HONOLULU AFFAIR

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 3443, 15 March 1932, Page 7

HONOLULU AFFAIR

OFFICIAL REPORT. DETAILS OF ASSAULT. WIFE OF NAVAL OFFICER. MANHANDLED BY NATIVES. Full details of the assault on the pretty young wife of an American naval officer toward the end of last year, have just been forwarded in a special report to the secretary of the Navy, by Rear-Admiral Yates Sterling, Jun., U.S. Navy Commandant of the 14th naval district.

"On the evening of September 12, 1931," states the report, "the wife of a lieutenant (junior graduate) in the Navy, in company with her husband and two other service couples, went to the Alawai Inn, a rather popular cafe on Kalakuau Avenue, which is the main thoroughfare of the Waikiki district in the city of Honolulu. "At 11.30 p.m. becoming bored and tired of the party, the young wife, who was not 20 years old, decided to take a walk. What followed is best told in the words of the woman herself. She says:— "I walked toward Waikiki on Kalakuau Boulevard, and then I came to John Ena Road I turned down, walking to near the place where the road turns toward Fort Derussy. "There a car drove up beside me, and two men got out. They seized me and struck me. They were Chang and Kahahawai. Kahahawai hit me. I screamed, but they dragged me into the car and held me on the seat. Kahahawai was on the right and Chang on the left. "I tried to talk to them, to get them to let me go. They were holding me, and every time I spoke they hit met. I told them my husband would pay them if they would let me go. I told them I had money in my pocket-book and would give it to them. Ahakauelo turned around and said, "Take her pocket-book." It was not very dark. There are street lights along there." "Witness went on to say how they then drove her down among the trees and assaulted her, leaving her to walk back. "She summoned a passing car, reported the incident to her husband and the police and was taken to the hospital. Doctor's Evidence.

"The doctor testified that she had a 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 had to undergo an operation as a result of the assaults. "The men arrested, admittedly in the car at the same time during the assault were Horace Ida and David Takai, Japanese; Benny Ahakuelo and

Joseph Kahahawai, Jun., Hawaiian; and Henry Chang, Chinese, but all American citizens.

"Of these five men, three had criminal records. Chang and Ahakuelo were indicted with the three others in 1929 for assaulting a Chinese girl. They were admitted to plead guilty to assault with intent to commit a certain offence, and each of the five were sentenced to indeterminate sentence of from four months to fifteen years. "Each was released on parole after serving for four months. Chang is at large on parole subject to reconfinement.

"Ahakuelo, who is an athlete and a well-known local football player was at the instigation of persons connected with * the local amateur athletic union, granted a full discharge by the territorial governor on February 25, 1931, in order that he might represent the territory in the national amateur boxing championship tournament, New York City.

"Kahahawai was tried last year on a charge of first degree robbery committed in September, 1930.

"As to Takai and Ida neither is known to have a criminal record. Ida has been living in Los Angles, for about five years and had returned to the territory shortly before the assault. Takai has two aliases and is with out visible means of support."