. He was one
of Mrs. Massie's asserted attackers.
Clarence Darrow, famous criminal
counsel who emerged from retire
inent for this last case, spent the
day at Pearl Harbor navy base con-
feTing on appeal plans with Mrs.
Granville Fortescue, her son-in-
law, 1t. (J. g. Thomas H. Massie
and the two enlisted men, Edward
|
Leniency Impossible
I'VE have just begun to fight"
George S. Leisure of New York
said. These people were victims
of crime they didn't commit-the
attack on Mrs. Massie. Well fight
to the last ditch"
But unless Circuit Judge Charles
S. Davis grants them a new trial
when they appear before him next
Friday-and this is regarded as
highly un1ikely-he will have no
alternative but to sentence them to
10 years each AT nard labor
The jury recommended leniency,
but territorial laws compel the
court to exact the maximum SEN
tence. The prison board, with the
judges approval, may shorten the
sentence to as little as three
months.
From authoritative sources the
surprising report was confirmed
that seven Caucasians on the jury
voted for a manslaughter convic-
ton as compromise. The three
mixed blood Hawaiians and two
Chinese, contrary to general expec-
tationS, held out for acquittal until
near the end of their 49 hours de-
liberation.
| WASHINGTON, May a.
The Senate today in three min
utes passed bill designed to amend
Hawaiian law to prevent disagree
ment of the jury in the second
trial of persons alleged to have at
tackled Mrs. Thal;a Fortescue Mas
sic which in effect would acquit
them of the charge.
Just before the Senate acted on
Bingham'S bld, Representative
Crisp (DemocraD Georgia, intro
duced in the House bill which
would pardon the four defendants
in the So-called Massie case, who
were convicted rast week in Homo
lulu of manslaughter. Crisp's bill
sets forth that the United States
having jurisdiction over the Terri
tory of Hawaii, Congress has the
right to grant pardon regardless
OF the attitude of the governor of
Hawaii.
The committee today reported
Bingham bill favorably.
Bingham explained that under
present Hawaiian law, two hung
jurieS in a case frees defendants
from liability TO further prosecu-
ton. A bill pending in the Hawai-
ian legislature would eliminate that
provision of law, but would not af-
feet case now pending.