Evening star., 1932-01-11
Gives Details of Attack
Rear admiral Sterling Quotes Mrs. Massie's Testi-
mony; Says Honolulu Police Are Lax in
Dealing With Gangsters.

record She had blackened eye, her
nose was swollen and bleeding, her jaw
was broken in two places, and she was
bruised about her body from head to
ankles. She later suffered infection
from her broken jaw and ran fever
from 101 to 104 degrees for two weeks.
She was found to be pregnant as the
result Of the assaults on her and an
operation was performed to relieve the
condition.
Five Arrested After Crash.
"At 12:45 am, September 13, an au-
tomobile containing four men was in a
near collision with q car containing a
Mr.. and Mrs. Peoples at street inter-
section of the city One of the men,
later learned to be Kahahawai, got
from the car and approached the
Peoples car, saying, Let me get that
damned ole (white man.
Mrs. Peoples, an Hawaiian woman,
alighted from her car and was knocked
the face with his fist The Peoples sue
ceeded in obtaining the license number
of the other automobile and immedi-
ately reported the incident to the
police.
AT 3 am. the car and driver were
apprehended and taken to the police
station. The other occupants Of the
car eventually were discovered and
placed under arrest later the same
morning.
THAT afternoon when the occupants
OF the car were taken before the
woman who had been rayished she i'm
mediately identified two of them as her
assailants-namely, Chang and Kaha-
hawai-, the two who had first seized her
THE men who were arrested, and
who admitted they were in the car at
the time the rape was in progress, were
as follows:
Horace Ida and David Takai, Jap
anese; Benny Ahakuleo and Joseph
Kahahawai, jr., Hawaiians, and Henry
Chang. Chinese. (The men are Amer
ican citizens, but Of the extraction indi-
cated) OF these FIVE men, three had
criminal records Chang and Ahakuelo
we're indicted with three others in 1929
as constituting a gang who had raped
4 Chinese girl. They were permitted to
plead guilty to assault with intent to
ravish and each Of the five was SEN
fenced to an indeterminate sentence Of
from months to Is years.
All Paroled in Four Months.
Each was released on parole after
serving four months. Chang Is still at
large on parole, subject to reconfine-
ment until May 20, 1889. Ahakuelo,
who Is an athlete and local foot ball
hero, was, at the instigation of persons
connected with the local Amateur Ath-
letic Union, granted a full discharge
airy rs, 1891, in order that he might
represent the Territory in the national
amateur boxing championship tourna-
ment held this year at Madison Square
Garden, New York. He did In fact SO
represent the territory.
"Kahahawai was tried last year on
q charge Of first degree robbery COM
mitted in September, 1880. His first
trial resulted in mistrial by reason
Of jury disagreement. Instead of re-
trying the case, compromise plea Of
guilty to assault and battery was ac-
cepted and a 80 days sentence imposed
on January 7, 1881.
After the men had been indicted
(in the Massie case), William H. Heen
and william B. Pittman were an
nounced as counsel for four OF the de-
PENDANTS. Mr.. Heen is a territorial
Senator and chairman of the Judiciary
Committee OF the Senate. Mr.. Pittman
Is 4 brother OF United States Senator
Key Pittman. These gentlemen are
recognized as being among the foremost
criminal lawyers of the Territory.
Defense Fund Mystery.
+uyo
being paid fees of several thousand
dollars each. The source of this money
is not known, but 1t injected the first
knowledge Of an unknown but apparent
ly powerful-at least flnancially-in-
fuence supporting the defendants.
THE trial of the case began on Mo-
vember 16, and continued for three
weeks. The jurors deliberated for 81
hours before they announced there was
no hope of an agreement on 4 verdict.
During the time Of the jury's deiibera-
ton, it was once necessary for the pre-
siding Judge to go to the jury room to
prevent physical combat between two OF
the jurymen. There Is, Of course, no
authentic knowledge OF exactly how the
Jury stood at the time OF its discharge.
THE trial showed that the Police De-
partment was divided against itself. Re-
ports were made by police ofilcers TO
defense attorneys instead Of the city
and county attorneys offlce. The son
and daughter Of present sups visor OF
the city and county testified u behalf
Of the defendants to assis. r. s6tst'tsfi'
ing an alibi.
"A former supervisor OF The c+i'
leading witness for the defense, -.,ls
man was involved in white slave al
fair during the present year but the
case, although it received some publici-
ty, never came to trial. 1t Is q matter
Of court record that during the month
of October this same man WAS accused
before the Juvenile Court by an Is
year-old girl Of pandering and by Is
year-old girl before the same court ne
was accused Of committing what
amounts to statutory rape.
THE newspaper publicity. the evil
dence Of conflict In the Police Depart
ment and the injection Of local political
persons into the case aroused a great
popular indignation and alarm on the
part Of the reputable citizens OF the
city. This indignation and alarm was
intensified by the fact that, between
September u and the completion OF
the trial, five cases Of criminal assault
or attempted criminal assault on women
of mixed blood occurred in the COM
munity.
"One Of these cases involved a police
man OF Honolulu and l7-year-old
japanese girl. The policeman was dis
missed from the police force and ap-
pealed to the local Civil Service Com
mission. The commission upheld the