Salt Lake Telegram | 1932-05-04 | Page 4 | The Honolulu Case

THE HONOLULU CASE A A i CONSIDERABLE por portion on of the American press has condemned the Honolulu jury verdict in the killing of a native who was Identified as one of a gang of hoodlums that assa assaulted a white woman Prior to the recent trial when the persons perSons persons per per- sons responsible for the death were found guilty a jury had failed to convict native principals principals principals prin prin- accused of the assault and no great wave of indignation was noticeable on the mainland The absence of emotional reaction after the trial of the natives may be accountable for upon two grounds that grounds that the Massie case had not yet reached the pr prominence of a cause celebre and that acquittals by jury were by no means uncommon in every community com corn comI I In America The natives should have I been punished Failure to obtain justice In ih Inthis inthis this case probably induced Massie lassle and others to take the law into their own hands The failure of the jury to acquit Massie and the others is ascribed by many to the racial mixture of that body which heard the evidence in the murder case and yet a story from Honolulu upsets this theory by showing showing showing show show- ing that it was the Caucasians upon the jury who held out for conviction The Massie verdict came at the end of what was called an honor trial The four persons condemned had taken the life of a Kanaka who was identified as one of a gang that had brutally assaulted Mrs Massie the wife of a young naval officer Undoubtedly the popular verdi verdict t in America America Amer- Amer America Amer Amer- ica would have been a acquittal The same people and the same press who were outraged by the verdict of guilty have gone about their own business complacently enough when day after day so-called so miscarriages of justice have occurred In their own communities How often have ilave criminals escaped punishment punishment punishment pun pun- through faulty jury verdicts in this country How often has the much abused unwritten law been invoked in this country to the responding applause of a large part of the people How often have they applauded lynching How long have the ther people stood by while the law la lawas r was being manhandled When the people of the United States make respect for law and justice mean something something something some some- thing and give the right sort of treatment to tc all criminals they shall be entitled to criticise criticise criticise cise the other fellow and no not until