Honolulu Republican, Volume IV, Number 496, 14 January 1902 — BODY TAKEN FROM THE GRAVE TO TELL IF MURDER HAS BEEN DONE [ARTICLE]

BODY TAKEN FROM THE GRAVE TO TELL IF MURDER HAS BEEN DONE

Blood Stained Pillow 7 ells a Tale Merc Fit Dm ilie ie el One and the Husband Dies. Police Suspect Feel Play end Ms Foiled. Dole in the Skull, It “Alcoholism.” \

The body of a roan supposed to have been foully murdered was yesterday evening exhumed from the Catholic cemetery on King street and taken to the morgue where an autopsy wa? held by Dr. Macdonald, the result of the doctor’s examination plainly showing that death must have resulted from some other cause than that stated by Dr. Alvarez in the certificate of death which he issued and which gave the cause of d ath as alcoholism. The skull, over the left temple, had be, n penetrated by some sharp instrument. making a hole in the head about three-quarters of an inch square, although but a small cut was made in the skin. Police Scent a Murder. Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth learned yesterday afternoon, about " o’clock, that there was evidently something wrong in a death which had occurred in a house on Punchbowl street near Kinau. The Deputy Sheriff ininiediat°ly started to investigate the matter, with the result that George Rosa and Mrs. Joseph Rosa were arrested and placed behind the liars in the police station to await investigation. Joseph Rosa, the husband of the woman arrested, was the man who had died under peculiar circumtances. George K ?a is the brother of the dead man. Joseph Rosa and his wife and brother lived in the same house. They were. according to the records of the police. always quarreling among themselves. Joseph would quarrel with his wife and George and Joseph would fight together on many occasions. The story is and it is to a large extent well substantiated, that the brother and husband enjoyed the same Standing in the estimation of the woman. Jos- , ph’s wife. Joseph naturally resented this. Hence the quarreling and an occasional arrest from the Rosa premises. The neighbors have testified now and again of the continual row? at the Rosa establishment. What Happened on Saturday. There was great trouble on the Rosa premise? on Saturday. George Rosa had been arrested once or twice for assault and battery on th brother now dead. He is said to a#?aiilted the dtcea.- d on Satunlay. As to whether there was any cel**ration at the Rosa house on Saturday and whether liquor played any [•art in the tragedy yet remains I lie seen. The facts, as ascertained by the police up to the present time, are as follows: it was Saturday afrernoon. or evening, that Joseph and George Rosa

liecame engaged in a quarrel which is said to have ended in blows. Joseph s wife, becoming frightened or for other reasons, ran out into the >ard and remained there hidden in , the bushes during what followed. The row had commenced between Joseph-and his wife, but George, the brother of the dead man, took a hand and the woman retreated. Just -what went on between the brothers is im possible to say at the present tim* It is said tliat after Joseph and George quarreled for some time, the noise of battle ceased and the house became quiet. About I o’clock on Sunday morning there was m re trouble between the brothers. Saw Her Husband in Bleed. According to the story told Deputy , Sheriff Chillingworth by the wife of the dead man. it was not until 5 •’clock on Sunday morning, about four hours after tire last trouble betwei u the two brothers. that the wife i saw her husband. She went to his room and saw him lying on the floor, his fread resting on » pillow and the pillow case covered with blood. Her ; husband was not moving and gave j no sign whether he was alive or dead. Tire woman evidently did not examine her husband for it was not until 11 o’clock Sunday night that the people in the house considered it ' necessary to summon medical assistance. By this time the man was fr. thing at the mouth. Dr. Alvarez Summoned. Upon his arrival. Dr. Alvarez examined the man and gave him an in- i jet lion of strychnine. At 9.30 o’clock yesterday mornlag Joseph Rosa died. Dr. Alvarez said that the death of th* man was due t > alcoholism. Yesterday morning George Rosa, lire brother of the>dead man. went to Father Valentin at the Catholic Cathedra! and askrei for permission to Inter th" body of his brother in j the Catholic cemetery on King street- , it seems that the Rosas were be- 1 hind in some cemetery dues and that George Ro?a had to pay what ire owed before he could get permis- j sion to bury the body of his brother) in the Catholic cemetery. . The Body Was Buried. Permission having been secured, and armed with the certificate of death from Dr. Alvarez, who had declared that death had been due to alcoholism. George R, sa n.afie arrangements for the funeral. » Between 3 ami 3:30 o’clock yesterday afternoon the funeral took place. it was not* an elaborate affair, a plain coffin bolding the remains. Eleven people followed the body cf Joseph Rosa t- the grave. Arrived at the Catholic cemetery. (

the coffin and its contents were low ered into the grave. The old keeper of the cemetery informed High Sheriff Brown and Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth that h had never seen such a quarrelsome party at a funeral. George Rosa and the wife of the dead man were among those who attended the funeral. The old cemetery keeper declared that there was continual wrangling during burial. The Police are InformedWilliam Keaw? . a native lad, was \ the first to inform the police of facts that indicated that something was wrong in regard to the death of Joseph Rosa. Keawe informed D‘ puty Sheriff McGurn that he had seen blood on the pillow upon which the dead man had rested his head in his own house on Sunday. McGurn immediately communicated w ith Deputy Siv riff I Chillingworth who. after acquainting the High Sheriff with what was sns- ! pected. dropped everything else and , ?a\e his whole attention to what is supposed to have been a brutal murder. An officer was sent at once to the Rosa house and George Ro?a was placed under arrest to await investigation. He had only just returned from the funeral. Brother Had Been in Fight. When George Rosa was taken to the police station he bore upon his face and hands marke which clearly showed that he had recently been engaged in an encounter, evidently a I desperate one. On his right thumb ; was a mark which seemed to indi- < ate that he had been severely bit- : ten. There were abrasion? on his | face and on other of his body. He said that he had fallen down stairs on Saturday night last, hut af terwards'admitted that he had some tronbl with his brother Joseph, but j emphatically declared that he had ! not hit his brother. By this time Deputy Sheriff Chil- ! lingworth was well satisfied that there was something very wrong in the affair. It was then that the d ad man’s 1 wife was sent for and held for in- ; vestigation. All this occurred !a?t j evening, the police working quickh in the matt r and leaving no ston* unturned to make the cause of the death of Joseph Rosa quite clear. Saw His Father Struck. The dead man’s wife told an entirely different story than had been told by the brother of the deceased She told of having seen her husband lying on the flo'-r. resting his head un on a bloodstained pillow, but did not explain her reasons for not examining him more closely to see

whether he was bad> wounded or not. Joseph Rosa’s son was also sent for and examined He told another story He said that he had seen George Rosa strike his father. Afterwards the w.fe admitted that when she went into the room where her husband was lying on Sunday morning she saw an iron bar and a putty knife lying n*>ar at hand sU said that there was blood on the instruments. Willie Keawe had called at the Rosa h use about 10:30 o'clock on k Sunday morning and hail s en Joseph Rosa lying on the floor and the pillow covered with blood. He had noticed a cut on the»forehead of the man. He thought there was something wrong and had informed Deputy Sheriff McGurn f hi- suspu; ns. Search of Premises Made. Captain Parker visited the Rosa house last evening and made a search of the place. He secured the pillow upon which the-dead man had rest d his head, it was still covered with the pillow case, but the ease had been washed, although it still bore signs of being stained When th' case was removed the pillow reveal ed great blood stains. Captain Parker also scour-d the putty knife, upon which were blood stains. He saw nothing of the iron bar. spoken of by the dead man’s wife. Deputy Sh-rriff Chillingworth went to Dr. Sloggett. president of th* Board of Health, and asked permission to exhume the body of Joseph Rosa and hold an autopsy Pr Slog g.’tt readily granted the p> rmission. Father Valentin was then seen and asked for the necessary permission to enter the Catholic cemetery. This was also readily given. The Body Exhumed. High Sheriff Brown and Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth. accompanied by seme trusty of the jail, wqnt to the cemetery with the undertaker’s wagon and proceeded to exhume the body. It was no easy task. The earth had been tramped down hard. When th soil was taken out it was found so difficult to remove the large box in which the coffin was contain ed that it was decided to take the coffin out of the box. which was done. The coffin containing the remains was taken to the morpje near the Board of Health office. Dr. McDonald and the keeper of the morgue having been notified what to expect. Everything was in readiness when the body arrived at the morgue. Dr, Macdonald at once proceeded to work. Coroner’s Jury Summoned. It was then about 11 o’clock at night. Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth hastened to the police station from the morgue and immediately set to work collecting a coroner’s juryTwo newspaper m**n who were on • haad. H. M- Ayres and W. F. Sabin, were at once subpoenaed and William Wilder. Herman Kubey. G. B Curtis and W. C. Snider were found in The Union Grill and The Palace Grill. The jurors were taken at one*: to the morgue in the police patrol wagon, where were sworn in and viewed the body. Dr. Macd maid exhibiting the wounds. - Very Strange Wound. Dr. Macdonald exhibited a wound over the left temple wh‘<h could not have been other than fatal. While the skin wa? only cut to a small extent when the skin of the faee wa? pulled down a horrible hole in the skull was revealed, it was threequarters of an inch square and was such a wound as might have been made by a bullet or some sharp instrument worked around after it was thrust through the skull, or it might have made by the end of an iron bar of small diameter, which, leaving but a small mark on the skin, might, at the same time, fracture the skuli and drive the bone into the brafc. There were mark? on the body, indicating that there had been a severe figlit before death. The leg? were bmi? d and cut and the right arm was badly bruised. The coffin from which the body bad been taken stood on end nearby, the lining at the head and feet covered with btood. • Was Nst "Alcoholism. " it was net difficult to see that "alcoholism" had very little to do with Joseph Rosa s death. At 7 o’clock this osening the inquest will he held in the office of Coroner CluHingworth. at the police station. Manuel Rosa, a brother of George Rc- a and the head man. is at present living in Macoa valley Another brother. Antune Rosa, a lawyer, died some time ago. Joseph Rosa was a man not much over thirty years of age. He had not been very strong for some lime, being partial iy paralyzed. He was formerly employed as a printer in the office of the Independent.