Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 193, 20 August 1894 — THE QUEER WAYS OF THE LAW. [ARTICLE]

THE QUEER WAYS OF THE LAW.

Onr attention has beeu ealle'i to M.me of the sentences irapo«* e<l by Ju(Ipe "Whitinp at t- e preseut terra of the Cirenit Court. ! as > unplcs of the caprice of the Inw r.t • f the C«»nrl; hnt, a.s the C .i;rU/like the Kinp. ean do no wr«»np «e raast attribate to the «,-ccentric «l:sposition of tbnt c;»i ric vi\en Justicia, (I,atin f«ir J ;Ntice,) thc frcaks tl.at have iately b«•••ii m»uif«*ht iu th© h.stoiy of our courts Three inBtanoes are cited: First, a ehinauao, convic(ed of selltDg an ounee or raore c>f opiuiu; Seutcnce, 18 nionths im* prisonn,eDt nt liard labor, idi1 a tii;«- of $0 0 (Hi ..uil c( ~t —the tni«» ar.il c( '> heinp equiv«leut to ue.nlv fonr vears :»fhlitional imprismmont Sccoi.il, a brace of Manilamen, one of tbero onlv lo ycuis ohl, convictcil ( f bnrglary. in cnterinp « dvvellinp in the c;.rly t-ven-iup. dor5i p the nbsence of the faiuily, with intent to stea1. but \vith( iit lmvinp stolon anything. Seutei»ce, six years «t hard labor, f r the man, and tive ycnrs i*t h«rd labor for the l»oy'. Thinl, n «lini.keu white fieud wlio, without provoCHth»n. h cked his unoHemlinp \vife in a room, aml | r< c« « «1« d to convert h« r mto minee n»eat, \vith, n uinr«lerons knift>; tlms e ittinp her critically, and beinp saved fr« in the critue < f mimloi onIy by » stee! rib of her corscts, whieh turnod aside •i tbrust aimed al hor heart, and bv the tiinelv arrival of others, who burst open the «loor and dragped tho fiond froin his victira ns she la\, oibausttd in streugth, corap!ettly nt his mcroy. Sentunco, 9 iuoiiths iniprisomucnt at hanl labor. Here is surely an oeeaaion for Iho tonderinp of peneial eongrutultttious Wo first congratulaie Iho povcrument upon its «ppoinlraent to the Bench, of a uian po-sossing Judgo Whiliup’a romarkable per»pic«city in the iuensuriug out of pnuishment to ortendors, iu snch ra»nuer as to inaik the horror of the aforomentioned Justicia ; of (he crimes ot secret uialefactors. aimed at tho morals of tho pco}»le and espooially tho opium habit, —ns contrastod with those eompaiativolv trivi»l offeuses whieh havo for their object the ridding ouo’s self. aml tiio world. of a sjiouse who is no longer eutirely «groe ablo, uf)er their innkual aftiuities have becoine iuipared. Ne\t. wo coiigratulate tho ent«>ri»risiup geutlcman who receiv cd the 9 oionths sonlence, that ho was uot so anfortanate as to have boeu detected in the daranable and sonl destroying criiue of veuding an ouneo of opinm: iustoad of the jde«sm'able but prohibited pastirae of carvinghis wife into scctions. Dut. when we thiuk of Uie iuau w ho sold the opiuoi, and the mau, aud the lō-yoars-ohl boy,, who got inlo the wrong houso «fter dark, we duu‘t quito sco ui»on what ground \ve eao congratulato thcm. Kather lct their dastardly oriiues receive the indignation : and rccoai}\euse of «n outragod puhlie scutiraeut. Lei tbem sweat ar.d groau for tbeir rais-! deeds; «nd. above «11, iet them r«?uouce crime of such heiuous ch»ractor, and if. 5n future, they | wish to raonkey with the legal ' }»rohibita, Ict them confine tbetn- j selveg c»scs of carviog their, wives, «nd reduciug the bodies { of the Iatter to friigmeuts. lf they ranst siu, let thera siu iightIy. It is alw«\ s beat to bc safe.